Húsafell () is a sprawling farm and church estate and the former site of a rectory. It is the innermost farm in

Borgarfjörður Borgarfjörður () is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. Although the waters of Borgarfjörður appear calm, the fjord has significant undercurrents and shallows. The many flat islands lying in the fjord are for the most ...

in the west county of

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 ...

, not far from Reykholt and Reykholtsdalur. Húsafell farm now serves as a hub of service for various types of tourists visiting and residing in its surrounding area. The Húsafell surrounding area thus includes a wide array of second homes, tent sites, holiday housing and short term lodgings. Among its amenities are a swimming pool and a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

. The wider Borgarfjörður region is also renowned for its multitude of lakes where there is trout to be had and salmon to be lured in the many rivers where it is possible to go fishing. The actual estate of Húsafell farm stretches all the way to the roots of Eiríksjökull and

Langjökull Langjökull (, Icelandic for "long glacier") is the second largest ice cap in Iceland (953 km2), after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. Its ...

, covering all in all an area of appr. 100 square kilometers. The farm itself is situated in the midst of Hallmundarhraun, and the Húsafell

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...

wood of Húsafellsskógur. Due to its sunny and warm summer climate and natural calmness of its surrounding stretch of

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

, Húsafell and its surrounding area played host to Iceland's most popular outdoor music festivals during the 1960s and the 1970s. In the near vicinity of Húsafell are the natural attractions of Barnafoss and Hraunfossar waterfalls as well as the caves of Víðgelmir and Surtshellir. There are also many exciting hiking trails to be experienced in the area, as well as the more organized tours on offer to see the glaciers Eiríksjökull or Langjökull, and excursions across the Arnarvatnsheiði highland or all the south across the Kaldidalur highland. In the olden days, back when the main route from the northern part of Iceland to the south lay across Arnarvatnsheiði, Húsafell would find itself to be an oasis of food and lodgings for weary travellers making their way across this country highway. Húsafell was indeed a popular stopover for many overnight visitors in the not so distant past, and lately, the idea of laying a country highway from Húsafell and across Stórisandur up to the North Country has resurfaced, albeit with today's motorized vehicles in mind. Natural features in the area include the Hraunfossar, where water comes out from a

field over a length of about 1 km. They are placed in a setting of birch wood. The trees here grow up to 4 m. The caves of another lava field, Hallmundarhraun are also not too far away (e.g. the Surtshellir cave). In the 19th century, there was a colony of artists living at Húsafell. One of these was the Icelandic painter

Jóhannes S. Kjarval Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...

. Today, the sculptor Páll Guðmundsson, a descendant of the Húsafell, lives and works at creating interesting faces which he cuts out of local stone. The Húsafell Stone, a rock stored in a sheep pen built by pastor Snorri Björnsson, is a legendary

lifting stone Lifting stones are heavy natural stones which people are challenged to lift, proving their strength. They are common throughout northern Europe, particularly Scotland, Wales, Iceland (where they are referred to as ''steintökin''), Scandinavia an ...

which has been used in international competitions.

External links

Official Homepage

{{DEFAULTSORT:Husafell Populated places in Iceland Borgarbyggð Farms in Iceland

See also

External links