Hvammsvik Hot Springs

The layout does the work here. The pools run down towards the fjord in order of temperature, hottest at the back, coldest at the shoreline, and the final step is the sea itself, which is what most bathers use as the cold plunge. The sauna has windows opening onto the water, with a steam room beside it. Mountains stand across the fjord, so the view from the pools changes with the weather rather than with the hour. Indoors, the changing rooms and showers are kept clean, and the entrance holds a rotating art exhibit.

• Not for children: the site is listed as unsuitable for children.
• Facilities: changing rooms, showers, toilets, a sauna and a steam room are on site.
• Payment: credit cards, debit cards and contactless are accepted; the site is not cash-only.
• Food: food and drink are served on site, and can be taken to the pools.

There is no bus to Hvammsvik Hot Springs. No stop is mapped within 5 km of the site, so the last leg is by car. The car park belongs to the site, its surface is unpaved, and access to it is for customers. From the car park it is about 180 m to the entrance, and everything else — changing rooms, sauna, pools — lies beyond it.

Better: a clear winter evening. The pools face the open fjord and the sky above is dark, which is what the northern lights need.

Avoid: a day of strong wind. Nothing stands between the pools and the water, and you move between them wet.

Summer is the other trade: long light and milder air, and the sea plunge is just as cold.