Eldborg is a particularly shapely oval crater in the middle of the Eldborgarhraun lava field in Hnappadalur. It rises 60 meters over the beautifully overgrown lava around. Eldborg was formed in two eruptions, the latter about a thousand years ago. Eldborg belongs to the eruption system of Ljósufjall, a little north of Snæfellsnes. The Book of Settlement tells the story of a blind elder, Sel-Þór Grímsson, who first saw the volcanic eruption where the farm Hripi was, the farm which stood where the crater is now. Eldborg and the surrounding lava was protected as a natural phenomenon in 1974. From Snorrastaðir in Hnappadalur, there is a 3 km long hiking trail up to Eldborg. When you reach the crater, there is a stunning view west of Snæfellsjökull and south of Skessuhorn and Skarðsheiði, south of Borgarfjörður. Eldborg is 120 km / 75 m away from Reykjavík.
Rough Eldborg lava field, Eldborg rises from the lava in the distance.
Hnappadalur 12/08/2021 10:20: A7RIII 1.4 / 50mm ZA
Photo and text: Páll Stefánsson
