Godafoss (Bjarnarfjordur) Waterfall

The path follows the rim of the gorge, not the water. From the south side the view runs straight up the canyon, with the falls at the head of it. The full, face-on view is from the east side, and there is no bridge. The river is crossed at the top of the gorge, stepping from rock to rock above the drop, and that crossing is the hard part of the outing. Everything else is a walk on the rim. In autumn the blueberry heather on the slopes turns red, and the gorge is at its most colourful then. Wind is the constant here: the rim is open, and the higher you go along it, the stronger it blows.

• Wind: the gorge rim is exposed and the top of the walk is the windiest part. Bring a windproof layer.
• No bridge: the east side is reached by stepping from rock to rock across the river at the top of the gorge.
• A fence on the way in: the walk begins with wooden steps built over a fence by the parking spot.
• Same name, different waterfall: the well-known Godafoss is in North Iceland. This one is in the Westfjords, near Bjarnarfjordur.

Access is by car. A homemade Godafoss sign with an arrow stands by the road; take the next right after it, onto a dirt road that climbs for a minute to the parking spot. You can park close to the gorge. From there the walk keeps to the south side of the canyon and ends at an overlook facing straight up it. There are trails on the east side, but the way onto them is not obvious, and the river is crossed at the top of the gorge.

Better: autumn, when the blueberry heather on the slopes above the gorge turns red.

Avoid: days with strong wind. The rim is exposed, and the top of the walk catches the worst of it.

Wind, rather than the hour of the day, decides how the visit goes. Dressed for it, the walk along the rim is straightforward; caught out by it, the last stretch to the overlook is unpleasant.