Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE KJÖLURVEGUR TREK
The
Kjölurvegur
trek is an excellent two- to three-day hike from Hveravellir to the glacial lake
of Hvítárvatn, following the original Kjölur route that ran west of the present Route 35,
hugging the slopes of
Langjökull
: it's punctuated by overnight huts run by Ferðafélag Íslands
(book in advance through
W
fi.is), roughly four to six hours' walk apart.
From the springs, follow the F735 west towards the glacier for roughly 14km to the
Þjófadalir
overnight hut. Here the jeep track peters out into a walking path as it swings
southeast, around the tiny Hrútfell glacier, to another overnight hut at
Þverbrekknamúli
.
From here, it's a further straightforward hike of around four to six hours to reach the
Hvítárnes
hut, an idyllic if somewhat lonely place to break the journey - the hut is supposedly haunted
by a young woman who lived hereabouts when the area was farmed, though only men who
sleep in a certain bed in the hut will see her.
From the hut, it's an easy 8km walk back to Route 35 and the bus to either Reykjavík or
Akureyri, passing the beautiful
Hvítárvatn
glacial lake, at the foot of Langjökull, on the way.
Herðubreið
Just of Route 88 between Mývatn and the Askja caldera, the crownlike formation of
Herðubreið
towers 1682m over the featureless lavafield of
Ódáðahraun
(Desert of
Misdeeds). Herðubreið's brown, snow-streaked platform is so remote that it remained
unconquered until 1908, and an ascent to the summit still requires basic
mountaineering skills and equipment.
8
Herðubreiðarlindir
Right on Route F88, the Þorsteinsskáli mountain hut marks
Herðubreiðarlindir
, an
oasis of poor grass and hot springs between the glacial
Jökulsá á Fjöllum
and
Herðubreið, barely 5km away to the west. On the edge of the encircling lava, a small
stream wells out through a wall of lava blocks that conceal
Eyvindur's cave
, said to have
been inhabited by this resourceful outlaw during the harsh winter of 1774-75. During
this time he survived on dried horsemeat and the bitter roots of angelica plants, which
grow in profusion nearby - he always considered this the worst experience of his entire
twenty years on the run (see box, p.312).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
HERÐUBREIÐ
By bus
Mývatn Tours (
W
myvatntours.is) and SBA (
W
sba
.is) traverse the F88 on their tours to Askja and Kverkfjöll.
By car
Route F88 between Mývatn and Askja passes close
to Herðubreið. There's a 5km hiking track from the F88 at
Herðubreiðarlindir, and a very rough vehicle track to
Herðubreið's southwest corner off the F88 closer to Askja.
ACCOMMODATION
Þorsteinsskáli hut
Herðubreiðarlindir
T
854 9301,
W
ffa.is.
Dorm accommodation for thirty in this elderly
building, with toilets, showers and a basic kitchen; the
rangers here can provide information about hiking trails,
via Herð
ubreið,
to Askja
. There's also a campsite. Camping
1500kr
; dorms
5500kr
Askja
At the end of Route F88 in the heart of the dismal Ódáðahraun,
Askja
is an 8km-wide
volcanic depression, formed from a collapsed subterranean magma chamber. In the centre
is a 217m-deep lake,
Öskuvatn
, its steel-grey waters doing nothing to brighten the setting
amongst a colossal lavafield which drained out of Askja in prehistoric times. More recent
events have included the appalling eruption at Viti in 1875 (see p.314), and another big
outflow of lava in the 1960s, which you traverse en route to the caldera's rim.
