Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Ì
Asgarður
Hvolstrod
T
487 1440,
W
asgardurinn.is.
Simple but modern chalets sleeping up to four, each with a
bathroom and kitchen; their policy is not to make strangers
share a chalet, so you might get a whole cabin to yourself.
Turn off the highway up Route 261
and it's
right beside the
chur
ch. Brea
kfast is 1100kr extra.
5500kr
; with sleeping
bag
3900kr
Campsite
Off the Ringroad just west from the N1
roadhouse
T
487 8043.
All facilities, but otherwise a
functional spot not far from the highway and overlooked by
the transmission tower. The pictu
resque
Seljalandsfoss
campsite, 20km east, is a better bet.
1000kr
Hótel Hvolsvöllur
Hlíðarvegur 7
T
487 8050,
W
hotelhvolsvollur.is.
Not far off the Ringroad, the
building looks as if it were constructed from shipping
containers and the rooms, while cosy, are uninspiringly
furnished. There's a decent resta
urant and
good service
throughout; breakfast is included.
23,900kr
2
EATING
Eldstó Art Café
Austurvegur 2
T
482 1011.
There's a
small pottery gallery at the back, but what sets this
pleasant café opposite the N1 roadhouse apart is the
absence of burgers and pizza - instead, try Greek or
chicken salad (1690-1990kr) or Chilean empanadas, filled
with mince, onions, eggs, olives and herbs (2200kr). A cake
and coffee comes in at about 750kr.
Daily 8am-10pm.
Fljótshlíð
It's a beautiful 30km run east along Route 261 from Hvollsvöllur up
Fljótshlíð
, the
flat-bottomed, heavily farmed northern border of the Markarfljót valley, with the saga
site of
Hlíðarendi
and valley setting at
Fljótsdalur
to draw you out this way. Ahead loom
Eyjafjallajökull's black sided, ice-capped heights, while on a clear day the view south
extends all the way to the sea; in summer, streams and ponds draining the wetlands in
between are alive with birds, especially black-tailed godwits, with their vivid orange and
black plumage.
Hlíðarendi
The road follows the base of a long line of green hills heading up the valley, whose
slopes contrast strongly with the starker-toned mountains opposite. About 17km from
Hvollsvöllur, a side road climbs steeply up to
Hlíðarendi
, where a red-roofed
church
and handful of farm buildings command a splendid view of the area. In the tenth
century the site was home to Njál's great friend Gunnar, the most exemplary of all saga
characters; unfortunately his fine character always tended to inspire envy rather than
admiration, and it was here that he finally met his end (see p.120).
Though Hlíðarendi's church is worth a look for its chandelier and beautiful
blue-
panelled ceiling
inset with golden stars, nothing besides the scenery remains from the
saga period. Look on the plains below for the isolated rocky platform of
Stóra-Dímon
(called Rauðuskriður in the saga), where Njál's sons Skarp-héðinn and Helgí ambushed
Þráin Sigfússon, who had participated in the murder of their foster-father. Þráin
spotted them but Skarp-héðinn slid over the frozen river and killed Þráin before he had
time to put on his armour, setting in motion events which were to lead directly to the
burning of Njál.
Fljótsdalur
East of Hlíðarendi, the hills grow steeper as the valley narrows, with a frill of small,
ribbon-like waterfalls dropping down to the roadside. A track pointing south past
Stóra-Dimón to the Ringroad marks the start of the gravel, and then you're running
alongside the Markarfljót river-system's continually shifting maze of flat, intertwined
streams up
Fljótsdalur
, a valley caught between the steep, glaciated slopes of Tindfjöll
to the north and Eyjafjöll to the south.
Some 10km from Hlíðarendi and 27km from Hvolsvöllur, where the gravel road
crosses a ford and becomes a four-wheel-drive track, there's accommodation on a
grassy hillside at the tiny, isolated
Fljótsdalur
youth hostel
. here are any number
