A new orienteering game for children at Hvaleyrarvatn

Indeed, now there will be even more fun at Hvaleyrarvatn lake

A new orienteering game with nine stations now adorns the area by Hvaleyrarvatn.  The game was set up by Hönnunarhúsið ehf. for the health town of Hafnarfjörður. The man behind the design is Guðni Gíslason, who, among other things, is the editor of the town´s newspaper, Fjarðarfréttir.

The orienteering game at Hvaleyrarvatn is intended to encourage walking around the lake and draw attention to interesting places. Also to give parents the opportunity to spend quality time with their children. The route from the first sign to the ninth is approximately 2.2 km and the route around the lake as a whole is about 2.7 km.

Ideal to explore and enjoy the scenery during the game

“The round doesn’t have to take more than half an hour,” says Guðni. “On the other hand, it is ideal to explore more along the way, read about Hvaleyrarsel´s history, look at the trees in the large grove, walk into the forest and enjoy life.”

Guðni chose the nine locations. “The first sign is at the parking lot where most people arrive. On the badge there is a QR code that points to the game’s website where you can find more information,” he says, but adds that you can basically start anywhere. “The next sign is in the Paradise Grove (Paradísarlundur). The third sign is by a birch forest nearby.” The signs can also be found at the sandy beach, tree grove, scout area, Systkinalundur, Riddaralundur and Hvaleyrarsel.

New routes, different perspectives

“Indeed, the goal is to encourage families with children to walk around the area. There are numerous hiking trails and with the orienteering game, people are encouraged to explore the area and forest even further,” he says. “Now all you have to do is find the signs, but also remember look around and enjoy the scenery.”

Guðni says that even though the game is intended for children, it is more effective if adults are with them to clarify it if needed. Guðni is certainly not designing an orienteering game for the first time. He has worked on Ratleikur Hafnarfjarðar (the town´s orienteering game), which will now be set for the 27th time and he is hosting it for the 17th time. “That orienteering game is much larger and covers the entire townland. It comes with a free treasure map that will hopefully be out of print next week.”

We encourage families to try their hand at the new and exciting family orienteering game at Hvaleyrarvatn.

More about the orienteering game here (Icelandic)