Krýsuvík Geothermal Area

The pull here is the ground itself. Around the vents the clay is yellow, red and green, and steam comes out of it in the open, a step from the boardwalk. Water boils in the pools. The air smells of sulphur. Wooden walkways cross the field in a loop, and one side carries most of the vents, so the walk starts with the best of it. Above the loop a path climbs to a viewpoint that takes in the whole coloured basin. The sulphur was worked here as well as looked at: it was mined in these fields and exported, in the years when the farm below was known for its wealth.

• Smell: the field smells of rotten eggs. It is strong enough that children may not want to leave the car.
• Toilets: there are toilets at the site, and they are not kept clean.
• Time needed: the loop takes 20 to 30 minutes, so treat Krýsuvík as a stop rather than a day out.
• Weather: the viewpoint above the field is only worth the climb on a clear day.

Krýsuvík sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 35 km from Reykjavík, between Þorlákshöfn and Grindavík. Two roads reach it, Routes 42 and 427; Route 42 runs along the western shore of the lake Kleifarvatn. Cars stop at the car park beside the geothermal field. Access from there is easy: the walk in is short, and wooden walkways carry the loop over the hot ground. A separate jeep track leaves Route 427 and runs down to the bird cliffs of Krýsuvíkurbjarg, which can also be reached on foot.

Better: a clear, bright day. Avoid: low cloud and steady rain.

The colours are the reason to come, and they need light to show — in flat grey weather the ground goes dull. Low cloud also takes the view away from the upper viewpoint, which is the one wide outlook on the site. In cold weather the steam stands thicker over the vents and photographs better.