Sandfell, early settlement site from 1362

At the base of the great Vatnajökull glacier lies the abandoned farm site of Sandfell. A peaceful place -- today nothing remains excepts walls lined up rocks (formerly house foundations) and a cemetery. The church that once stood there was originally built in 1362, marking the earliest of settlements in Iceland. It was destroyed a few times by the volcano over a period of hundreds of years and was finally pulled down in 1914 and the church of Hof (nearby) became the main church of the region.

What is striking about this peaceful place is that it is barely mentioned in the tourist books, so no one stops here except hikers that wish to climb the glacier. Today, the site is marked by a lone tree in a hayfield. That tree is quite significant because there are no trees in the countryside anywhere in Iceland (except for National Parks), because of the sheeps that are free to roam everywhwere and eat everything. There is an old picture from the late 1800's at the site, which I snapped with my camera. Compare it with my own picture of the area (over 100 years late), one can see by the volcanic formations that it is indeed the same place. A famous Icleandic photographer took a beautiful photo of Sandfell which I found in a book. I will look for it and try to post it.