Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [40]
For more information on hiking and mountaineering, contact the Iceland Touring Association, Ferðafélag Íslands ( 568 2533; www.fi.is; Mörkin 6, IS-108 Reykjavík).
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HORSE RIDING
Horses are an integral part of Icelandic life and you’ll see them all over the country. Riding is a popular activity and the naturally gentle breed is ideal for even inexperienced riders.
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THE ICELANDIC HORSE
Pure-bred, sturdy and short, the Icelandic horse (Equus scandinavicus) is a mild-mannered breed widely used on farms and recreationally. Horses first arrived in Iceland with the early Norse settlers, and since no other horses have been imported recently, the breeding stock remains pure.
Standing about 1.3m high, the Icelandic horse is a photogenic creature but a tough breed perfectly suited to the rough Icelandic conditions. Like some Mongolian breeds, they have five gaits: fet (walk), brokk (trot), stökk (gallop), skeið (pace) and the famous tölt (running walk), which is so smooth and steady that the rider scarcely notices any motion.
Today the horses are mostly used during the autumn sheep roundup, but in the early days horse fights were organised as entertainment and the meat was consumed as a staple and used in pagan rituals.
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You can hire horses and take riding tours in every part of the country; however, Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður, both in northwest Iceland, have proud horse-riding traditions and several excellent stables. On longer trips you’ll often venture into wild and otherwise inaccessible corners of the landscape (check the destination chapters for details of operators). Expect to pay around Ikr4000/12,000 per hour/day trip. Longer tours, including tent or hut accommodation, guides and meals, are usually priced in euros and cost around €125 per day. In September you can also volunteer for the réttir (sheep roundup): contact local tourist offices to make arrangements.
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Check out www.golf.is for all of your putting needs. Midnight golf is especially thrilling!
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Horse fanatics might be interested in the Landsmót (National Horse Festival; www.landsmot.is/en), which takes place every two years (2010 and 2012) in Skagafjörður in the north of Iceland.
Note that foreign riding clothing or equipment (saddles, bridles etc) must be disinfected upon entry into the country.
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ICE CLIMBING
Iceland offers some excellent opportunities for ice climbing, with plenty of unclimbed routes and lots of ice virtually free of other climbers. Most routes are close to main roads and can be climbed between November and mid-April. Possibly the best time to visit is in February, when the Icelandic Alpine Club holds their annual ice-climbing festival.
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Check out www.ksi.is – the official site of the Football Association of Iceland.
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Some of the most popular ice-climbing areas are in the west of the country. They include Múlafjall on the southern side of Hvalfjörður, and Glymsgil on Iceland’s highest waterfall Glymur – these routes are best from December to February. There’s also Haukadalur on Rte 586 near Eiríksstaðir; Kaldakinn in Skjálfanda near Björg on Rte 851 northeast of Akureyri; the crags across the bay from Húsavík; and Öræfasveit, one of the most varied but inaccessible ice-climbing areas of the country, about an hour from Höfn. For more information, contact regional offices or mountaineering clubs (see below).
Beginners can try ice climbing with experienced guides at the glacier Svínafellsjökull (Click here for more information) near the Skaftafell section of the Vatnajökull National Park in Southeast Iceland.
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MOUNTAINEERING & ICE TREKKING
Unfortunately for rock climbers, Iceland’s young and crumbly rock formations don’t lend themselves well to technical rock climbing, but experienced mountaineers will find lots of scope for adventure. Anywhere on the ice, however, dangerous crevasses may lurk beneath snow bridges, and even innocent-looking