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| FORVOD
Mother Nature's art gallery The area called “Forvod” is actually a breach on the eastern banks of the river, where it has carved a huge indent and then left, like a sculptor who has lost interest in his creation. At Forvod you can clearly see how the river has carved out its masterpiece, the canyons with the river still at work below. The tranquility of the place is in odds with the surroundings, because it is flush with vegetation and you can hear peaceful little streams trickling over rocks on their way to meet the screaming river below. 
In this stream, trout has been sighted which must be considered one of
natures wonders, because the trip from the river is so steep
in
places.To reach Forvod you turn of highway 864 and follow the road for 8 km. This turn off is 12 km above the bridge over Jokulsa. Road nr. 864 lies along side jokulsa on the east side. The road down to Forvod is a dirt road and needs to be driven with care on smaller cars.  The walk down to Forvod is 1,2 km and ends by a rocky outcropping made of columnar basalt called Vigabjarg. The first stretch on your way down there is by a 1 km long dirt road until you reach a small stream, then you follow a walkway for 200 meters before you reach Vigabjarg. Walking Hiking trails in the National Park in North IcelandThere is a stairway up on Vigabjarg where you can enjoy the magnificent view, but take care and don’t go to close to the edges of the cliff. |
| According
to the old Sagas the
cliff Vigabjarg (fighting cliff) is not only a cliff
made of columnar basalt, but also a place where, the outlaw Grettir the
strong, chose
as his layer, which is right by the stair up on the cliff. A part of
Grettis saga unfolds here and on a sign beside it a brief part of
that
story is told. “It is said that Grettir made his stand here for a while until he had to retreat and made his way to the west over the river by the rim of Vigabjargsfoss. This rout is considered treacherous, but even Jokulsa was no more of a roadblock for him than so, that he took two rams with him for traveling provisions” Not far from Vigabjarg was a waterfall called Vigabjargsfoss, one of the grandeur waterfalls of Jokulsa. This waterfall disappeared almost entirely in 1950 when the river changed its course and runs as it does today through a route called Katla. When the events in Grettissaga are said to have happened, there may have been a stone arch, partly over Vigabjargsfoss, so it was humanly possible to jump over it, in those days. But with two rams hooked together by the horns over the shoulder is another matter. |
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