Into the glacier

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Today we have to get up early. As usual it’s the one day I am not already awake. We need to be in the mountains for our ice cave tour at 9.30am. Google says one hour, the tour company say two…so we allow two and a half, thinking it will probably take one and a half plus an hour for our breakfast in the van.



It’s dry when we leave camp at 7am but we can see dark clouds over the mountains. We are suitably clad (at least we hope we are) in thermals which include two wicking t shirts, full thermals, cords, thin fleece, thick fleece and full waterproofs. Plus woolley hats and gloves!

We arrive at Husafell Outdoor Adventure Centre at 8.30am. Time for a brew and breakfast. Just after 9am and others start arriving. We are to take a shuttle from here to the base camp using one of their infamous F Roads. F stands for ‘Mountain Road’ by the way! We would not have attempted this in our van so it’s a surprise to see the shuttle is a full size coach. And they are certainly packing us on!

It’s 10am and we’ve arrived at base camp. Here we are eyed up and down to see if we need extra protective clothing. Apparently we are going to get very wet! I am issued with waterproof over boots as I have ankle boots. Ian’s are deemed OK. Ian decides to borrow one of their waterproof over jackets as he didn’t see the need to get a new Gortex before this trip…something he has regretted from day one!

Outside we are eying up our monster all terrain truck which will take us up over the glacier and to the mouth of the ice cave. We have two informative guides who ask us questions to which no one except Ian seems to be volunteering the answers.

There are marker points with years showing where the glacier used to start. It’s a reminder about the dangers of global warming. It’s estimated that between 70-120 years hence the glacier will be gone. Our guide points out a mountain where a glacier has already been declared dead. They held a funeral service to sharpen attention to the problem.

Our ice truck reaches the snow and we are now officially on the glacier. The tyre pressure can be adjusted to give better grip on the snow…sometimes they are as low as 6psi so the truck glides along the surface.

We are informed that there are three species of creatures here: the Arctic fox, a bird called the ptarmigan with feathers growing all the way down to its claws, plus the idiots that try to do this trip on their own and get stuck in the snow!

It’s 10.30am and we have reached the ice tunnel. We step off the truck into the snow…it’s treacherous. It’s also snowing afresh right now.

The first part of the tunnel is slightly steep and dark. My glasses are the type that adjust to the light. Not great as they don’t adjust quickly enough and I’m trying to negotiate my way in the dark. In the end it’s easier to simply take them off all together.

We arrive at the crampon room which is dripping and everyone gets a set to slip over their boots. This makes life so much easier.

There various stopping points throughout for bits of information and photo opportunities - though to be honest, one tunnel is pretty much the same as another.

We learn that one day a couple of guys came up the mountain with a few beers and thought to themselves, why don’t we dig an ice tunnel so that others can enjoy this. The cynic in me says there may have been a bit more to it than that: with 55 people and three tours a day at £135 a head…and actually they always seem to be pretty much fully booked…that’s quite a big return for a one hour walk through a series of tunnels. We should perhaps add that the tunnel does need constant maintenance by the two guys who look after it, and the monster trucks are probably fairly pricey to maintain.

The tunnel was supposed to be circular but they had two teams digging in either direction and one team went off course so it ended up being heart shaped. There is a room that they use for concerts and a chapel. In places it feels like walking under a waterfall, and in others there are huge slush puddles. Did we really pay to come up here? :-)

Circuit completed and crampons deposited, we are back on the truck.

Back at base camp we return our wet coats and overshoes and the coach arrives promptly at 1pm offloading a fresh load of thrill seekers and taking us back to Husafell in hammering rain. Can’t resist a snigger that the crowd that barged their way on to the bus to get the front seats are now getting wet all over again as the air vent on the coach has been left open.

Another ninety minute drive back to our campsite at Akranes and we have blue sky and sunshine again. Time for a hot shower whilst our wet gear dries happily on the camp washing line!

The weather has got better as the day has gone on. It’s warm enough to sit out side to cook our dinner tonight using the communal outdoor tables. We meet a young lady from Korea. She is travelling round by public bus. She is going the opposite way to us or we could have given her a lift tomorrow. She is going to Snaefellls whilst we are bound for Reykjavik.

It’s so nice that we walk across to the little beach beside our campsite. We discover that there is a path that will take us to the old town. A bit too far for this evening but if the weather holds it’s a definite possibility for Saturday!

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