Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Iceland (Travel Guide with Free eBook) (Rough Guides)

Vlundur Jnsson

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Contents

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Introduction to

Iceland

Resting on the edge of the Arctic Circle and sitting atop one of the worlds most volcanically active hot spots, Iceland is an inspiring mix of magisterial glaciers, bubbling hot springs and rugged fjords, where activities such as hiking under the Midnight Sun are complemented by healthy doses of history and literature.

Iceland is a place where nature reigns supreme. Aside from the modern and cosmopolitan capital, Reykjavk , population centres are small, with diminutive towns, fishing villages, farms and minute hamlets clustered along the coastal fringes. The Interior , meanwhile, remains totally uninhabited and unmarked by humanity: a starkly beautiful wilderness of ice fields, windswept upland plateaux, infertile lava and ash deserts and the frigid vastness of Vatnajkull, Europes largest glacier. Icelands location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge also gives it one of the most volcanically active landscapes on Earth, peppered with everything from naturally occurring hot springs, scaldingly hot bubbling mud pools and noisy steam vents to a string of unpredictably violent volcanoes , which have regularly devastated huge parts of the country. The latest events came in 2010, when Eyjafjallajkull erupted and caused havoc across Europe; and in 2015, when the eruption at Holuhraun created a huge new lavafield.

Historically, the Icelanders have a mix of Nordic and Celtic blood, a heritage often held responsible for their characteristically laidback approach to life. The battle for survival against the elements over the centuries has also made them a highly self-reliant nation, whose former dependence on the sea and fishing for their economy was virtually total. Having spent years being dismissed as an insignificant outpost in the North Atlantic (Icelanders gave up counting how many times their country was left off maps of Europe), the eruption under Eyjafjallajkull in 2010 saw the tourist industry, at least, wake up to Icelands potential. Now close on a million foreigners visit annually three times the national population and Iceland is on a steep learning curve as it struggles to cope with tourist-driven inflation and sagging infrastructure at popular sights.

Hikes and hot springs

In a country whose scenery is so iconic, and whose historical events are inextricably wrapped up with its landscape, the only real way to get to grips with Iceland is to get outdoors . Its where many Icelanders choose to spend their free time, too, though they often seem to have a fearless disregard for the weather, geological events and other natural
hazards that foreigners take sensible precautions against.

Icelands hiking trails are easy to get to, yet feel wonderfully remote and wild: on some of them its possible to walk for days and not see anyone. The country is also small enough that its feasible to simply pick two points on a map and walk between them assuming, of course, that youre suitably equipped for any natural hazards along the way though there are also many well-marked trails heading off across the landscape. After a hike, take the plunge in one of Icelands many naturally heated outdoor hot pots , often in stunningly scenic locations, where you can peel off your clothes and soak any aches away while admiring the surrounding mountains, volcanoes and seascapes. The top three spots for an outdoor soak are Landmannalaugar in southwestern Iceland, Grettislaug in the northwest and Krossneslaug in the West Fjords. And if you prefer more formal arrangements, just about every settlement across the country has its own geothermally heated swimming pool, too.

Icelandic hikes: six of the best

An epic four-day hike over snowfields, moorland and desert between hot springs at Landmannalaugar and the highland valley of rsmrk:.

Straightforward though lengthy trails follow a glacier river canyon down to Europes largest waterfall:.

You can spend days hiking across this totally unpopulated peninsula, which is probably the wildest, most remote corner of Iceland that is still accessible:.

Isolated glacier valley in the southwest, covered in dwarf birch and wildflowers, with almost limitless hiking potential:.

Easily reached moorland plateau between two glaciers, with plenty of well-marked trails of up to a days duration:.

Relatively straightforward 25km hike over mountains and snowfields, passing solidified lava from the 2010 eruption:.

Elli Thor Magnusson

Fact File

• Though geographically as big as England, Icelands population is tiny at barely 323,000, its no bigger than many towns in other countries. Two out of three Icelanders live in and around the capital, Reykjavk.
• Iceland sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge , the fault line where two of the Earths tectonic plates are slowly drifting apart; as a result, Iceland is getting wider at a rate of roughly 1cm per year. Either side of this ridge, from the northeast to the southwest, earthquakes and volcanic activity are commonplace.
• There are no motorways or railways in Iceland. The countrys only main road, the Ringroad which circumnavigates the island, was completed in the 1970s following several unsuccessful attempts to bridge treacherous glacial rivers on the south coast.
• Iceland is home to the third-biggest glacier in the world, Vatnajkull, covering an area equal to that of the English county of Yorkshire. One of the countrys greatest sources of geothermal energy , the Grmsvtn caldera, sits directly beneath the ice cap.
• Thanks to the existence of countless medieval documents, many Icelanders can trace their ancestors back to the time of the Viking Settlement , around 800 AD. Low immigration over the centuries means that todays Icelanders have one of the purest gene pools in the world, providing an invaluable research opportunity for scientists.

Where to go

Inevitably, most people get their first taste of Iceland in Reykjavk , rubbing shoulders with over half the countrys population. It may be small, but what Reykjavk lacks in size it more than makes up for in stylish bars, restaurants and shops, and the nightlife is every bit as wild as its cracked up to be: during the light summer nights, the city barely sleeps. Reykjavk also makes a good base for visiting Geysir , the original geyser, the ancient parliament site of ingvellir , spectacular waterfalls at Gullfoss and the famous and sublime Blue Lagoon .

Beyond Reykjavk, Route 1, the Ringroad , runs out to encircle the island, and the wilder side of Iceland soon shows itself open spaces of vivid green edged by unspoiled coastlines of red and black sands, all set against a backdrop of brooding hills and mountains. The west coast is dominated by the towns of Borgarnes and Reykholt , both strongly associated with the sagas, while the Snfellsnes peninsula , with views of the monster glacier at its tip, is one of the countrys most accessible hiking destinations. Arguably Icelands most dramatic scenery is found in the far northwest of the country, the West Fjords , where tiny fishing villages nestle at the foot of table-top mountains. safjrur is the only settlement of any size here and makes a good base from which to strike out on foot into the wilderness of the Hornstrandir peninsula . Beautifully located on the north coast, Akureyri is rightfully known as the capital of the north and functions as Icelands second city. With a string of bars and restaurants, it can make a refreshing change from the small villages hereabouts. From Akureyri its easy to reach the island of Grmsey , the only part of Icelandic territory actually within the Arctic Circle ; and the countrys biggest tourist attraction outside the capital, Lake Mvatn . The lake is a favourite nesting place for many species of duck and other waterfowl and is surrounded by an electrifying proliferation of volcanic activity. Nearby Hsavk is one of the best places in the country to organize summer whale-watching cruises, while just inland, the wilds of Jkulsrgljfur National Park offer superlative hiking along deep river gorges to the spectacular Dettifoss , Europes most powerful waterfall. Then there are the East Fjords which, despite easy access, remain the least touristed part of Iceland, perhaps because there are no major sights just plenty of calm, quiet, grand scenery.