The old pool
Below the mountain.
Ross Hughes ross1119 — CC0 · Tim Wright timdwright — CC0 · BiT — CC BY-SA 3.0 · BiT — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jabbi — Public domain
Seljavallalaug is a protected 25 m outdoor pool in a mountain valley in south Iceland, near the farm of Seljavellir below Eyjafjallajökull, about 6.5 km in a straight line west of the village of Skógar. It is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland and was built in 1923. Its construction was led by Björn Andrésson, swimming lessons began here as part of compulsory schooling in 1927, and at 10 m wide it was the largest pool in Iceland until 1936. In 1990 a new pool was built about two kilometres further down the valley, but people can still swim in the old pool free of charge at their own risk, and it is cleaned once every summer. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull filled it with ash, and volunteers cleared it with diggers in the summer of 2011. The pool sits against the mountainside, fed by warm water from a hot spring, with a small white changing hut beside it. Steep green slopes and a mountain stream surround it, and the little pool in the wide valley feels like a secret hidden among the mountains. It is reached by a walk of about 20 minutes from the car park along the stream, crossing a small watercourse on the way. The water is lukewarm rather than hot, and the changing hut is basic with no services, so bring a towel and leave the place clean.
Below the mountain.
Steep slopes.
From a hot spring.
Near Seljavellir, below Eyjafjallajökull, South Iceland
Yes, at your own risk.
Lukewarm, not hot.