Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.05.2018, Qupperneq 40

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Best of Iceland 2018
40
Grey Stone &
Red Peninsula
Hiking in the far northeast
Words: John Rogers Photos: Timothée Lambrecq
Route 85 turns suddenly from
tarmac to gravel somewhere
around Þórshöfn. We trundle
over the dusty track that con-
nects the northeastern corner
of Iceland with the Ring Road,
which we left some 140 kilo-
metres ago. To the east, the
Langsnes peninsula rolls far out
into the glittering sea; to the
west, snow-streaked mountains
line the horizon. It’s a beautiful
area of wild countryside, with a
small rural population, and even
fewer tourists.
Farm life
The reason for the trip is to visit
the Grásteinn, a working farm
that also runs a guesthouse. Up
a dirt track from the main road,
we coast into a long, green val-
ley, finally pull up at the farm-
house where we’re greeted by
two friendly dogs, and then by
Hildur Stefánsdóttir, who runs
the place with her husband Sig-
gi.
“Welcome,” she says warmly,
with a broad smile. “I was just
going down to the barn—we
have someone coming to ultra-
sound the sheep. Let me get you
settled in, and then you’re wel-
come to come and take a look.”

Future lambs
Hildur shows us to the cabins,
on a large lawn set back from the
farmhouse. They’re beautiful-
ly appointed, with comfortable
furniture and stylish fittings,
whilst maintaining a cosy cabin
feel. After unpacking and relax-
ing with a coffee, we pull on our
hiking boots and head down to
the barn to see what’s happen-
ing.
The work happened fast.
As we arrive, Hildur is already
shepherding the last of the
farm’s 400 sheep through some
lanes, where they’re given an
ultrasound one by one. It takes
only a few seconds per animal.
Most are marked afterwards—a
green spray on the back for one
lamb, no mark for two, and a
red spray for three. A mark on
the head means the sheep isn’t
carrying any lambs, but those
marks are few. “It looks like
we’re expecting about 700 lambs
come May,” says Hildur, showing
us around the barn, which also
houses chickens, ducks, seven
young horses, and a pet rabbit.
With the work done, and the
sky blue, Hildur offers to take
us out for a hike, and we happily
agree. We’re soon bouncing back
along the trail and up the coastal
road towards Rauðanes.
The farmer’s walk
We park up at Rauðanes Point,
where trail markers vanish off
towards the steely sea. The red
ground is still soft and bog-
gy from the recently melted
snow, so we pick our way over
the naturally occurring cobble-
stones, walking over mounds
of rough grass where the trail
is too wet—a style of hiking
that’s called “the farmer’s walk,”
says Hildur.
The red mud of the peninsu-
la is actually brightly coloured,
up close. As we sink into the
rhythm of the hike, I notice
bright scarlet ground plants,
orange moss, delicate yellow
creepers and fluorescent green
sprigs all over the ground. The
route leads past several beauti-
ful spots, with dramatic, crum-
bling basalt cliffs leaning into
the ocean as seabirds shriek
overhead as they ride the wind.
We pause, breathless, to take in
the towering Gatastakkur arch-
way and the huge Stakkatorfar
sea stack before cutting back in-
land to complete the three-hour
loop, heading back to Grásteinn
for some well-earned rest.
Fresh eggs
In the morning, Hildur brings
us a breakfast basket with fresh
eggs and milk, pastries, and oth-
er assorted goodies. She shows
us around a barn that’s being
converted into a guesthouse
to accommodate more people,
leading us through to the green-
house, where various vegetable
growing experiments are taking
place.
“I don’t do this just for the
money, really,” says Hildur. “It’s
also a lot of fun.” As she waves us
off back towards Reykjavík feel-
ing fresh, rested and happy, we
wholeheartedly agree.
Distance from
Reykjavík:
610km
How to drive there:
Fly from Reykjavík or drive
Route One North then Route 85
Car provider: gocarrental.is
Hotel: grasteinnguesthouse.is North