Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
DRANGEY AND GRETTIR THE STRONG
Iceland's great outlaw story,
Grettir's Saga
centres on a man who is born out of his time:
Grettir has the wild spirit of a Viking, but lives a generation after the country's conversion to
Christianity. Outlawed for three years in his youth for killing a man, Grettir spends the rest
of his life performing great deeds - often for the benefit of others - yet something bad
always seems to result from his actions, isolating him from his fellow men and eventually
forcing him into perpetual banditry. In the end, he and his brother
Illugi
settle on Drangey,
living off sheep left here by local farmers. Yet even as he is granted a pardon at the Alþing
for his past crimes, Grettir is hunted down by his enemies and finally killed after three years
on the island.
The stretch of bitterly cold sea between Drangey and the farm at Reykir on the mainland
opposite is known as
Grettir's Swim
, which the outlaw reputedly swam across to fetch the
glowing embers he'd spotted on the mainland after his own fire had gone out; its 7.5km are
still sometimes swum for sport, despite the fact that the water temperature in summer barely
rises above 9°C. However, if the bawdy humour of the sagas is anything to go by, this feat
certainly takes its toll, even on Viking superheroes; according to
Grettir's Saga
two young
women, finding Grettir lying naked on the ground numb after his swim through the freezing
waters, declare, “He is certainly big enough in the chest but it seems very odd how small he is
farther down. That part of him isn't up to the rest of him,” to which Grettir retorts, “The wench
has complained that my penis is small and the boastful slut may well be right. But a small one
can grow and I'm still a young man, so wait until I get into action, my lass.”
The deep hollow in the turf here, where the bedrock shows through, was once
the hideout of Grettir the Strong (or
Grettir Ásmundarson
), hero of
Grettir's Saga
(see box above). The island's
northern summit
is accessible only by climbing a rusty
ladder, erected by local bird hunters, which overhangs an area of crumbling rock
- definitely not one to attempt if you're afraid of heights. Incidentally, for fresh water
Grettir depended on a spring virtually hidden under a steep rock overhang on the
island's southern cliff. Even today, the only way to reach the source is to clamber
hand over hand down a knotted rope, trying not to look down at the 500m sheer
drop beneath.
Reykir and around
To revive himself after the swim to Drangey, Grettir jumped into a hot pool
now known as
Grettislaug
(no set hours; 700kr), located at the tiny settlement
of
REYKIR
and reachable via the unmade 20km Route 748 from the harbour in
Sauðárkrókur. Although stone slabs now act as seats and the area around it has been
paved with blocks of basalt, you can still do as Grettir did and step into the hot
water and steam to your heart's content, admiring the 20km-long, snow-splashed
mountainface of Tindastóll (989m) on one side, the open ocean and views of
Drangey on the other - a quintessentially Icelandic experience. Hot showers are
included in the bathing fee.
From Grettislaug, you can walk along the beach and around the foot of Tindastóll to
the enchanting
Glerhallavík
bay, where the sight of thousands and thousands of shining
quartz stones on the beach, buffed by the pounding surf, is quite breathtaking. Note
that it's forbidden to remove them from the bay.
ACCOMMODATION
REYKIR
Reykir Cabin
T
821 0090,
W
drangeyjarferdir.is.
This
two-storey log cabin right beside the Grettislaug hot pot in
Reykir has snug double rooms upstairs sharing facilities, as
well as sleeping-bag
accomm
odation.
Breakfast i
s an extra
1000kr. Sleeping bag
4400kr
; doubles
13,000kr
