Ring Road Iceland - Vatnsskarð

Travelling through Vatnsskarð mountain pass on the way to Varmahlíð, I came across Stephan G. Stephansson's monument. Stephan was a renown Icelandic poet and farmer from the region who suffered from insomnia. As such he would write all night after finishing his farming work. A self-educated man, he only wrote in Icelandic even though he emigrated when he was 19 years old to Wisconsin, USA and later to Alberta, Canada. He returned to Iceland for the first time 45 years later when he was 64 years old and although none of his poetry has survived only his letters, he is highly regarded and considered "as one of Iceland's foremost men of letters".

The village of Varmahlíð is home to 140 residents. Small it may be but it is not to be underestimated. Living on the slope of a hill, the village is in the centre of the most prosperous agricultural region, rich in geo-thermal water and contains a number of greenhouses that grow tropical and sub-tropical fruit and vegetables.

The village is home to Iceland's most famous men's choir, Karlakórinn Heimir. Originally founded in 1927 it travels the world singing. In its 93 years, the choir has only had three conductors of which the second conductor held his position for 40 years.

The region's main industry is the Icelandic horse. A pure breed described as small almost pony-like, yet sturdy and hardy horse. Native to Iceland they have few diseases and due to Iceland's strict no horse-import policy they are not vaccinated against potential diseases. Although Icelandic horses are exported, once they leave the country they cannot return. Unique to these horses are their gaits. Known for their sure-footedness and ability to cross rough terrain the horses have an additional two gaits. Although difficult to articulate have a look at this link that describes their special gaits and history on how they arrived during the Viking Age in the 9th-10th centuries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_horse

Just north of Varmahlíð is the Glaumbær Farm and Museum, exhibiting 18th-19th centuries rural living in turf-roofed farmhouses. Turf was used as building material which first appeared over 1,000 years ago when the Vikings arrived. As timber was sparse and slow to regrow, the Vikings used turf to lay over a timber structure to form walls and a thick roof. The turf was sturdy and easily available providing insulation from the cold climate. However, due to its biodegradability and erosion from the harsh climate the turf needed to be replaced every 20 years.

Of course no daily trip is complete without a stop at a waterfall. Only 7km (4mi) from Varmahlíð, is Reykjafoss waterfall which is a result of Huseyjarkvisl river cascading 20m (69ft) over two wide steps into the river below and flowing onwards to the Atlantic Ocean. The Huseyjarkvisl river is one of the top sea trout rivers. Large fish are caught each year with one of the biggest measuring 96cm (3ft) and weighing as much as 6kg (13lb). Catch and release practices were introduced in 2000 which is one of the reasons for such large fish and the double digit catches.

Bye,

Richard



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