Grjótagjá Cave photo spot

Grjótagjá’s known history begins in the early 18th Century, where it was known to be the home of outlaw Jón Markússon. Throughout Iceland’s history, the icy, jagged rocks, total darkness and reputation for trolls meant that law-abiding folk avoided Iceland’s lava caves. They were thus the perfect spots for bandits who had been ostracised from Icelandic society by the parliament. Little is known about Jón, but after his death, fears of his cave gave way to excitement at its potential. It was used by locals as a hot spring in the decades that followed until the 1970s, when Iceland’s unpredictable geothermal forces prevented them from doing so. From 1975 to 1984, the Krafla volcanic system erupted nine times, making the water in the caves boiling and unusable. After 1984, the temperature has slowly cooled, but has been known to rapidly heat again; in the surrounding area, liquid rock is just two kilometres (just over a mile) under the surface of the earth, meaning it can be very unpredictable. As such, bathing is no longer allowed in Grjótagjá. The lava cave and hot spring have such an ethereal, otherworldly beauty that they have attracted many Hollywood producers; HBO’s Game of Thrones even shot one of the season’s most iconic love scenes here.