Iceland Road Guide

Bustarfell in Vopnafjörður, East Iceland is one of best preserved turf houses in Iceland. Built 1770 and inhabited until 1966.

Today the old turf hosue is a museum that shows clearly the lifestyle changes that occured from the time it was buildt until the family moved into a "new house" in 1966. Guests can follow the difference in the standards for quality, for example when there came running water into the house, and a heating system.

You can read more about Bustarfell and surrounding area at page 384 in the Iceland Road Guide book.

This "bookshelf" is a wall at the The Þórbergur Centre which was established in memory of the famous Icelandic writer Þórbergur Þórðarsson (1888 – 1974).

Þórbergur was born in Hali in Suðursveit. The centre includes a heritage museum and unique exhibitions of the district Sudursveit and the writer Þórbergur Þórðarson, his life and work.

The Þórbergur Centre is by road number 1, the Ring Road. only 13 km further east from Jökulsárlón.

Grýla is Icelands best known troll and mother of the Icelandic Yule Lads and fear of all children. Grýla is located in the Trollgarden at Fossatún, Borgarfjörður a popular stop to see and photograph the Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights remind Grýla of older times, when trolls and dragons ruled the earth.

The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are visible in Iceland from September till April. The best time in the day to see them is around 9 pm till 2 am. There is a strong connection between the solar winds and the Northern Lights. The lights are caused by the speed of the solar winds, and the direction and magnitude of their magnetic fields.

Many tour operators in Iceland offer mystery evening tours "to hunt for the Northern Lights". The Northern Lights can only be seen on a clear night.

The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police has lifted the uncertainty phase of Mt. Hekla. No seismic activity has been detected at Hekla since March 23rd. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has changed the aviation colour-code of Hekla volcano from yellow (elevated) to green (normal).

Between 10 and 23 March 2013, seven micro-earthquakes were recorded in the vicinity of Hekla. However no further seismicity has been detected at Hekla since 23 March No changes are apparent in recent gas and ground temperature measurements from the volcano's summit. Likewise, continuous measurements of borehole strain and ground-based GPS show no detectable changes in crustal deformation.

Although last month's seismicity might signify increasing magma pressure beneath Hekla, there are presently no observable signs of an impending eruption.

The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police declare an uncertainty phase (lowest level of warning), because of seismic activity in mount Hekla.

Uncertaintyphase means that supervision has been raised on that course of events that may threaten public health and safety, or that environment or inhabited area may be threatened. To declare an uncertainty face is a part of work process in the setup of public safety to secure a formal communication between response teams and to secure dissemination of information.

Last eruption in Mt. Hekla was in February the year 2000.

On page 160 in The Iceland Road Guide book you can read this text about Mt. Hekla:

Hekla, (1,491 m) the most famous volcano in Iceland, a ridge more than 4 km long. There have been at least 18 eruptions in recorded history, the first in 1104 and the latest in 2000, when scientists were able to predict the eruption half an hour in advance using the alarm system of the Icelandic Meteorological Office. In the eruption of 1947 the peak rose 50 m. The easiest climbing route is along the northern ridge. The first known ascent was made by the explorers Eggert Ólafsson and Bjarni Pálsson in June 20 th 1750.

New edition of the Iceland Road Guide will be puplished in May. The English edition is updated every other year. The Icelandic version, Vegahandbókin and German version, Island Auto Atlas, were puplished last spring. Vegahandbókin has been on the market for 40 years.

We are updating photos in the book and here is one from the Earth Baths by Lake Mývatn in the North of Iceland.

On page 93 in the book Iceland Road Guide you can read about the Erath Baths: Jarðbaðshólar, crater hills south of the road. Steam vents there have long been used for steam baths, which are considered beneficial for rheumatism. Southeast from Jarðbaðs hólar, about 1km from the main road in Bjarnarflag are the Earth Baths at Lake Mývatn. The lagoons are manmade structures with bottoms containing sand and gravel. The nature of the water is in some aspects very unique. It contains a large amount of minerals, alkaline and is therefore very suitable for bathing. Because of the mineral content, undesirable bacteria and vegetation do not thrive in the lagoon which makes the use of chlorine or other disinfectant unnecessary.

Any time from the onset of autumn darkness in September until the light nights of spring in April we can witness one of nature’s most spectacular displays, the  Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

On a clear night, you might be lucky to see the Northern Lights swirling in a wild and carefree dance across the sky in dramatic shapes, colors, patterns and sizes like the photo shows which was sent to us from Extreme Iceland.

Many Tour Operators offer mystery evening tours to haunt for the Northern Lights.

When crossing Breiðafjördur Bay with the ferry Baldur from Stykkishólmur on Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Brjánslækur on Westfjords  there is a possibility to stop-off at the charming island of Flatey where time literally stands still. Most of Flatey´s houses are from the 19th century so strolling about gives one the impression of traveling back in time.

In a charming way, it feels very much like a movie set. And so it is. Many movies are set on the island, most notably The Honour of the House based on a short story by Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness, and White Night Wedding, a movie by Baltasar Kormákur. In fact, Baltasar’s father painted the unusual altar piece in the island’s church, making it worthy of a visit.

More information about Flatey Island can be found online on page 304 in the Iceland Road Guide book, see the right corner of this page.

Monday, August 7th, is "a bank holiday" in Iceland and it´s the most popular camping weekend amongst Icelanders.

You can expect heavy traffic on the roads. All kinds of festivals are offered in almost every region of the country. The biggest festival will probably be in the Westman Island (Vestmannaeyjar). They are expecting 14.000 visitors, a little island with 4.000 inhabitants.

This photo was taken at the Flúðir Camp site in South Iceland yesterday.

Guðmundur Kjartansson, the director for Island Pro Travel, came for a visited to our office to discuss next edition of The Iceland Road Guide.

Branches from Island Pro Travel are operating in Germany, Switzerland, Britain, Denmark and Sweeden.

Their clients get a sepcial edition of The Iceland Road Guide either in German or English.