[above]Camping at Hlöðuvík [below] River
crossings in Hornstandir [right, clockwise]
Crossing Mt Skalakambur, the highest point on
Hornstrandir; A dehydrated breakfast meal;
Flower meadows aplenty in Hornstrandirseabirds and seals.
Up until themiddle of the 20th Century,
the Hornstrandir peninsula was inhabited
by Icelandic fishermen and crasmen.
Abandoned in the 1950s, the area continues
to be devoid of permanent settlers. Ruined
homes and workshops are scattered across
the vast area, nestled deep in the ords
and valleys.
As a group of student hikers withan
average age of 22, we probably didn’tlook
like the typical hillwalkers who frequented
that area. e senseof being amongst thefew
fortunate people to explore this wildlife-rich
landscape reminded us just how lucky we
were to have pulled off an expedition feat
that would have been ambitious even for
a seasoned tour operator. Wecould count
on our hands the number of people we
had bumped into. is felt likea precious
landscape, relatively untrodden and a far cry
from the honeypots of south Iceland.
ALL IN THE PLANNING
Organising a trip of this scale as a
university hiking club saw a year’sworth
of spreadsheets, eveningbriefings, fitness
plans, screenshots of individual flights and
physical training. Plus there was the issue
of cost. Even travelling ona shoestring,
Icelandis one of the world’smost expensive
places. e triphad involved a year’s
collectiveeffort towards saving to cover
group payments such as campsite fees,
boat crossings, satellitephone hireand
internaland international flights, as well
as individualcosts for dehydrated food.
Wealso needed enough kitto be fully
self-sufficientand minimise the risk of an
exorbitantly costly evacuation.
e high level offitness we’dneed
required a lot of training. Multiple days
of baggingpeaks in the north-west of
Scotland was great practice in preparation
for the remoteness we’dexperience. Lots
of commitment (and, of course, a certain
amount of Yorkshire grit) was required to
ensure we’dmeasure upphysically and in
terms of skills. With participants involved
in all aspects of the expeditionplanning, it
certainly wasn’ta relaxing holiday inthe sun.
Once on Hornstrandir, expedition
life brought with ita certain pace and
complexity. Icyriver crossings required
us to remove our stiff mountainboots and
make uncertain steps into the intimidating
sweep of glacial river melt. Wealso spent
plenty of time wading uphill through
endless bog, gaiters doing little to stop
THREE DAY-HIKES
IN ICELAND
- Thórsmork to Skogar
Distance: 25km / 16 miles
Time: 12 + hours
Difficulty: challenging (if completed
in one day)
A hikethrough some of Iceland’s most
recently formed volcanic scenery, including
the Fimmvörðuháls pass, which takes you
past two newly-formed lava flows and two of
Iceland’s newest mountains, Magni and Móði. - Skaftafjell to Kristínartindar
Distance: 18km / 11 miles
Time: 6-8 hours
Difficulty: Challenging
An exciting route that takes in several
waterfalls and heads up past the Skerhóll,
Nyrðrihnauk and Gimludalur volcanoes.
The last section follows a steep slope that
runs across a landslide until you reach a gap
between the peaks. Some scrambling skills are
required (but no technical rope skills needed). - Mörsárdalur valley to Kjós
Distance: 30km / 19 miles return
Time: 8-10 hours.
Difficulty: Challenging
This walk takes you into to the strikingly
beautiful Mörsárdalur valley with views of
a glacier-shaped landscape. The beautiful
outlook over Kjós is well worth the long,
unmarked trail through the dry valley
from Bæjarstaðarskógar.
ICELAND ON FOOT
62 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2021