Day 4

Possibly the toughest day of the trip, I will now enter a remote and potentially hostile part of the route (Oh joy) For safety reasons - this sounds good! I must walk as part of the group and follow the guides instructions. From Landmannalaugar we will move on the Hrafntinnusker plateau at 800m. Walking up between the bizzarre, seemingly unnatural rock structures of the Brennisteinsalda lava flow, we come across an area of the geothermal activity in the form of streaming vents and hot springs. The smell of sulphur is strong in the air, and the rock is richly coloured with mineral deposits brought up from the depths of the Earth.

I climb for most of the morning and may even cross snowfields left over from the long Icelandic winter. I will reach the mountain hut at Sodull then the descent begins, heading south over the rolling ridges of solidified lava before dropping steeply down the Alftavatn valley - the views are tremendous. Exhausted from a full day's trek I will rest and make camp on the shore of Alftavatn Lake (537m)