Laugarvatn Fontana

Swimming with a 60 °C temperature difference - Iceland in the depths of winter

The temperatures in Iceland are now back in the usual range, the display on our thermometer is currently hovering around freezing point, but from the beginning of December to mid-January there was an extremely long cold period, in our case it was below -10° for weeks and often until -20° cold.

The local swimming pools in the area were closed, at least the outdoor pools, because there was simply not enough warm water for heating and the water was not sufficient for a reasonable swimming temperature.

The Fontana private swimming pool in Laugarvatn was also open in this freezing cold, but in Laugarvatn there is a lot of geothermal energy, hot springs in and on the lake, which are also used to heat the pools and run the steam room. Laugarvatn is a small town with a good 200 inhabitants, but there is a gas station with a small supermarket, hotels, holiday homes and a camping site as well as a swimming pool and the private Fontana geothermal pool.

We had already gone swimming in the “Fontana” in the summer of 2020 , so we wanted to experience it in the depths of winter. However, it took us three attempts before we actually made it to the swimming pool at the beginning of January: on the first attempt the car didn't start and then slipped into the ditch. The second time we wanted to leave, our street was supposed to be cleared during the day, but it was still impassable until 6 p.m., so at some point we postponed the trip. But on the third attempt it worked - we used shovels to "dig ourselves out" or clear the path for our car at least enough so that we made it to the main street - and then continued along streets No. 35 and No. 37 to Laugarvatn.

We had caught a really cold day, the car thermometer read -18° when we left and by the time we got there it had gotten even colder.

But it was bright sunshine, really nice weather - until we approached Laugarvatn and a large cloud hung directly over the place, over the warm water there.

From the main street in town you drive a short distance down to the lake, where the Fontana swimming pool is also located - and it was really a very special experience, how it just got mistier and mistier in the middle of the town, and you only felt like you were in one white wall drove...

At the parking lot it was fine again - the fog hung below, and above there was bright sunshine.

We hadn't ordered any tickets because we didn't know beforehand whether we would be able to make it to Laugarvatn by car. But it wasn't that busy now, the number of cars in the "Fontana" parking lot was still manageable.

So wrap up nice and warm and head to the outdoor pool, when the outside temperature is just under -20°!

Such hot baths are not cheap in Iceland, and the “Fontana” is no exception. For every adult between the ages of 17 and 66, entry currently costs 4,500 ISK, which is the equivalent of around €30. After all, our youngest is still under 13 years old and he could go to the bathroom for free when we were with him. (For comparison - entry to the community swimming pool costs 1,050 ISK, or around €6.80. But it also looks much more practical and is not so picturesque right on the lake, you can't walk into the lake either... Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.)

And the “Fontana” is definitely beautifully located!

The pools here in the swimming pool have different temperatures, from 34° to 40° in the really warm hot pots.

To be honest - it was brilliant to lie in the 40° water, deeply relaxed and comfortably warm, when the outside temperature was -18°...

However, given the conditions, any sense of temperature was quickly lost. Child 4 wanted to have fun scraping the snow off the edge of the pool and then putting the cold mass on our backs - but we really didn't notice. Maybe a little damp, was there something...? We really didn't feel anything more. I say yes - all sense of temperature was gone.

Someone had hung their wet towel over the railing - and in no time it was frozen stiff and covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost from the hot steam from the water basins. In any case, you couldn't dry yourself off with the chunk of ice!

A few brave people also dared to go into the lake, my husband also had the ambition. There was also ice on the lake, despite the hot springs in various places. And the way there was so cold that everything just hurt and ached. Afterwards my husband realized that he had injured his toe - although he hadn't noticed it because of the cold...

However, there were still two difficulties:

Firstly - it was really slippery in places between the pools. You had to carefully sneak from one pool over the stones to the next pool. I saw at least two people fall in the process, and an older man also had a good, fresh gash on his knee. I tried (when no one was looking - I hope!) to cover the short distance across the ice directly on my butt - not a good idea either! It was bumpy and I was constantly frozen... I can't recommend it!

After a short time, however, an employee came to sprinkle on the paths, and after the ice had thawed, you could switch between the different hot pools again without much risk of accidents.

The second problem: the wet bathing suits froze on the metal bars at the entrance! I was (stupidly!) wearing a bathing suit - note to self: never again, in temperatures like this it's a really stupid idea! When you get in and out, the wet material immediately freezes on the metal struts of the ladders and then you get stuck there and pull desperately to get free again - but just don't pull too hard so as not to unexpectedly find yourself half naked... My son had similar problems with his swim shorts. There are things you just don't think about beforehand!

Here you can see the steam bath again, which our youngest child was very enthusiastic about this time. The bath is actually powered by the hot steam from the geothermal springs here.

Behind the steam bath is also the shelf for the water shoes that you can normally use to go into the lake - although at the moment it would have been hopeless if you had tried to pull these ice blocks onto your feet!

Afterwards we were even offered a culinary specialty - the Fontana swimming pool is famous for its rye bread, which is baked here directly in the hot earth on the lakeshore.

The bread dough is prepared according to a traditional recipe, then the dough is placed in a metal cooking pot and the pot is buried in the hot earth for 24 hours. Guided tours are also offered for currently 2,500 ISK per person, where you can watch how the bread is prepared and buried or the bread from the previous day is dug up again. You can of course also try the rye bread with some smoked trout. Definitely a worthwhile experience, but we have not yet taken part in a tour like this. You can also try the bread in the swimming pool restaurant.

We definitely enjoyed our day in the outdoor pool when the outside temperature was -18°. Something very special that you don't get to experience often - not even in Iceland...

PS: Yes, I know that a number of people who knew the old lakeside pool here are disappointed with the new spa. Here in the town of Laugarvatn, a bathing complex was built at the hot springs on the lake in 1929 and was in operation until 2007. The current swimming pool was opened in 2011. It definitely no longer has the enchanted charm of the previous facility, but it is comfortable, well-equipped and suitable for large numbers of visitors these days. I really enjoy coming here every now and then...

[Translated from here.]