Vatnsdalsholar View Point

Vatnsdalshólar is a scatter of low hills at the northern end of Vatnsdalur, spread over roughly 5.5 square kilometres. They are heaps of loose stone and gravel, left by the landslides that are common in this valley. A flight of steps climbs from the car park to the viewpoint, where a bench looks out over the mounds and the lake.

The hills carry the grimmest date in Icelandic law. On 12 January 1830 two farm servants, Agnes Magnúsdóttir and Friðrik Sigurdsson, were beheaded here for the murder of the farmers Natan Ketilsson and Pétur Jónsson. Their case had been heard by the Supreme Court in Copenhagen. No execution has been carried out in Iceland since.

Most people who stop also meet Lappi. The border collie comes running over the hill towards arriving cars, follows visitors up and down, and poses for photographs. A sign at the spot announces him.

• No toilets and no drinking water. Nothing of the kind is mapped at the hills or within 5 km of them.
• No information board. The execution of 1830 is not explained on site, so read up before you come.
• Loose ground. The hills are built of stone and gravel, and landslides are common in Vatnsdalur.
• Lappi runs beside cars. The dog escorts vehicles out of the car park, so pull away slowly.

No bus serves the hills — no stop is mapped within 5 km — so visitors arrive by car. From the car park a flight of steps climbs to the viewpoint, where a bench faces the hills and the lake. The steps are the only way to the top, and there is no step-free route: neither the car park nor the entrance is wheelchair accessible. Two more car parks lie in the valley, both roughly 2 km away.