THE LAUGAVEGUR TRAIL

TREKKING IN ICELAND

It’s The Land Beyond the Wall in northern Westeros, it’s the Realm of the Dark Elves in Thor and it’s Mordor in Middle-earth.

But for the trekking community, Landmannalaugar is the start of the Laugavegur Trail, Iceland’s most popular walking trail.

The 55km trail is only open in the summer months and can be completed at your own pace, but it’s generally done over four or five days.

Accommodation along the way is in very rustic mountain huts or in your own tent.

I booked with Utracks.

They transport your gear ahead each day, provide an English-speaking guide and arrange all meals.

Our guide was amazing. Herdis from Icelandic Mountain Guides has a PhD in geology and is a great cook!

THE BEGINNING

The bus from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar takes four hours.

At about halfway the scenery changes from farms to a harsh volcanic landscape with steaming geothermal fields and extraordinary jurassic rock formations.

It’s a weird place, like stepping onto a sci-fi movie set.

The trail begins in fields of coloured rhyolite, passing small gorges, steaming hot springs and bubbling mud pools.

All around us are the famous ‘Rainbow Mountains’.

The next few days are kind of black and white.

The black volcanic sands alternate with thick snow and in the background are the huge Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers.

There are fields of shiny black obsidian shards and basalt boulders.

There is the relentless Maelifellssandur black desert and the Markarfljotsgljufur Canyon, a 200m deep cut — massive and spectacular.

The final leg of the trail meanders through Thorsmork, the Woods of Thor, with verdant plains and fluffy white sheep.

There are mossy mountains, fields of wildflowers and babbling brooks. So pretty.

We finish the trek in Porsmork and spend our last day exploring the area and enjoying the company of other trekkers.

Trekking in a group is a bonding experience.

Camaraderie develops quickly and my fellow trekkers were a delight.

Aged between 40 and 77, these super-fit couples and singles came from all over the world.

I was genuinely sad to say goodbye but felt very lucky to have met them and shared this incredible experience with them.