Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland. 

Still Day 4.

After checkin in at Guesthouse Flúðir, we hurried to the (Not So) Secret Lagoon or Gamla Laugin. 

The Secret Lagoon is a man-made pool fed by naturally occurring hot springs located at Hverahólmi, the geothermal area next to the village of Flúðir in southern Iceland. It is the oldest pool in the country, and one of the most popular for locals and tourists alike. Though not as busy as the Blue Lagoon, it still requires pre-booking in the summer.

By the way

Ð / ð, called eð and Þ / þ, called þorn, are both Icelanding letters which can be transcribed as th. 

Ð is a th as in ‘bath’. Þ sounds a bit more like an s. But it’s hard for us to hear the difference. 

Secret Lagoon

The Secret Lagoon is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. It was built in 1891

“What makes our place special are the rich natural resources of warm water coming from hot springs”, the website says.

Vaðmálahver, Básahver, or Litli Geysir (active geyser which spouts every few minutes, showing off for the guests), provide 100% of the water supply in the lagoon. 

The pool water flows continuously, and it takes only 24 hours to its complete replacement. Warm, clean, rich in sulfur, stays at 38-40 Celsius all year round.

History

“Through the ages, it has been a tradition to bathe in warm water at Hverahólmi.In the old days, people also used it for washing clothes (in Vaðmálahver). Moreover, it was the site of the legislative body of the Flúðir community until 1894! In 1909, the first swimming lessons in Iceland were held at Gamla Laugin, and then every year until 1947.”

“From 1947, Gamla Laugin fell into many years of oblivion. In 2005, the idea of giving the place a second life was born. It took several years to bring it back into use. The goal was to make it more comfortable, compared to the previous century, but still authentic. Secret Lagoon happily celebrated its opening on the 7th of June 2014.”

When Thanh visited in August 2015, he took this photo of the old ‘facilities’.

Experience

The modern facilities provide separate change rooms and lockers for men and women. You are expected to shower fully naked first. Icelanders don’t make a fuss about nudity. Posters indicate you need to wash your hair, armpits and pubes. They really want you to wash thoroughly. 

When you’re done, you go quickly to the warm pool and enjoy the scenery.

Iceland, November & December 2022

1. REVIEW | Icelandair Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to Reykjavík (Keflavík International Airport) on Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Economy.
2. ICELAND | Kevlavík – Bridge Between Continents – Reykjanesviti Lighthouse – Reykjanestá – Gunnuhver Hot Springs – Grindavík – Reykjavík.
3. REVIEW | Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík.
4. ICELAND | Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – Skógafoss – Sólheimajökull – Dyrhólaeyjarviti – Reynisfjara – Vík.
5. REVIEW | Hotel Katla in Vík.
6. ICELAND | Skeiðará Bridge – Diamond Beach – Jökulsárlón – Skaftafellsjökull – Dverghamrar – Kirkjugólf – Fjaðrárgljúlfur – Skaftáreldahraun.
7. ICELAND | Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vík.
8. ICELAND | Fjaðrárgljúlfur – DC-3 Plane Wreck at Sólheimasandur – Geysir – Gullfoss.