Heiðin há () is a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

up on Hellisheiði at about 35 km to the south of Reykjavík in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. The mountain has a height of 626 m.Björn Hróarsson: Hellahandbókin. Leiðsögn um 77 íslenska hraunhella. Reykjavík 2008, p. 103

Shield volcano

The volcano dates from the Mid-

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

, is - following B. Hróarsson - about 6,000 years old, slightly younger than the Selvogsheiði, another shield volcano on Reykjanes peninsula, whereas Sinton defines its age as “finiglacial”, i.e., from the beginning of Holocene. It covers about 160km2, and its volume is about 10km3. The volcano is part of the

Brennisteinsfjöll Brennisteinsfjöll (, "Sulfur mountains"
Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes ...

volcanic system. The top crater is located south of

Bláfjöll Bláfjöll (, "blue mountains") are a small mountain range in the southwest of Iceland on Reykjanes peninsula at about 30 km from Reykjavík. They form sort of a double mountain massif to the west and in the east of JósepsdalurÞór Vigf ...

. It has a diameter of ca. 400m, but is mostly filled by lava up to the rim. The lava flows from Heiðin há went in all directions on Hellisheiði: They covered the highland up to the

and up to the tuya Geitafell in eastern direction, and enclosed the older shield volcano ''Selvogsheiði'' as well as the mountain ''Urðarfell'' .

Lava tubes of Heiðin há

Some

lava tube A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. Formation A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...

s were discovered in the lava of Heiðin há. Speleologists esp. describe ''Kuluhattshellar'' ("Bowler Hat Caves") and ''Fosshellir'' .Björn Hróarsson: Hellahandbókin. Leiðsögn um 77 íslenska hraunhella. Reykjavík 2008, p. 103-105 The first lava tube is rather eroded, but shows anyway some fine lava stalactites, whereas the second one prides a lava fall as the name says (= "Water/Lava fall cave").

Slopes of Heiðin há

The slopes of the shield volcano are cut by small canyons, including Strandagjá , Hrossagjá , Réttargjá and Götugjá .

Selvogsgata – an old trail

The trail leads from the farms near the Selvogur bay (

Árnessýsla Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...

) on the south coast of Reykjanes up to Hafnarfjörður in the vicinity of Reykjavík. In such, it traverses the Reykjanes peninsula from south to north at a length of about 25 km.

Importance of the trail

This old trail, ''Selvogsgata'', traverses a big part of the slopes of the shield volcano Heiðin há. It was used by people on foot or on horseback traveling to the market place in Hafnarfjörður. As such the trail was used until around 1930 with pack horses, and on foot until around 1960. Around 1939, the farms in the Selvogur area had a road installed that they could use for the whole year round. Last were sheep brought over Selvogsgata to Hafnarfjörður in the end of the 1940s at the beginning of winter. It took the farmers about 14 hours to get with their herd from Selvogur to the market town, with snowfall parts of the way.

Beginning of the trail: Strandarkirkja

The trail begins near

Strandarkirkja Strandarkirkja () is a Lutheranism, Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Selvogur , on the southern coast of Iceland. The church is a landmark for travellers at sea. It has more supporters all over the world than any other church in Icela ...

, a church on the southern coast of Reykjanes west of

Þorlákshöfn Þorlákshöfn () is a town on the southern coast of Iceland in the Municipality of Ölfus. The town is named after Saint Thorlak who was a bishop at Skálholt. Its main importance is as a port as it has the only harbour on Iceland's southern coa ...

.Þór Vigfússon: Í Árnesþingi vestanverðu. Ferðafélag Íslands Árbók 2003. Reykjavík 2003, p. 62-69 For a map, see there p. 62 The church Strandarkirkja is made of timber, was constructed around the turn of the 19th century and renovated in the 1960s. It is said that seamen in distress built the church after their rescue in fulfilling a vow. Though this is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

church, pilgrimages are organized still today, and votiv offerings can be seen in the church.

The trail over Hellisheidi and Heiðin há

The trail is not marked, but discernable except in the winter. After about 1 km up the hill slope, one reaches the area of Heiðin há. Here, the trail lies over ''Katlahraun'' lava field, one of the lava flows produced by the shield volcano. This lava reaches into the valley ''Hlíðardalur'' and from there up on ''Hvalskarð'' . Some moorland is here to be found where in former times the people from Selvogur took the turf for fire making and the construction of their

Icelandic turf house Icelandic turf houses ( ) were the product of a difficult climate, offering superior insulation compared to buildings solely made of wood or stone, and the relative difficulty in obtaining other construction materials in sufficient quantities. ...

s. The small pass Hvalskarð is also feasible on horseback. From some heights in the vicinity, Iceland's south coast is visible. According to a fólktale, a troll woman from up here had stolen a whale carcass from the beach down in Selvogur. But the farmer who was the proprietor of the beach, and therefore of the whale, followed her and got her at Hvalskarð (hence the name: Whale pass). After the pass, the trail continues to ''Kóngsfell'' , from there to ''Grindarskörð'' , and then down in the direction of the lava fields between the

Brennisteinsfjöll Brennisteinsfjöll (, "Sulfur mountains"
Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes ...

and Hafnarfjörður, where it is possible to choose between some other trails. Today the trail crosses Route 417 at the foot of Grindarskörð.

Hiking trail

This trail is today a popular hiking trail. and leads just from/up to a parking lot at Route 417 near Grindarskörð.
Wikiloc.com See map here.

External links

Selvogsgata (pictures; text in Icelandic)

Skídasvaedi.is, description with map of hiking and cross country ski tracks. (in Icelandic)

References

{{reflist Shield volcanoes of Iceland Reykjanes Volcanic Belt Mountains of Iceland Reykjanes