Vatnsdalshólar Hills
About Vatnsdalshólar Hills
Vatnsdalshólar is a wide field of grassy mounds at the mouth of Vatnsdalur valley in Northwest Iceland, between Blönduós and Hvammstangi. Route 1 runs straight through the hills, so most Ring Road drivers cross them without knowing it.
The hills formed when part of the mountain Vatnsdalsfjall collapsed and a huge rock avalanche spread across the valley floor. What was left is a jumble of cone-shaped knolls, many of them light-colored rhyolite under a skin of grass and moss. An old Icelandic saying lists them among the three things in the country that can't be counted, together with the islands of Breiðafjörður and the lakes of Arnarvatnsheiði.
At the western edge of the field stand Þrístapar, three small hills where Agnes Magnúsdóttir and Friðrik Sigurðsson were beheaded on January 12, 1830. They had been convicted of killing Natan Ketilsson and Pétur Jónsson at Illugastaðir on Vatnsnes, and theirs was the last execution in Iceland. The story reached a wide audience through Hannah Kent's novel Burial Rites.
Þrístapar is now a small memorial site right off Route 1, with free parking, restrooms and a short path that leads up to the execution spot. Plaques along the walkway tell the story in order, with excerpts from books written about the case. The path is only a few hundred meters long, and it's the easiest way to get out among the hills.
Vatnsdalshólar is about 20 minutes by car west of Blönduós, two and a half hours from Akureyri and roughly three and a half hours from Reykjavík. Visit between June and September for green hills and long light, though the site sits on the main road and stays reachable all year. If you have more time, turn south onto the Vatnsdalur road for a quiet loop through farmland that few visitors see.
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Good to know
Where are the Vatnsdalshólar hills?
Vatnsdalshólar lie at the mouth of Vatnsdalur valley in Northwest Iceland, about 20 minutes west of Blönduós. Route 1 runs right through the field of hills, so you can stop on the way between Reykjavík and Akureyri.
How were the Vatnsdalshólar hills formed?
They are the remains of a massive rock avalanche from the mountain Vatnsdalsfjall, which collapsed and spread debris across the valley floor. Grass and moss later covered the mounds, which are made largely of rhyolite.
How many hills are in Vatnsdalshólar?
Nobody knows, and that is the point of the old saying. Vatnsdalshólar are traditionally counted among Iceland's three uncountable things, along with the islands of Breiðafjörður and the lakes of Arnarvatnsheiði.
What happened at Þrístapar?
Þrístapar is where Agnes Magnúsdóttir and Friðrik Sigurðsson were beheaded on January 12, 1830, for two murders at Illugastaðir. It was the last execution carried out in Iceland.
Is there parking at Vatnsdalshólar?
Yes, the Þrístapar memorial site has a free paved parking lot and restrooms right off Route 1. A short path with information plaques leads from the lot to the execution site.
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