Reykjavík Grapevine - Aug 2019, Page 14

The Reykjavík G
rapevine
Best of Iceland 2019
14
High And Wild
A rainy highland getaway at
Kerlingarfjöll
Words: John Rogers Photos: Timothée Lambrecq
The bus bounces over the bleak
highland desert under heavy, spit-
ting clouds, taking a sharp right
turn and trundling down the track
towards the Kerlingarfjöll mountain
resort. A few kilometres later, a
tranquil scene comes into view—a
tall, sculptural rust-and-ochre
escarpment standing over a sur-
prisingly verdant valley, cradling a
winding blue river, an idyllic camp-
site, a visitors centre and a small
village of A-frame cabins.
My accommodation for the night
turns out to be one of the latter.
Shaking the rain off my anorak and
stepping inside, I’m delighted to
find such unexpected luxuries as
made-up beds, radiators, a plug
socket, one bar of 3G signal, and
a small en-suite bathroom with a
hot shower. For the Highlands, this
level of comfort makes my cabin a
palace.
Rained off
It’s even more appreciated as the
day wears on. The grim weather
doesn’t let up, so I sit huddled by
the window, watching the shower
intensify into a violent rainstorm.
The sky darkens into an inky grey
blot and campers scamper between
the toilet block and their disconso-
lately flapping tents in the down-
pour. Despite my plans for a day of
hiking, I watch a sole hiker trudge
ponderously up the gravelly main
hiking trail without a flicker of
envy. I take off my boots decisive-
ly, draw the curtains and settle in
to wait out the weather.
The evening draws in without
much improvement. In the visitor
centre dining room they’re serv-
ing hot dinners to French hikers,
conspiratorial couples, German
families and a quiet Chinese tour
group. I pretend not to watch them
and tuck into a piping hot dish of
Plokkfiskur. As the waitress takes
the empty plate, she mentions
that most of the hikers heeded the
weather warnings and didn’t hike
the trails today, but the weather
looks set to improve by morning.
Back at the cabin, I drift off to sleep
quickly, serenaded by the now tor-
rential rain drumming on the roof.
Old women
mountains
The prediction turns out to be cor-
rect, and the next day, I set off on
a hike up to Hveradalir, the geo-
thermal valley nestled deep inside
Kerlingafjöll (“Old Women Moun-
tains,” in English). The trail begins
www.babylon. is
kr ist inn@babylon. is
Ölverk
Logo
P I Z Z A & B R E W E R Y
H V E R A G E R Ð I - I C E L A N D
Where you find the real local beer and gourmet pizzas
Visit Ölverk - Iceland´s first geothermal powered
brewery. Perfect stopover while visiting south
Iceland and Golden Circle
Breiðamörk 2 / 810 Hveragerði / tel. 483-3030 / olverk.is
Brewery tours / Craft beer / Pizzeria / Great local experience
Distance from
Reykjavík:
187 km
How to get there:
Bus route 610 leaves
from BSÍ daily
Travel provided by: sba.is
Accomodation: kerlingarfjoll.is South
“Steps have been hammered
into the sticky clay of the earth
like stitches in the ground.”