Sprengisandur

Sprengisandur is the plateau between Hofsjokull and Vatnajokull and the route across it, F26, running roughly two hundred kilometres from the south to the north with almost nothing on it: black sand, gravel, distant ice caps, and huts at long intervals. It was one of the historical crossings, used to move between quarters of the country and feared for it - the name is generally read as coming from riding horses hard to get across before they gave out, and the route carried a heavy load of outlaw and ghost stories precisely because so few people went. Crossing it now is a full day of slow driving with fuel and food carried.

History

Like Kjölur and Kaldidalur, Sprengisandur is an ancient pass: in the time of the Icelandic Free State it was one of the north-south routes to the Alþingi at Þingvellir, open only in summer. It was the shortest way for some, but medieval Icelanders avoided it when they could, as Hrafnkell does in his saga by taking the long coast road instead, and like other empty places it was thought to be haunted, themes taken up in the song Á Sprengisandi by Grímur Thomsen (Wikipedia, Sprengisandur).

What you'll find

• Two hundred kilometres of desert - black sand and gravel between two ice caps.
• A historical crossing - one of the routes between north and south.
• Huts at long intervals - and nothing else on the way.
• The folklore of an empty road - outlaws and ghosts attached to it.

When to go

Early July to early September, the only window the track is open. A full day.

Before you go

Fuel, food and water must be carried; there is nothing to buy on the route. Some approaches have unbridged rivers. Two-wheel-drive cars are prohibited on F-roads and insurance is void there. Sandstorms and sudden weather are real risks, and phone coverage is patchy.

Nearby

Landmannalaugar is off the southern end; Myvatn is beyond the northern.

Key facts