Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [93]
Above Gullfoss is a small visitor centre and cafe ( 486 6500; snacks Ikr800-1300; 9am-9.30pm Jun-Aug, 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun Sep-May), whose speciality is lamb soup (Ikr1290). A tarmac path suitable for wheelchairs leads to a lookout over the falls, and a set of steps continues to the water.
With a 4WD it’s possible to continue from Gullfoss to the glacier at Langjökull and other parts of the interior via mountain road F35.
There’s accommodation a few kilometres before the falls at Hótel Gullfoss ( 486 8979; www.hotelgullfoss.is; s/d/tr Ikr15,000/18,500/25,000; mid-May-Sep, bookings necessary Oct–mid-May), a large, modern bungalow hotel. Its en suite rooms, overlooking the moors, are modest-sized and businesslike, and there are two hot pots and a restaurant. Breakfast is included.
See opposite for bus info for Gullfoss.
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GULLFOSS TO SELFOSS
From Gullfoss there are several possible routes back to the Ring Road, passing through an agricultural region dotted with farms, hamlets…and countless summer houses. There isn’t too much to see in this area, but there are plenty of possible bases for exploring the Golden Circle.
Most people follow surfaced Rte 35, which passes the turn-off to the Arctic Rafting HQ (see the boxed text, above), continues through Reykholt, then meets the Ring Road about 2km west of Selfoss. You can detour off Rte 35 to Skálholt, once Iceland’s religious powerhouse.
Alternatively, you could follow Rte 30, which is intermittently surfaced and passes through Flúðir, meeting Rte 1 about 15km east of Selfoss. An interesting detour from this road is through the scenic Þjórsárdalur valley, along Rte 32. From here you can follow Rte 26 past the foothills of the Hekla volcano, emerging on Rte 1 about 6km west of Hella.
Reykholt
pop 190
The rural township of Reykholt – one of several Reykholts around the country – is centred on the hot spring Reykjahver. Several local farms have greenhouses heated by the springs, and there’s the inevitable swimming pool ( 486 8807; adult/5-16yr Ikr300/150; 10am-10pm Mon-Thu, 10am-7pm Fri-Sun). Services include a petrol station and grill, a shop, a post office and a bank.
Friendly Húsið ( 486 8680, 897 5728; husid@best.is; Bjarkarbraut 26; sb/linen Ikr3200/4500) has B&B and sleeping-bag accommodation in a quiet cul-de-sac; there’s a hot tub and a barbecue. Camping ( 897 5728) is also available.
Kaffi Klettur ( 486 1310; mains Ikr1300-4500; noon-9pm daily Jun-Aug, Sat & Sun Sep-May) is decorated in mock-old-fashioned style, with tapestries, old coffee mills and horse bridles. It has a wide selection of pizzas, burgers, crêpes, pasta and traditional fish and meat mains. It’s housed in a wooden lodge in a large garden with children’s swings.
There’s also the petrol-station grill ( 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun).
See right for details on how to get there.
Skálholt & Laugarás
The name of Skálholt (population 184) resounds through Iceland’s history. This hugely important religious centre was one of two bishoprics (the other was Hólar in the north) that ruled Iceland’s souls from the 11th to the 18th centuries.
Skálholt rose to prominence under Gissur the White, the driving force behind the Christianisation of Iceland. The Catholic bishopric lasted until the Reformation in 1550, when Bishop Jón Arason and his two sons were executed by order of the Danish king. Skalhólt continued as a Lutheran centre until 1797, when the bishopric shifted to Reykjavík.
Unfortunately, the great cathedral that once stood here was destroyed by a major earthquake in the 18th century. Today there’s just a modern theological centre and a church with a tiny basement museum (admission Ikr100; 9am-7pm except during services or concerts) containing the stone