Jökulsárgljúfur National Park

Day 61. 28th August. Ásbyrgi, Iceland (Northeast).

From Vesterdalur to Ásbyrgi, a giant horseshoe-shaped canyon. It is 3.5 kilometres deep and 1.1 kilometres wide and there is a large rock formation at its entrance called Eyjan (or the Island). It was formed when Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir briefly touched down with one of its hooves, though there don’t appear to be any actual eyewitness accounts of this on the web.

It is not far from Vesterdalur and still in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park.

Here’s looking up one of the cliffs, which are one hundred metres high.

The canyon was once on the path of the river, which is now a few miles to the east. It is said to have been formed in a couple of catastrophic events since the last ice age when a large lake built up behind glacial walls, the walls were breached and a sudden and dramatic flash flood of unimaginable proportions ensued.

Ásbyrgi Canyon is also said to be the capital of the huldufólk or hidden folk or elves, living in the cliffs in wonderful buildings. But only some can see them.

It is said that a young couple were living in separate farms, one in the canyon and one just outside, but social rank prevented their union. One of the huldufólk told them her lover had been taken by a creature living in the cliffs and turned into a beast that lived in the pond. The beast would surface only when the midnight sun played over the cliff face. On the elf’s instruction they threw some of their most treasured possessions into the mouth of the beast when it surfaces which broke the spell. The elf then made sure the young couple could marry.

Botnstjörn Lake is at the foot of the cliffs at the apex of the canyon, which makes it very protected and still, thus providing great reflections.

Green-winged Teal (female). (Click for larger view).

Green-winged Teal.

Greeen-winged Teal

Ring-necked duck (female).

According to the date/time stamp on the image, this is about a third of the way from Ásbyrgi to Husavik but I can’t be more specific than that. You’d probably have to click on the image to see it larger but there is a house in the distance at the top left which must have a magnificent view indeed.

Day 61. 28th August. Vesterdalur, Iceland (Northeast).

Below is the Hljóðaklettar parking area, which gives access to the Vesterdalur area.

From Dettifoss and Selfoss I travelled a short distance to Vesterdalur. Later that afternoon I travelled on to Ásbyrgi (next post) and then spent the night at Husavik (post after that).

So this is part of Vesterdalur, which in turn is part of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river inside Jökulsárgljúfur National Park. (An Icelandic person will be knocking on your door to give you a pronunciation test in due course).

The red hill just visible in the left distance is part of the Rauðhólar (Red hills), a row of scoria cones.

Jökulsá á Fjöllum means the Glacier River from the Mountains and it runs over two hundred kilometres from the Vatnajökull ice cap.

Here we have a couple of petrified trolls – Karl and Kerling.

Karl and Kerling in a wider context.

A closer look at some of these structures reveals basalt crenulations somewhat reminiscent of Aldeyjarfoss.

A closer look at Kerling (or is it Karl?).

Placid pool at the base of canyon cliffs.

Dettifoss, Selfoss, Vesterdalur and Ásbyrgi are all in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park although Dettifoss and Selfoss are not within Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon. The canyon is over 24 kilometres long, half a kilometre wide and up to one hundred metres deep.

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Ásbyrgi

Vesterdalur