Thing Sites: Thingvellir Kastalar Traditional Geocache
thingsites: Unfortunately, this cache has had to be archived because visits were causing damage to the natural environment in this part of the National Park.
Thing Sites: Thingvellir Kastalar
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is part of the official Thing Sites GeoTour. A traditional lock'n'lock box capable of holding logbook, pencil and small swappable items.
Thing sites, from the Old Norse Þing, are the early assemblies found throughout Northern Europe as a result of our shared Norse heritage.
When the Vikings and early Norse settlers arrived in a new place they brought with them their customs and legal systems. Political decisions were made at the thing, laws upheld and disputes settled. Proceedings were overseen by the local ruler and the law-speaker (judge), whose job was to memorise and recite the law. At some things, known as Althings, any free man was entitled to vote. At others - Lawthings - the crown and local communities acted together to interpret the law.
The thing was also a focus for religious activity, as well as trade and exchange. At Thingvellir in Iceland you can still see the remains of the booths, or huts, where traders came to do business with people attending the meeting.
The thing system for sharing and legislating power can still be recognised today. Several things continue to be active. The Icelandic parliament is still known as the Althing, the Norwegian parliament is called the Storting and the Faroese parliament goes by the name of Løgting. The Manx parliament, known as Tynwald, still holds a midsummer court on the thing mound at Tynwald Hill every year.
The Thing Sites GeoTour has placed caches in and around the locations of Norse and Viking assembly sites in Norway, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Highland Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Follow in the footsteps of the Vikings, and explore some of these fascinating sites.
At Þingvellir, Alþing - general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. All major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Þingvellir. Today Þingvellir is a national park where the protected area shall always be the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing.
Research has made it clear that Þingvellir is a natural wonder on a international scale, with the geologic history and the biosystem of Lake Þingvallavatn forming a unique entity. The faults and fissures of the area make evident the rifting of the earth's crust and the ecosystem of Lake Þingvallavatn is a perfect example of species evolution in nature.
This cache can be easily accessed from the main car park at the northern edge of the assembly site. From the car park there is is a lightly vegetated flat lavafield. The cache is within 50 meters away from the carpark.
The site is only accesible by foot even though it is a short distance from the car park. It is easy to walk to. There are toilets about 3 km away and food as well. Take care when crossing the car park and the road leading to it. Can be crowded on a busy day.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq gur ohfurf bs ovepu naq pybfr gb gur byq pbapergr sbhaqngvbaf sbe gur byq ohvyqvat gung bapr jnf gurer. Gura lbh ner pybfr.