Day 5 - Sauðárkrókur and Grettir's Pool
Sauðárkrókur
(Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsœiːðˌaurˌkʰrouːkʏr̥])
Located in a lush valley along the southwestern shore of Skagafjordur Fjord, lies the friendly coastal town of Saudarkrokur. It is the largest town in the Skagafjordur district.
Saudarkrokur’s settlement roots date back to 1871 although the coast here featured in the ancient Grettir’s Saga. The nearby sheer sided Drangey Island is where Grettir spent his last years as an outlaw. Grettislaug, a lovely seaside thermal bathing pool, is where he recovered after a long swim in the icy ocean.
The ‘downtown’ area of the village is quite charming. It’s loaded with a small collection of distinctive, traditional buildings where the past seems to be brought back to life, especially at Minjahusid Folk Museum. There you can observe workshop demonstrations by blacksmiths, carpenters and watchmakers. On the main street there is a general store that has been in operation since 1919.
Attractions in Saudarkrokur
Nearby is the Glaumbaer Folk Museum. It is housed in a particularly well maintained turf-roofed farmhouse. Saudarkrokur is also home to the only tannery in Europe that makes fish leather. Major fashion houses around the world use the leather for belts, shoes and wallets.
Grettir’s Pool
Grettislaug is a hot geothermal pool located at Reykir in Skagafjordur in north Iceland. The pool is named after Grettir Ásmundarson, the outlaw and the strongest man in the Icelandic Sagas. According to the Saga Grettir is said to have warmed himself up in the pool after the famous Drangeyjarsund, a 7,5 kilometers long swim in the ocean from Drangey island.
Until the 20th century there used to be two pools at Reykir, the one was used for laundry called Reykjalaug and the other one was Grettislaug. In 1934 the pools were destroyed in a great storm. In 1992 the local Jón Eiríksson rebuild the pools and Reykjalaug was renamed Jarlslaug (The Earl’s Pool) after Jón.
The temperature of the pools is about 39-42 ° C, but may vary depending on the weather. The area around the pools is open and beautiful by the ocean, with wonderful nature and the perfect place to watch the sunset. It is fun to walk around the beach and over to Glerhallavík bay, which is a popular hiking trail. There are dressing rooms for the pool with a small entrance fee.
