Herdubreid

Herdubreid rises 1,682 metres out of the Odadahraun lava desert north of Vatnajokull, a steep-sided cylinder with a flat cap - a tuya, built by an eruption beneath the ice sheet that eventually broke through the surface and finished with a lava cap. It stands entirely alone, which is why it is visible from enormous distances and why Icelanders voted it the national mountain in a poll in 2002. The lower cliffs are loose and dangerous and it was not climbed successfully until 1908. Herdubreidarlindir, an oasis of springs and greenery at its foot, has a hut and a campsite and was a hiding place for the outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur in the eighteenth century.

What you actually see

• A tuya 1,682 metres high - built under ice, capped with lava.
• Standing alone in lava desert - visible across the whole Odadahraun.
• The national mountain - chosen in a public vote in 2002.
• The oasis at its foot - springs, a hut, and an outlaw's hiding place.

When to go

July to early September, while F88 is open. A full day.

Honest expectations

The approach crosses unbridged rivers that can be impassable and needs a proper highland vehicle. The climb itself is loose rock with rockfall risk and is not a walking route. There is no fuel, food or signal in the area. Sandstorms blow up in dry wind.

Nearby

Askja and Holuhraun are south; Myvatn is the nearest base north.