We had a slight hitch on starting today – the truck wouldn’t get into gear! We tried a push to see if it would go in that way, but no.
Edd our driver got to work with some phoned in advise and I made the most of the opportunity. I managed a walk around the lava fields- fascinating scenery, I set off on a trail following coloured markers. I eventually realised it was probably circular and kept checking every time I reached a high spot to check the truck was being worked on. I also got more of a look at the streams and flora. What a contrast, acres of dead black rock alongside the wildlife.
Edd got a round of applause once the truck was repaired and we set off for a location I’d been getting quite excited about. The chance to swim in a volcano in the Askja caldera, a sulphur-blue lake born out of the cataclysmic volcanic eruption in 1875. The nearby Viti crater used to offer the option for a geothermal swim.
Askja is a mysterious wilderness in the central mountainous region of Iceland.
Made up of a series of interlinking calderas and craters that burst into life 10,000 years ago thanks to several violent volcanic eruptions, Askja is a colourful reminder that Iceland is still a work in progress.
The colourful rocky walls of the huge calderas are filled with a vibrant lake, nestled beside a younger crater with steep orange and yellow sides and a milky geothermal pool.
Unfortunately we were warned before setting off, that due to volcanic activity swimming was highly inadvisable 😒 We all assumed this was due to fluctuations in the temperature of the water.
The views of the crater lakes were stunning, we even had a small glacier. The sign by the crater was the final nail in the coffin for any water experience here. The volcanic activity had lowered the pH level to 1.5, yikes suicidal!
We ended up high up in the mountains near the ice cap for our night’s camping. I discovered that my pedometers on my phone had got very excited with the rough roads and I had set a new record for steps walked in a day!
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