Náttúruleg heit uppspretta
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.
Saga
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.
Visstu að?
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.
Aðgangseyrir
Likely free, but not independently confirmed — contact Félagsheimilið Brautartunga to confirm access and any fee.
Gagnlegar upplýsingar
Besti tími
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).
Tímalengd
Not verified; allow perhaps 30–60 minutes for a stop if access is confirmed.
Leiðarvísir
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.
Samgöngur
Private car is the practical option; the valley is not on a public transport route.
Fjárhagsáætlun
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.