TRAVEL 34
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 8 — 2015
Strandir
How to get there: If you are driving youtself, take Route 61 from either Ísafjörður or Road 1 at Brú, that will lead you to Hólmavík. You can take the bus there too. It runs three times a week during the summer.
Swimming On The Edge Of Nowhere Swimming pools in Strandir
Words Ragna Ó. Guðmundsdóttir Photos Art Bicnick/Ragna Ó. Guðmundsdóttir
Swimming pools and hot tubs are always major attractions in Iceland, both to Icelanders and foreign tourists, and they can be found in the most unlikely places all over the country. Strandir is an area on the east side of the Westfjords, reaching from Hrútafjörður to Reykjarfjörður. It’s one of the most sparsely populated parts of the country with around 800 inhabitants spread over 3,500 square kilometres. Strandir’s tourism industry is a bit of a late bloomer, perhaps partly because of the lack of dramatic attractions like there are in South, and definitely because of tough road conditions, although there have been
some improvements in recent years. Exploring the swimming pools in the region is an adventure worth tolerating the bumpy road for. There are four of them. Yep, there are four swimming pools, and several hot tubs, for 800 people (well, and a bunch of tourists). What’s perhaps even more surprising is that the pools in the more remote areas are actually far older than the ones in the more populous areas.
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Hólmavík
Drangsnes
The first swimming pool you will encounter in Strandir is located in Hólmavík, which is the region’s largest town (approximately 400 people). Constructed in 2004, this is—truthfully—the most uninteresting pool on the list (although the fact that it exists is interesting). This 25-metre pool is the only one in the region that’s not heated by a geothermal energy source. But it’s nice enough, with hot tubs, a wading pool, a sauna and a gym. Situated next to a campsite, it should satisfy any tourist’s need for cleaning, refreshing, exercising and relaxing.
The next pool you’ll find in Strandir, is in Drangsnes, a village of 70 people. This cute little 12.5 x 8 metre pool opened in 2005 and also has a hot tub, a wading pool, a sauna and a gym, along with a great seaside view towards Grímsey island. However, Drangsnes has a far more popular and attractive bathing option: the hot tubs. These legendary tubs have been located at the shoreline, just off the main road, literally since the day after a geothermal energy source was discovered in 1997. Originally, there were two green tubs, donated by a trout farmer. Now only one of the original tubs remains, and there are an addi-
tional two more conventional tubs with seats and massage jets. Back in the day, it was not uncommon to see the people of Drangsnes walking the streets wearing bathrobes, on their way to or from the hot tubs, but now there is a changing and showering facility across the street. People used to joke that the locals used the hot tubs much like the Gauls used the magic potion in ‘Asterix’: to gain their strength.
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Laugarhóll Now we get to the even more interesting pools. Those are a bit more difficult to access, as the roads in the northern part of Strandir are unpaved. Just drive carefully.
GRÍMSEY ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN VOPNAFJÖRÐUR AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK