Along the road to Hvöll we had some excellent views of Vatnajökull. First as we headed along route 1 we had these views up to the highest peak in Iceland.

Hvannadalshnśkur - the highest peak in Iceland - and part of Vatnajökull

Hvannadalshnúkur - the highest peak in Iceland - and part of Vatnajökull

Hvannadalshnśkur

Hvannadalshnúkur

Below you can see one of the tongues of Vatnajökull - the Skeišarįrjökull. This tongue was covered in a black sand, created as the glacier pushes down past the mountains, grinding them up as it does so into the sand.

Skeišarįrjökull, complete with alien landscape

Skeiðarárjökull, complete with alien landscape

When we arrived at Hvöll a friendly neighbourhood ram tried to invade our car, getting half in at one point. He also left an oily smudge on the side of the car which all the rain and gravel-bashing of the next few days didn't remove...

An over-friendly ram - 1

An over-friendly ram - 1

An over-friendly ram - 2

An over-friendly ram - 2

An over-friendly ram - 3

An over-friendly ram - 3

Hvöll was, as far as we could tell, just a single establishment - the hostel-cum-farmhouse. To the south, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but watery marshland - created by run-off from the glacier. The marshland was characterised by the black sand that has slowly been ground off the mountains as the glacier forces its way down.

Black sands

Black sands

The building of the hostel that we were staying in had clearly been at least partially re-built if not entirely built from scratch in recent times - and wasn't entirely finished. What had been done was nice, however, and when finished it will probably make a lovely hostel.

Hvöll Hostel

Hvöll Hostel

Before getting an early night we phoned and booked a glacier hike for the next day - this started at 9am in Skaftafell National Park, which is situated at the foot of one of the tongues of Vatnajökull, and some 50km back along route 1 from Hvöll, so a very early start was called for.

page created: 16th August 2003 | updated: 7th November 2005