Iceland review - 2016, Page 61

ICELAND REVIEW 59
OPINION
of seeing everything in as short a time
as possible? Or do we have to settle for
restrictions in order to enjoy what we are
here to enjoy; namely unspoilt nature.
And would nature perhaps mean more
to us if we had to put more effort into
experiencing it?
One example of this is Hornstrandir,
a nature reserve in the West Fjords’ far
northwest. There are no roads in the
area, and the only way to get there is by
boat or by hiking. Once there, the experi-
ence of walking or kayaking is enhanced
hugely by the absence of cars. In fact, it is
a defining aspect of the experience.
A few years ago, there was fierce debate
around the legislation that established
Vatnajökull National Park. Many people,
mostly from the 4x4 travel club, were
incensed about restrictions on cars driv-
ing through the Vonarskarð pass—but
we would never dream of introducing
jeeps to Hornstrandir. And once traf-
fic has been restricted it would seem a
strange idea to reintroduce it.
It seems inevitable that the historic
right to roam will have to be restricted,
both for tourists in the most popular
destinations, and also for jeeps in the
more sensitive parts of the Icelandic
highlands. And it will not just be done to
protect the land from degradation, but
to preserve the feeling of solitude which
is such an important part of experiencing
the wilderness.
On a related point of interest: I recent-
ly discovered that, contrary to what
every tourist in Iceland is told, what you
observe in Þingvellir isn’t really North
America drifting away from Eurasia.
Instead you see the North American
Plate interacting with a tiny geological
plate called Hreppaflekinn which moves
according to its own natural laws, like
many things in this weird and wonder-
ful country. The Eurasian plate, in fact,
lies several dozens of kilometers to the
east of Þingvellir. But please keep this
to yourself; it is so much more dramatic
to think that we are observing America
drifting apart from Europe than America
drifting away from a few farms north of
the town of Selfoss. *
Halldór Lárusson is an entrepreneur.
He has degrees in economics, philosophy
and history of science.