An outlaws' hideout
Fjalla-Eyvindur and his wife lived here for decades escaping execution.
GRANDE PUFFO VCO — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Syrio — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Syrio — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Syrio — CC BY-SA 4.0
A geothermal field in the heart of the Icelandic central highlands on the Kjölur route, between two large glaciers, with hot springs, steam vents and coloured mineral deposits. Its position is what distinguishes it. The central highlands are Iceland's empty interior: a volcanic desert with almost no inhabitants and almost no vegetation, separating the north of the island from the south. Its roads are gravel and open for only a few weeks in summer. Reaching Hveravellir means crossing that desert, and this is part of the experience rather than a preliminary to it. The place has a history apart from being a natural site: it was a stop on the old crossing route between north and south, and served as a hideout for outlaws in the eighteenth century — most famously Fjalla-Eyvindur and his wife, who lived in the highlands for decades to escape execution. The remains of their shelter are near the site. The field has a small natural bathing pool of geothermal water, among the most remote bathing places in Europe. Decisive practical points: access requires a four-wheel drive on a summer-only road. The springs are near boiling — stay strictly on the walkways.
Fjalla-Eyvindur and his wife lived here for decades escaping execution.
Natural geothermal bathing among the most remote in Europe.
Crossing the central volcanic desert is half the experience.
The Kjölur route, central highlands
One of two gravel routes crossing the central highlands between north and south Iceland, considerably shorter than going round the Ring Road. It opens in summer only after the snow melts, and its status is published daily. Although it does not require fording large rivers as the neighbouring Sprengisandur route does, rental companies require a four-wheel drive and prohibit small cars on it.
An eighteenth-century Icelandic outlaw sentenced to death for theft, who fled with his wife Halla into the central highlands and lived there for around twenty years in the harshest environment in the country. They moved between hideouts, surviving by hunting and stealing sheep. Their story is a staple of Icelandic folklore and the subject of plays and films.
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