Walking inside a mountain
Walls rising tens of metres with only a few metres between them.
diego_cue — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Raf24~commonswiki — CC BY-SA 4.0
An extremely narrow cleft in a mountain on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, which you can walk into between rock walls rising tens of metres with sometimes only a few metres between them. The experience is unusual: you walk inside the mountain itself, light entering through a thin slit above, with a cold stream running beneath your feet. The further in you go the narrower the passage becomes, needing scrambling over rocks and walking through water. The name comes from one of the Icelandic sagas: a boy called Rauðfeldur is said to have been thrown into the cleft in revenge during a family feud. Once again, a landform with a name and a story. Decisive practical points: the walk from the car park to the mouth of the gorge is about fifteen minutes uphill. Entering the cleft itself means getting wet — the water is cold and the rocks are slippery. Waterproof footwear with good grip is essential. Do not go deep if you are uncomfortable in confined spaces or have young children with you. The site is on the Snæfellsnes ring road, among the finest areas in Iceland and coverable in a full day from Reykjavik.
Walls rising tens of metres with only a few metres between them.
A boy thrown into the cleft in a feud — the story is in the records.
Beyond a point the passage needs scrambling and wading.
Snæfellsnes peninsula, west Iceland
The first metres are relatively easy and open to anyone. Beyond that the passage narrows and wading and scrambling become necessary, with the difficulty increasing gradually. There is no official end — stop where you stop feeling comfortable. With young children, stay at the mouth.
The whole peninsula is coverable in a day from Reykjavik: Kirkjufell mountain with its waterfall, Iceland's most photographed scene; the black beach at Djúpalónssandur; the village of Arnarstapi with its sea stacks; and Snæfellsjökull National Park around the glacier. Rauðfeldsgjá lies between Arnarstapi and Hellnar on the same route.
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