Hellismannaleið trail, Iceland: Some Comments

If you are seeking solitude in a wide, empty, post volcanic landscape, this is the trail for you. I met no other hikers while walking the route, enjoying the ash covered hills and plains on my own. All was quiet except for the wind and the angry calls of the golden plovers.

The trail is marked by short wooden posts, weathered gray, with white markers attached. As they tend to blend in with the background, and there are unmarked gaps, a GPS with the trail downloaded on it is essential. The "hiking" map I bought was completely useless for navigation, not even showing this trail despite it being in existence since 2009. Pictures of birds with their names at the bottom of the map was its best asset, useful for identification. For much of the route no path was visible, and when I saw one, it was often a trail made by horse riders going someplace else.

By walking it in three days, I was able to make use of the camping facilities at Afangagil and Landmannahellir, no other facilities exist but the 55 kilometre trail could be walked in two days if one wished to wild camp, especially if you spent the night at the huts at Rjupnavellir giving an early start rather than arriving by bus. 

I discovered from a leaflet I picked up that a more recent extension means you can start the trail from Leirubakki instead of Rjupnavellir, adding an extra 25 kilometres.