Krosslaug Hot Spring

The bathing here is at sea level. A hot tub and a pool stand on a pebble beach with the open water in front of them, so the soak comes with a panorama.

The routine most bathers follow is simple: a long spell in the hot water, then a swim in the sea, then back in to warm up. The ocean feels freezing for the first seconds and then turns bearable. The geothermal water has no sulphur smell, which is not a given in Iceland, and it holds its heat in bad weather — in late March, with air at 5 °C and a 20 km/h wind, the bath was still comfortable.

One thing to expect: the pool can fill with algae. It looks off-putting and does not spoil the bathing. A caretaker keeps the pools up.

• Algae: the pool can be thick with algae. It looks off-putting and does not stop you bathing.
• Toilets: there is a toilet at the site.
• Children: the site is suitable for children.
• Sea dip: the shore is pebbles, not sand. Footwear helps if you plan to walk into the sea.

Krosslaug is reached by car; no public transport comes here. The pools sit beside Barðastrandarvegur, the road that runs along the south coast of the Westfjords, and the car park is just off it. From there you walk the last stretch to the pebble beach, where the hot tub and the pool stand at the water's edge.

Best: any month. The pools are geothermal and hold their temperature in cold air and in rain, so the season matters less here than at most Icelandic sights.

Avoid: early mornings and late evenings. The site keeps fixed opening hours and is not a round-the-clock pool.

Weather does not decide the visit. An April soak was pleasant in chilly air, and light August rain did not spoil it. Algae in the pool was noticeable in April, which matters if the look of the water matters to you.