Eldfell Warm

South

At 1:55 in the morning on January 23, 1973, a fissure tore open on the eastern edge of Heimaey — about a kilometre from the town centre — and within hours had grown to over two kilometres long, shooting lava fountains 150 metres into the sky. Nearly all of the island's 5,300 residents were evacuated by boat within six hours. By the time the eruption ended in July, around 400 buildings had been destroyed and the island had gained significant new land. Eldfell, the cone that built itself from nothing during those five months, now stands about 200 metres above sea level. The hike to the summit takes around 45 minutes at an easy pace, passing through vivid bands of rust-red and orange ash that give the mountain its distinctive colouring. Ground warmth is still detectable in places — the earth close to the surface retains enough heat that warm spots are scattered across the upper slopes, a tangible reminder of how recently this rock was moving. From the top, views take in the rebuilt town directly below, the steep cliffs around Heimaey, the other Westman Islands scattered to the south, and open Atlantic on all sides. The Eldheimar museum in town, built around an excavated house still half-buried in ash, tells the 1973 story with considerable depth and is worth an hour of its own. Getting to Heimaey requires either a 30-minute ferry from Landeyjahöfn on the South Coast or a short flight; the island is small enough to explore on foot or by bicycle. Eldfell itself has no entry fee and no set path — you simply walk up.

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