Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.05.2018, Side 48

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Best of Iceland 2018
48
The Eastern
Outback
Spring in Borgarfjörður Eystri
Words John Rogers Photos Timothée Lambrecq
Spring is in the air when we
set out from Egilsstaðir along
Route 94 to Borgafjörður Ey-
stri. A cloudless blue sky casts
soft hues onto the white spine
of mount Tindf jöl l, gleam-
ing brightly across the snow-
streaked plain of the Fljóts-
da lshérað va l ley. The road
crosses swollen streams and
rapid rivers, and we trundle
over dusty unpaved sections,
accelerating again when it pe-
riodically turns to asphalt.
We roll down the windows
down and let crisp air f low
t h roug h t he c a r, c r u i si ng
through a reddish landscape
that’s slowly emerging through
the melting winter snow. Soon
after the tiny village of Eiðar,
a couple of roadside huts catch
our eye. It turns out that the
painter Kjarval spent time liv-
ing here, during his lifetime.
Moved by this particular view,
he sought permission from the
local farmer to build a small
cabin—far from his rented
accommodation in Reykjavík,
this humble shack was the
only property he’d ever own.
T he d i st i nc t ive mou nt a i n
range to the east would appear
in several of his paintings.
Walls of snow
The onward route skims the
wide black beach of Heraðs-
sandur, where the violent white
surf is visible far out over the
flatlands. A line of horseback
riders are visible trotting out
across the sand as we begin
the ascent into the mountains.
The road weaves up the moun-
tainside, and we pass a parked
snow plough equipped with ro-
tary blades to scythe through
deep snowdrifts. We see why
it ’s necessa r y a s we d r ive
through a canyon of snow, the
white wal ls several metres
high on both sides of the road,
with horizontal seams visible
from different snowfalls.
At several points along the
way, there are lay-bys w ith
signposts for hiking routes to
Stórurð, the famously pictur-
esque mountain valley where
massive rocks tumbled down
from the surrounding moun-
tains. It’s still too early in the
season for the hike, and we
look longingly at the poles van-
ishing into deep banks of snow.
Running streams carving out
tunnels beneath the surface
means the hike will be impos-
sible for a couple of months yet.
Distance from
Reykjavík:
691km
How to get there:
Fly or drive Route One to Egils-
staðir, then Routes 94 & 946
Flight: airicelandconnect.is
Car provider: hertz.is
Hotel: blabjorg.com
“Jagged mountaintops
surround Bakkagerði,
looming high through
a soft white haze.”
East