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Nupstadur
is the easternmost farm of the Fljot County, just to the west of the
largest alluvial / outwash plain of the country, Skeidararsandur,
where the glacier burst took place in November 1997 as a result of the
sub glacial eruption in October the same year.
In earlier times, the farmers of Nupstadur were obliged to guide
travellers across this precarious gravel desert and unbridged glacial
rivers.
A part of the
chapel at Nupsstadur dates partly back to the 17th century and is now in
the care of the National Museum. The
remnants of the old turf houses are also well worth the short detour
from the main road. The
precipice behind the farm with its bizarre rock formations is also a
welcome sight.
Just east of
the farm is a 600 m high and precipitous mountain, Lomagnupur.
According to the ancient mythology, it is occupied by one of the
four main protective spirits of the country, the giant with the iron
stick, who is on the Icelandic coins along with the remaining three
other figures in the country's coat of arms.
The distance from the capital is about 370 km. |