Due to a dramatic increase in traffic the gravel road leading from the Ring Road to Seljavallalaug pool in South Iceland has become nearly impassable for normal passenger vehicles. Most of the road surface is covered in deep potholes, leading some to describe the road as more of an obstacle course than a road. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority has said it plans to repair the road early next week.
Tourism overwhelms old road
A local IRCA manager in the village of Vík in South Iceland told the local news site Vísir that increasing traffic, due to growing tourism in the area, had simply overwhelmed the road which hadn't been built to handle more than minimum traffic.
The road just keeps getting worse each day, especially now that it has started to rain. There is just far too much traffic on that road, it wasn't built for this kind of traffic, so the road just gives way.
Seljavallalaug pool, an old geothermal pool built next to a borehole and hot springs in a narrow gorge west of the village Vík. The pool, which was built in 1923, is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland. Nestled in the hillside, deep in the valley, the abandoned pool is surrounded by black volcanic sand and moss. While it has been described as a hidden gem, growing numbers of travellers have discovered the pool in recent years.
Read more: Visitors leave piles of trash and garbage at one of Iceland's most picturesque swimming pools
As there are no facilities at the pool, no lifeguard or service center, the number of people who visit the pool each year is unknown. Several years ago the local youth organization, whose members have volunteered to do some upkeep of the pool, counted 300 visitors each day during the summer. The numbers have grown significantly since then.
Due to a dramatic increase in traffic the gravel road leading from the Ring Road to Seljavallalaug pool in South Iceland has become nearly impassable for normal passenger vehicles. Most of the road surface is covered in deep potholes, leading some to describe the road as more of an obstacle course than a road. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority has said it plans to repair the road early next week.
Tourism overwhelms old road
A local IRCA manager in the village of Vík in South Iceland told the local news site Vísir that increasing traffic, due to growing tourism in the area, had simply overwhelmed the road which hadn't been built to handle more than minimum traffic.
The road just keeps getting worse each day, especially now that it has started to rain. There is just far too much traffic on that road, it wasn't built for this kind of traffic, so the road just gives way.
Seljavallalaug pool, an old geothermal pool built next to a borehole and hot springs in a narrow gorge west of the village Vík. The pool, which was built in 1923, is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland. Nestled in the hillside, deep in the valley, the abandoned pool is surrounded by black volcanic sand and moss. While it has been described as a hidden gem, growing numbers of travellers have discovered the pool in recent years.
Read more: Visitors leave piles of trash and garbage at one of Iceland's most picturesque swimming pools
As there are no facilities at the pool, no lifeguard or service center, the number of people who visit the pool each year is unknown. Several years ago the local youth organization, whose members have volunteered to do some upkeep of the pool, counted 300 visitors each day during the summer. The numbers have grown significantly since then.
