I have decided that breakfast buffets are the best way to get two teenage children up and out for an 8.30am departure! It was nice not have to repack everything this morning as we were staying in Hella for two nights. We decided that we would have to leave the waffle machine for today and instead availed ourselves of bacon, eggs, croissant, yoghurt (disappointingly sweet in my opinion) and porridge. No fear of us starving while there is a buffet breakfast in the morning!!
We set off almost on time to the Super Jeep base camp in Hvolsvollur. The weather was already a bit biblical, but we were confident that with two coats each, waterproof trousers, fleece, hat, gloves etc, we were ready for anything. The base camp was an homage to a youth hostel and clearly caters for customers significantly trendier than us! The waiting area had sofas made from crates, tables from off-road jeep tyres and a swing! We took a seat (or swing) and waited for the other customers to arrive. After a few minutes they invited us to climb into the Super Jeep (off-road minibus) and the chaos began – no less than two families had joined our tour when they had paid for another excursion and had to be politely removed before we could set off. Our party consisted of Thor (Þór) – the guide, the four of us, an older German couple and a Swiss couple with their 11 year old boy. Thor (his middle name for tourists as his first name was unpronounceable!) explained the rough plan and warned us that the Super Jeep would roll and dip a bit, but that was normal and shouldn’t worry anyone. Suitably apprehensive, we set off.
We were gently lulled into a false sense of security as Thor drove sensibly and in silence along the tarmac in the direction of Vik. He stayed within the speed limit and even slowed down to pass some cyclists safely. Then we got to the end of the tarmac, the pneumatics removed air from the massive tyres and we started our gravel adventure.
We found ourselves in an enormous U-shaped valley with a vast web of shallow streams called Markarfljot. There were two massive bolders near the entrance to the valley and we saw oyster catchers and arctic terns feeding and performing aerial acrobatics above the water. The sides of the valley are so far apart that, in the low cloud, I could only see the right hand wall most of the time. We drove straight past a tumbling waterfall with many tourists already in attendance and headed off into the wilds. We were travelling a lot slower than we had been on tarmac and we had to cross a number of small, shallow, gravel-bedded streams. We saw a lot of normal 4×4s and a few standard cars but felt suitably smug in our tank.
Our first stop and first chance to get to know Thor was Merkurker – otherwise known as the sheep tipping cave. The cave we visited is navigable to the upper levels of the plateau and the sheep use it to get down but they don’t like getting back up. Did I mention the sheep are stupid? Quite often in November, the sheep fall over and don’t have the core strength to get back up. The sheep (and land they are on) are owned by Thor’s uncle and so Thor helps round them up ready for the winter. They have to check the cave to make sure there aren’t any sheep flailing about with their feet in the air. Stupid sheep. Thor decided to put on all of his waterproof gear. That was my first inkling that we might be under equipped. Thor put on wader-height Rab waterproof trousers with gaiter bottoms that stopped water going into the top of his boots. He topped this with a Rab jacket that was still dry inside at the end of the day. The trek to the cave was not too tricky and not too far, but the entrance was somewhat intimidating. We had to bend sideways to squeeze around a bolder and into the cave. It was exactly the type of cave you would NOT let adventurous children inside, but Thor promised there were no trolls so we went in for a look. I am worried by water in underground spaces, but the stream was relatively calm and small and I coped with the excitement admirably.
By the time we got back to the Super Jeep, the wind had picked up a bit and the rain was getting a bit heavier. Another little stream to cross and another 15 minutes or so of the gravel road took us to Gígjökull – a tributary glacier of Eyjafjallajökull. Thor parked up in a little car park with other off-road coaches and turned round to talk to us with an impish grin. The Super Jeep rocked impressively in the wind and the man trying to get into a vehicle next to us couldn’t even open the door. Thor told us that when he visited the area as a child, the glacier extended to almost where the cars were parked and below it was the glacier moraine and a 70m deep lake enclosed in walls of stone. The glacier had begun to shrink in recent years, but when the volcano under the glacier erupted in 2010 and badly affected worldwide air travel, enormous volumes of water were released from the glacier, pouring down and carrying unfathomable amounts of debris. By the time the flood ceased, the stone walls had been breached, the lake was gone and the 70m deep chasm was filled up to a level 20m higher than the previous ground level with gravel and boulders. When the volcano erupted, all Icelandic citizens received a text message and within less than an hour and a half, they had evacuated a 70km circle around the area.
After our history lesson, Thor opened the door and leant on it with all his bodyweight so that we could all get out. I think he would have liked us to be quicker… Apparently the wind travels vertically down the face of the glacier, so even if you get quite close there is no respite. It was strong enough to lean back into and the gusts knocked you sideways. There was no way to look at the glacier as the wind was full of nasty bits of rain that got flung into your face if you were foolish enough to look up. Thor took us to the information point and showed us the photos of what he had explained in the nice, warm, dry Super Jeep. I asked if we could get a bit closer as I was intrigued by the crack down the cliff on the right hand side of the gap the glacier had used to fill. He wasn’t at all sure, but allowed himself to be convinced and lead us towards the face. This was the point the older German lady started to struggle a bit. I can’t imagine she weighed more than about 7 stone and was being buffeted terribly. I was quite surprised Danny was able to keep his feet.
Thor told us that the cliff had cracked during the earthquake that preceded the eruption and that previously, the meltwater had run down the far right hand side – now blocked by the broken rock. He didn’t take us too close to the face and explained that as the glacier melted, chunks of ice and rock could fall at any time, so people were warned not to get too close. The way back across the gravel was much easier and jumping doubled the distance you could achieve in a step.
It was astonishing to see plants flowering in such extreme environments, but flower they did – some very close to the ground and some that looked very much like angelica, with tall pompom seed heads. It was an enormous relief to have Thor hold the door again so we could climb back out of the wind and into the Super Jeep. Thor’s final piece of good news was that the other volcano (Katya) under the glacier hasn’t erupted for 104 years and the rule is normally every 100 years plus or minus 8 years. He said with complete calm conviction that the flooding and ash clouds would be worse than 2010 and that Iceland’s tourists would also have to answer the call to evacuate the 100km exclusion zone – but wouldn’t be leaving the country anytime soon!
I think Mila was the most comfortable at this point as she had a brand new waterproof coat and brand new waterproof trousers. Keith and Danny both had a combination of old coat and new trousers. I had old coat and old trousers. It was at this point that I starter revaluating the definition of waterproof. None of my clothing resisted the windblown rain and I was already pretty wet. Fortunately the wind had dropped by the time we came to our next stop. It was starting to be obvious even to the tourists that the water level was rising, and we watched countless off-road vehicles leaving the valley rather rapidly, but Thor still picked his route across the streambeds with confidence and it didn’t feel sketchy. Thor suggested we have something to eat from our paper bag packed lunches before we completed our hour and a half hike to a chimney cave at the head of the Stakkholtsgja canyon. Thor had a discrete chat with the older German couple and then we all set off. Both Keith and I had a wild wee while the others went on ahead. I did not take a picture of him crouching behind a rock. Just saying.
The canyon was like a textbook example of a tiny U-shaped valley, with entirely vertical and ice-smoothed walls. We learnt that the rock was very young (26 million years or so) and so completely useless for climbing. Where it has broken away and not been ground by ice, it looks sedimentary – made up of thousands of jagged pebbles stuck together in a haphazard way. The route was rocky but not particularly challenging until we came to the river crossing. It was still raining and Thor took a moment to navigate both branches of the river to check he could get us all across safely. We were very jealous of the complete confidence he had in his equipment. He held each of our hands as we balanced on rocks just visible through the torrent. It felt safe with him, but would have been extremely foolhardy to do by ourselves. It goes without saying that now my feet were wet too! The older German gentleman made us all laugh by ignoring the stepping stones completely and just wading through the calf high water. I suppose if you are going to get wet anyway, there is not much point putting yourself in danger of falling over as well!
Round the corner from the river was the entrance to a cave with a tumble-down piles of boulders in the entrance. Thor gestured at use to climb up and the 11 year old goat – sorry boy – scrambled up and immediately out of his mother’s line of sight! The rest of us followed more gingerly, but the rocks are so rough that even though they were wet, they did not feel at all slippery. The view from the top rewarded us with a waterfall inside a chimney that twisted and turned as it went up.
Both Mila and I slipped on the way down and ended up with a banged knee (Mila) and a banged elbow (me). We consoled each other and put on brave faces for everyone else. As we walked back, Thor told us a bit more about life in Iceland in tourism and about working with the crew of Game of Thrones for 3 weeks to produce a 15 second clip. He said he was excited to meet some famous people, but they used a green-screen and no-one apart from camera men and directors actually stood in the canyon. Poor Thor! But he did add that apart from transporting equipment and people too and from the filming location, he was also tasked with entertaining the stunt-men (people?) and had 3 weeks playing with snowmobiles, ice-climbing and other probably quite dangerous activities if you’re not a stuntman or Thor.
For those interested, the canyon is used in the Wight Ambush scene in Season 7 – Episode 6 and you can see more pictures here.
Now I was properly wet. My waterproof trousers had kindly allowed my leggings to get in on the action, and they were sharing kindly with my socks, so my feet squelched as I walked and trench foot was imminent. None of us had brought any spare clothing, so the next trip in the Super Jeep was a bit miserable. Thor’s good humour was undiminshed – mostly because he was still dry – and he took us across slightly fuller streams to Thorsmork, where he gave us the option to hike or drive to the next camp. The idea of camping in such a remote location and such brutal weather did not appeal to me, but most of the people at the site were smiling through their sogginess. The German couple and then 11 year old stayed on the Super Jeep and the Swiss couple joined Keith and I on the hike to volcano lodge. It was still raining, but we would have called it light drizzle in the UK. It took about 45 minutes and was an interesting introduction to Icelandic trails. Thor had to drive around so we went by ourselves, but he was right – it would have been difficult to get lost. I had a nice chat with the Swiss lady and learnt that they had not booked any accommodation before they left Switzerland and had bought a tent for the rest of their holidays. Gulp. The German couple were staying in Þórsmörk for a couple of nights, so Thor got them settled and was ready to leave when we finished our hike.
Back in the Super Jeep, we made good time back down the valley. The water levels were definitely higher by this point and Thor humoured Keith by driving three times through the deepest river. You could feel the current tugging at the back and it made me squeak. We had already seen a regular 4×4 (a regular Jeep) abandoned near the glacier (we think they went “off-roading” in deep sand and got stuck) and now we saw a Range Rover on the back of a low-loader. This environment is brutal to machines. Sitting in wet clothes is not pleasant at the best of times, but there was a noticeable lack of moaning on the way back down the valley. Thor gave us one more optional stop at the waterfall we had zoomed past in the morning and gluttons for punishment as we are, we agreed. Again, my suspicions should have been raised by the fact that Thor got himself a hot dog and stayed in the Super Jeep!!
Seljalandsfoss waterfall is on private land and access granted by the landowner. Thor told us that all land in Iceland is accessible no matter who owns it, but landowners are allowed to charge for parking etc. This is the first waterfall that we have been able to walk behind. If we hadn’t already been pretty much soaked to the skin before we arrived, the spray would have ensured we were by the time we left. We were amused by the number of tourists in totally inappropriate clothing and box fresh trainers! It was a stunning waterfall from in front, behind it the view through the water was amazing.
It was a relief to learn that we had completed out last stop – even though it was only 2.30pm – as we were all starting to get cold. It wasn’t until I had taken all the wet things off that I realised how cold I was. We said goodbye and thank you to Thor and his amazing vehicle and went back to the hotel. An hour, a shower and a coffee later I felt almost normal! One last thought for the day: it is rude to eat other people’s babies. Thanks Thor!