Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lögurinn
Stretching 30km southwest from Egilsstaðir,
Lögurinn
is a long, narrow lake on the
mid-reaches of the
Largarfljót river
- which itself originates up in the highlands at
Vatnajökull's northeastern edge, near Snæfell (see p.280). Unusually for Iceland, the
eastern shore is fairly well
wooded
; there's also saga lore and medieval remains to take
in, along with an impressive waterfall. Deep and green, the lake itself is said to be home
to the
Lagarfljótsormur
, a monster of the Scottish Loch Ness and Swedish Storsjön
clans. It's so elusive that nobody is even very sure what it looks like - keep up to date
with the latest sightings at
W
ormur.com.
Lögurinn and its sights take an easy few hours to circuit in your own vehicle
(there's no public transport around the lake); the two bridges across are both down
towards the southern end of the lake. You'll also need to pass around the lake en
route to Kárahnjúkar and Snæfell (see p.280), as the road runs off Lögurinn's
southwestern shore.
7
Hallormsstaður
About 25km from Egilsstaðir along Route 931 you'll find yourself between the
solitary fuel-pump township of
HALLORMSSTAÐUR
and lakeside camping grounds at
Atlavík
, amongst the thick
woodland
lining Lögurinn's eastern shore. From the time
of Settlement, Iceland's forests were cleared intensively for pasture, ship-building
and grazing, and by the twentieth century large swathes of the country were
suffering serious erosion problems. Since 1900 considerable effort has been put into
expanding the country's tree cover, and the 18km-long stretch of forest around
Hallormsstaður is Iceland's most extensive. The woodland here is predominantly
birch (distinguished by its smooth red or silver bark), though mature plantations of
much larger ash, spruce and larch are wildly popular with Icelanders, who are struck
by the novelty of seeing vegetation that is taller than they are. Visitors from lusher
climates may feel that the area, pleasant though it is, doesn't warrant so much
excitement.
Hallormsstaður arboretum
Open access • Free
Signposted on the roadside just north of Hallormsstaður, the
Hallormsstaður
arboretum
was established in 1903, but it was large-scale experiments with larch during
the 1950s that proved for the first time that commercial timber plantations were viable
in Iceland. Marked trails provide a half-hour stroll around a labelled collection of
century-old native and imported tree species, including the country's tallest specimen, a
pine which towers 22m overhead.
ACCOMMODATION
HALLORMSSTAÐUR
Ì
Atlavík campground
(no phone).
Beautiful
lakeshore location, 2km south of Hallormsstaður amongst
birch woodland and just back from the gravel shingle of
Atlavík
bay. There are toilets, showers, picnic tables and
plenty of
space f
for tents, though it gets crowded at
weekends.
1000kr
Hótel Hallormsstaður
T
471 2400,
W
hotel701.is.
Deep in the forest at the foot of a steep, low fellside, with
smart hotel rooms, as well as summertime rooms in a
1920s schoolhouse, and self-contained cabins sleeping
two. Rate inclu
des brea
kfast and ho
rseriding
can be
arranged.
Hotel
27,320kr
; schoolhouse
24,750kr
; cabins
24,725kr
Höfðavík campground
(no phone).
Just north of
Hallormsstaður, and set on a sloping lawn amidst a fringe
of trees above the lake. There are showers, toilets and
washing-up sink
s, and
it's worth considering if Atlavík is
too busy for you.
500kr
