Varmahlíð is a small village near Skagafjörður

Skagafjörður

Skagafjörður is a deep bay in northern Iceland.-Location:Skagafjörður is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the west and the Tjornes Peninsula to the east. There are two municipalities in the area, Skagafjörður Municipality and Akrahreppur Municipality Skagafjörður...

 in northern Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

.

Around 140 people live on the eastern slope of the hill for which the town is named (varmur=warm, hlíð=slope).

Varmahlíð is on the ring road Route 1, at the junction of Route 75 leading to Sauðárkrókur

Sauðárkrókur

Sauðárkrókur is a town in Skagafjörður in northern Iceland and a part of the municipality of Skagafjörður.Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in Northwest Iceland and the second-largest town on the north coast of Iceland, with a population of 2,635. It is the centre for commerce and services in the...

, about 24 km to the north. Varmahlíð is in the middle of a flourishing agricultural area, where the Icelandic horse

Icelandic horse

The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from...

 has been treasured for centuries. One of the main industries is horse-rearing. The area has an abundance of geothermal hot water. Hence Varmahlíð has a number of greenhouses with tropical and sub-tropical fruits and vegetables.

Varmahlið stands high on the western side of a valley, at the crossroads at the foot of Vatnsskarð pass. Near Varmahlíð stands the turf roofed church at Víðimýri, built in 1834, which has a magnificent altarpiece dating from 1727. The monument to Icelandic poet Stephan Stephansson is located at Vatnsskarð pass.

Miðgarður, a concert hall, can be found at Varmahlið. One of Iceland's most famous men's choirs, Karlakórinn Heimir, is based there.