Laugavegur Trail Iceland

ICELAND

TREK

Laugavegur Trail Iceland

Sunday 31 August 2014

Sitting on the plane at Luton all ready to head off for our Icelandic adventure was not the time we wanted to hear the Captain announcing that there would be a delay as Iceland had just closed off their air space to all flights. This was not the best of starts! Bárðarbunga an Icelandic volcano in the lava field of Holuhraun was threatening to erupt. This news had been rumbling around for a couple of weeks before we left but we really did not think it would affect us! An hour and a half of slightly tense waiting on the plane followed before the pilot announced that airspace was open and we could fly. At least we would get there and would worry about getting back when that time came. The volcano did go on to erupt a couple of days before we left but the effects were localised and did not affect international flights – luckily!

Reykjavik

Finally arriving at lunchtime on day one gave us just half a day to have a look around Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik. It is a small city, the most northerly capital city in the world at 64 degrees north, and it is possible to see a good bit of it in a short time. The main attraction is the Hallgrimskirkja church which at 74.5m high is the tallest building in Reykjavik and is visible from most of the rest of the city. It was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937 and represents the forms and shapes when lava cools into basalt rock. It is certainly an iconic landmark, Reykjavik’s Eiffel Tower.

Unfortunately, we left it too late to visit to be able to see inside but the outside is still well worth a look. The rest of the city is small and quaint with lots of tourist shops and some interesting inhabitants.

It has a lovely safe feel but just make sure you take plenty of Krona with you as nothing is inexpensive here.

Landmannalaugar

The next day saw us head out of Reykjavik for the 5-hour transfer to Landmannalaugar and the start of our trek We would be following the 55km long Laugavegur and the 28km Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull trails which together would take us south for 5 days ending at the coast at the 60m high Skogarfoss Waterfall.

We first headed east across the high moorland of Hellisheidi stopping en route at a dedicated “photo opportunity” to take some snaps of the 1,491m high Hekla volcano. This is one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes which has erupted over 20 times, the last of which was as recent as 2000.

The landscape is barren and beautiful with little sign of habitation or other vehicles for most of the trip yet it is never boring to look at. The terrain is bumpy and the oversized tyres of the bus were very necessary. The route meant crossing some pretty deep rivers but the bus was more than up to the job.

Arrival at the campsite in Landmannalaugar in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve was the first opportunity to put up our tent, which we would come to love and set up camp for the first night.

The added bonus at this site are the hot springs that feed into the pool, our first taste of the geothermal activity which was to mark the trail for the next couple of days. The water in the pool was hot and the nearer you got to the source of the water it got very hot!

Hrafntinnusker

Day three we headed off with our destination being Hrafntinnusker about 12 km away. The route begins by crossing the 500-year-old Laugahraun lava flow that still provides heat to the Landmannalaugar hot springs which we had sampled the previous evening. The landscape of the Stórihver geothermal area we passed through was truly amazing and other-worldly, hot springs and sulphur vents bubbling all along the way.

The rocks here are rare rhyolite rocks which give the surprising and beautiful range of colours to the landscape.

Despite it being August much of the route is still covered by snow and walking under a snow bridge was a first for me. Fog is also apparently a common feature of an Icelandic summer that we were lucky enough to see plenty of!

Camp 2 at Hrafntinnusker came into sight after what had seemed like a much longer walk that the 12km we had covered. Stopping so often to look at the scenery and take pictures had taken a lot of time but created some amazing memories. This camp is interesting in as much as the ground is largely made of obsidian. Very sharp, very hard and not camper friendly !! The eco-toilets are also not so “nose-friendly”. Nevertheless, we pitched and spent the night here.

Álftavatn

The next day and our objective is Álftavatn another 12km walk away. The route takes in more snow bridges, more hot springs and sulphur pools.

The colourful rhyolite rocks are left behind today but there is more greenery, often in very vivid colours. This is the Icelandic moss which is so vital to the local environment and ecosystem and which needs to be treated with care as feet and car tyres can cause a lot of damage. The growing season in Iceland is very short and any damage does not have time to recover before the next winter season.

The landscape changes again during today’s walk as we skirt the southern edge of the Torfajokull Massif the black sands become the norm We work our way down the steep slope that ends the day’s walk at the side of the lake at Álftavatn and once again we pitch the tent of the night. Tonight’s treat was the prospect of a hot shower, the first of the trek so far. The shower was great, getting out of the shower in the cold was not quite so great! A lovely tranquil site right on the shores of the lake and with a welcome grass area to pitch up on.

Emstrur

The next day our target was to walk to Emstrur about 19km away with the added excitement of knowing we had to cross several rivers, not all of which had bridges. This left the only way over as wading through the icy glacial melt waters to get to the other side.

The day started calmly with a fairly gentle walk toward the first river crossing, hills in the distance but a nice flat walk for us.

The first river crossing was easy as the water level was quite low. No more than rolled up trousers needed for this one, though the water was very, very cold on the toes.

As we walked on the wind began to whip up and considering it was August, the temperatures began to drop quite quickly. The second river was a bit more taxing and with water over my knees which was quite fast moving it was bracing, to say the least.

As we approached the surreal 5km wide plain of black sand and pumice, beneath the conical peak of Storasula the wind really picked up speed and the ash still lying about from the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull was being blown full pelt at us.

Luckily we were well equipped! Face masks and goggles from a local DIY shop in Reykjavik was as high tech as it got – but it did the job.

The walk through the Katla Geopark was exhilarating but sadly we did not see very much as the ash was blowing around a lot making it hard to see or even keep your eyes open for very long!

On arrival at the camp for the night fit for an episode of Dr Who and a very blustery and ash blasted night in the tent to follow.

Þórsmörk.

The next day is the last one on the Laugavegur trail taking the route to the Volcano Huts in Þórsmörk. We had decided that having camped this far along the route we would, space permitting, treat ourselves to a bed in a hut at the end of the day. So 17km to conquer before a real bed for the night we set off.

The weather had calmed down and the dust masks and goggles could be left behind. This section of the route is far greener and more vegetated that the relatively barren landscapes that we had passed in the last few days. We walked on through a wooded area, Thorsmork which means Thor’s forest and for the first time on the walk we were passing through trees. This was probably the quietest day of the walk but it seemed very long and we were glad to arrive at the hut for the night. Never having stayed in a hiking hut before, this was a first for me. We were lucky the hut was quiet, otherwise, it could feel very cosy as you would sleep in close proximity to your fellow walkers. This time of year in Iceland is the very end of the walking season and pretty much as we moved on huts were closing up for the winter.

Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull Trail

The last day of the trek and we had left the Laugavegur trail behind to walk the last 28km on the Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull trail which would lead us to the end of the walk at the Skogarfoss Waterfall on the southern coast of Iceland.

This day takes us past an apparently uncountable amount of waterfalls. It is a fairly flat, but long walk always heading south. We start off up the Fimmvorduhals Pass, past Falcon Cliff into a narrow canyon. We walked on onto the Kattahryggur ridge, which we had been led to believe was very narrow but actually proved to be very easily crossable and certainly nothing scarier than you would encounter in the Lakes or Snowdonia.

We walked on to the Fimmvorduhals Pass which is directly between the two glacier-covered volcanoes of Myrdalsjokull to the east and the infamous Eyjafjallajokull (the one responsible for the dust cloud that grounded all flights for so long) to the west. Lunch today was taken sitting on warm ground heated by geothermal activity beneath.

This day’s walk was long. There were lots and lots of waterfall to see along the way.

But, despite this being the end of the trek and the end of our time in Iceland, no-one was sad to see the greatest waterfall of all the dozens and dozens we saw today. Skogarfoss Waterfall – amazing and awe-inspiring but also the end of the route, time to head back to Reykjavik and home!

David Welch – View Profile

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