The (not so) Secret Lagoon
The Secret Lagoon is known in Icelandic as Gamla Laugin, which means ‘The old swimming pool’ – which is probably a much better name for it. This is partly because the Secret Lagoon is now anything but a secret, being on the tourist trail, due to its proximity to the Golden Circle, so Secret Lagoon is probably a bit of a misnomer. Gamla Laugin is also a much more fitting name, simply because it is the oldest natural pool in Iceland.
A gloriously empty lagoon, when we first arrived
Situated about an hour and a half from Reykjavík, near the small town of Flúðir, it is nestled in the countryside, surrounded by fields, trees, a large river and several small, and active geysers.
Unspoilt and natural
Being one of the country’s oldest swimming spots, it is iconic in Icelandic history. Located in an area of natural geothermal activity, it is right beside a geyser that erupts every few minutes – fascinating to watch, while you swim! There is so much activity going on beneath the ground in this area that even parts of the river that flows alongside the pool give off billows of steam.
The river that flows past the lagoon, also steaming with geothermal activity
The pool was first used for swimming in 1891 and through the ages it became a tradition to bathe in the warm waters full of minerals. Back in the day, it was also of course used for washing clothes! In 1909 the first swimming lessons in Iceland took place here, every year up until 1947, after which the area became neglected and fell into oblivion for many decades. In 2005 the Icelanders began the task of bringing the old pool back to use, making the area as comfortable as possible, but retaining the natural pool as authentic to the original as possible.
On 7th June 2014 the Secret Lagoon as we know it now was born.
What a glorious spot for a dip…
Impromptu stone sculptures that have appeared by the side of the pool
The active geysers, particularly Litli Geysir (the one which spouts every few minutes) provide 100% of the water supply in the lagoon, and the water flows continuously, taking only 24 hours for the water in the pool to be completely replaced. Warm, clean and rich in sulphur, the temperature stays at 38-40 degrees Celsius all year round.
The fenced-off area (left) where Litli Geyser spits and spouts at a temperature of 100°C
Having heard about it, we were very keen to go and discover this gem for ourselves, and what a wonderful day we had there. The drive to Flúðir is delightful, opening out into a wide valley basin with the river Litla-Laxá, which is full of trout and salmon, running through it and overlooked by the mountain Miðfell. The main industry in this area is horticulture, and we could see from the fields of crops, trees and the many greenhouses around the town, just what a fertile area it is.
The fertile valley on the road to Flúðir
We nearly missed the Secret Lagoon itself, and thought the satnav had taken us the wrong way as we seemed to be heading down a gravel track to a couple of greenhouses and not much more, but suddenly the track opened out into a car park and we could see the low building that forms the small café and changing rooms.
At a fraction of the price of somewhere like the Blue Lagoon, and worlds away in feel, this is definitely a trip worth making. The pool itself is quite small, much smaller than it looks on the website, but it does feel incredibly natural and the surroundings are delightful. We enjoyed taking a walk around the pool almost as much as being in it. From the grassy banks, to the tumbledown hut beside the pool, to the plumes of steam from Litli Geysir, to the tiny elf houses someone has placed on the grassy slope nearby, it was all quite enchanting.
Feeling a world away from everyday life…
Looking out across fields and trees to the open skies beyond
Tiny turf houses set into the grassy bank!
As with so many of the geothermal pools out here, it is of course de rigeur to float lazily in the warm waters with a glass of beer or sparkling wine – although it is definitely advisable to have plenty of cold water available as it is amazing how quickly you can become dehydrated in the warm waters.
The café on site looked lovely, but does not serve hot food and we had happened to notice as we came in that on the edge of the car park was a little hut serving fish and chips. A couple of hours lazily swimming or just floating in tranquil warm waters and we definitely felt we’d earned a fish and chip lunch…. Well, it had to be done! Hot and fresh and with a choice of sauces, as is traditional here we went with one chilli mayo and one garlic mayo and thoroughly enjoyed our feast in the sun, then back for a bit more strenuous dipping!!
Enjoying the waters
So, definitely old…. Perhaps not so very secret…. But for all that, it is a wonderful place to visit and spend a day. We will definitely be back.
