Frozen assets
Emilia Bona explores stone cold classics in the wilds of Eastern Iceland
Welcome to the end of the road.” These were Denni Karlsson’s first words to us as we stepped over the threshold of his Wilderness Centre at Egilsstadir – a little lodge house nestled in a valley on the edge of Northern Europe’s biggest wilderness.
He was being entirely literal in his welcome, too. The lodge represents the last stop before all roads end, with only the wild terrain of Eastern Iceland sprawling beyond it.
Stepping inside the centre felt like taking a journey back in time, with an authentic ‘back to basics’ interior seemingly unchanged since the house was first built in 1940.
Over a hearty dinner of lamb meatballs, roasted potatoes and rhubarb jam, Denni explained how he painstakingly renovated the property, having grown up on a neighbouring farmstead.
His ambitious refurb involved adding a bathhouse and hot spring spa, where you can take a dip in the sunken pool and marvel at the night sky with a glass of wine in hand.
He also built an on-site museum, which explores the folklore and history of life in the wilderness, from the explorers who first charted the unforgiving terrain to the family of eight siblings who built the lodge house with their own hands.
The museum itself is entirely immersive and at times feels more like an art installation, which is perhaps unsurprising when you find out that in a past life Denni worked as a set designer on Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars.
Climbing into bed in the old farmhouse, you can’t help but be struck by the sense of silence and stillness that can only truly be found in such a remote and unblemished