Skessugarður

Rampart of the Giantess.

The Grjótgarðsháls ridge in the northern Highlands of Iceland holds one of the most startling sights anywhere: a wall of large boulders over 300 m in length and 5 m high set in a sweeping moraine dotted with glacial erratics.

The geological explanation for this wondrous landscape lays it at the door of the Brúarjökull glacier during the last Ice Age. The competing explanation involves a fight between two female trolls for territorial supremacy.

The extent of Skessugarður – from Skessa (Giantess) and garður (in this context a fortress or rampart) – is best appreciated from the air. Watch the video short below.

Field of boulders
DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Skessugarður: Rampart of the Giantess
DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Scale
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Lichen on rocks
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Kristinn Ingi Pétursson
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP