Aguas termales naturales
Brautartunga
West Iceland
Nestled in Lundarreykjadal, Brautartunga offers a delightful outdoor geothermal swimming pool, built around 1940. This historic 12.5 x 6-meter concrete pool, along with the local community center, is naturally heated by the impressive 95°C Brautartunguhver hot spring. It's a serene spot where locals and travelers can unwind amidst Iceland's stunning natural beauty.
A chance to swim in a small, community-linked outdoor pool heated by a genuine 95°C hot spring, in a quiet farming valley with real documented local history rather than a tourist-built spa.
Historia
Brautartunga sits where the Grímsá and Tunguá rivers meet in the long green trough of Lundarreykjadalur, a farming valley in Borgarfjörður, West Iceland, that has been settled since at least the twelfth century — Iceland's Place Names Institute (Örnefnastofnun) records a farmer named Þorgils Skeggjason living here in 1194. The valley's draw for visitors is what lies beneath it: Brautartunguhver, a hot spring reported at around 95°C, which has fed a small outdoor pool on the farm for generations. Local records describe swimming lessons being taught in the stream just below the spring around 1900 and again in 1912–13, before the current concrete pool — roughly 12.5 by 6 metres — was built around 1940. Today the pool sits beside Félagsheimilið Brautartunga, the valley's community hall, still used by locals for gatherings, weddings, and camping. It's a quieter, more workaday kind of hot spring than Iceland's famous lagoons — a reminder that geothermal bathing here has always been as much about daily rural life as tourism.
Historia
Brautartunga is a documented farm dating back to at least 1194, when — according to the Icelandic Place Names Institute's (Örnefnastofnun) survey of Lundarreykjadalshreppur — a farmer named Þorgils Skeggjason lived here. The farm later passed to the Viðey monastery in 1549 and then to the Skálholt bishopric, before being sold into private hands on 16 February 1791. The adjacent hot spring, Brautartunguhver, is recorded as having been used for swimming instruction in the nearby stream around 1900 and again in 1912–13, until the neighbouring river's flow began eroding the spring and the lessons had to stop; the river was finally diverted away from the spring in 1948, after which the spring itself was 'harnessed' (virkjað) for use — consistent with the current pool having been built around 1940. The farm and its pool now form part of Félagsheimilið Brautartunga, a community hall owned and run by the local youth and sports association (Ungmennafélagið Dagrenningu), used today for family events, weddings, and gatherings.
¿Sabías que?
Brautartunga's pool is heated by the Brautartunguhver spring next to it, reported at around 95°C — so powerful that a nearby river channel had to be diverted in 1948 to stop its flow from eroding the spring.
Entrada
Likely free, but not independently confirmed — contact Félagsheimilið Brautartunga to confirm access and any fee.
Información práctica
Mejor época
Not independently confirmed for this specific pool; as a valley-floor site in West Iceland, it is likely easiest to reach in the snow-free months (roughly May–September).
Duración
Not verified; allow perhaps 30–60 minutes for a stop if access is confirmed.
Cómo llegar
Brautartunga is a farm and community hall (Félagsheimilið Brautartunga) in Lundarreykjadalur, Borgarfjörður, West Iceland, at the confluence of the Grímsá and Tunguá rivers. It is reachable by road from the Reykholt area; exact signage and road surface were not independently verified for this listing — use GPS navigation.
Transporte
Private car is the practical option; the valley is not on a public transport route.
Presupuesto
Likely free or low-cost, but this pool is on the grounds of a privately run community hall rather than an open wild spring — public access terms were not confirmed during this research pass. Contact the hall before visiting.
Preguntas frecuentes
Is there an entrance fee at Brautartunga?+
Not confirmed. The pool sits on the grounds of Félagsheimilið Brautartunga, a community hall run by a local youth and sports association that also hires out for weddings and events — public drop-in access, hours, and any fee were not independently verified during this research pass. Contact the hall directly before planning a visit.
What are the opening hours?+
No published opening hours were found. Because the pool belongs to a community hall rather than a staffed public facility, access likely depends on whether the hall is in use for an event — check ahead rather than assuming it is open.
How hot is the water?+
The source spring, Brautartunguhver, is reported at around 95°C, but that is the spring's own temperature rather than the pool's bathing temperature after mixing — the actual soaking temperature was not independently confirmed.
How do I get to Brautartunga?+
It is a known farm and community hall in Lundarreykjadalur, in the Borgarfjörður district of West Iceland. Exact turn-by-turn directions and road surface were not independently verified for this listing — use GPS navigation to the farm.