The Laugavegur Hiking Trail

The Laugavegur Trail is a thorough, but lighthearted guide to Iceland's most famous and popular backpacking trek. The guide provides you with all the logistical information you will need to plan and execute your hike while also providing beautiful annotated panoramas, basic maps, and anecdotal stories that provide great insight and regional context for the journey. The book is complimented well by the Serkort #4 (Landmannalaugar Fjallabak) 1:100,000 topographic map.

This walking and trekking guidebook offers a total of 49 of the best day walks and 10 multi-stage treks set right across the magnificent country of Iceland. With three national parks including the mighty Vatnajökull, it is a country of incredible beauty, and its capital, Reykjavík, is an established and easy-to-get-to destination. Including popular, such as the classic Laugavegur Trail from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, as well as lesser-known trails, the guide is split into 12 sections that cover all the best walking and trekking to be had in and around Iceland's amazing and awe-inspiring volcanic, glacial landscapes. The routes range in difficulty from easy walks to challenging treks and give readers all the information they need to experience this wonderfully unique destination on foot. Venturing inland to the remote interior and captivating ice caps, and across glaciers, past lakes and around coastlines and geothermal areas, Paddy Dillon's guide to this 'Land of Ice and Fire' encourages visitors to explore all that Iceland has to offer, and will inspire lovers of the great outdoors to return time and time again. The guide gives lots of tips for travellers on a budget as well as details on public transport and accommodation.

At just over 100 miles long, and taking 7 to 10 days to complete, the Arctic Circle Trail crosses the largest ice-free patch of West Greenland. This splendid trekking route, lying 25-30 miles north of the Arctic Circle runs from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut (both of which have airport access). The trail traverses remote, empty, silent and stunningly scenic arctic tundra, and is mostly gently graded with just a few short, steep and rocky slopes. However, the landscape between the two towns of Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut is extremely remote and those who choose to take on this route must be competely self-sufficient. The book includes plenty of practical information on what to take with you and when to go, as well as on safety, travel and accommodation. Fully illustrated with a variety of photographs and its route is highlighted on continuous trekking maps. The guide also includes an optional extension to the Greenlandic ice cap.

Practical guide with 41 detailed hiking maps covering the pick of Iceland's trails. Includes detailed city guide to Reykjavik (where to stay, restaurants and sights). Plus day walks from Reykjavik.

Move over traditional sightseeing, throngs of visitors, and tourist traps! Explore Europe on Foot gives travelers an alternative way to discover Europe. A hiking vacation offers countless rewards: the time to admire the tidiness of a village farm, soak in the rugged alpine view from a rocky perch, and absorb a country through the smells of its landscape and encounters with locals. Explore Europe on Foot is a complete guide to conceptualizing, planning, and executing the slow-travel hike (or hikes!) of a lifetime. Author Cassandra Overby tells you how you can spend all, or even just part, of your vacation enjoying scenery, small towns, and cultural experiences most travelers miss—all without carrying a big backpack. This guide offers all the nuts and bolts you need: how to choose a route that is right for you, how to plan, what to pack, what to expect, how to find accommodations and food, how to deal with challenges along the way, and so much more. These aren’t wilderness backpacking trips, but rather a wide range of town-to-town walks that offer the opportunity to have an authentic, affordable, restorative vacation. Travelers will also appreciate overviews of fifteen long-distance trails in Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey, with itineraries that range from one to fifteen days. For those unwilling to go all-in, Cassandra also offers tips on incorporating day-hike outings into a more traditional vacation. The focus is on how to craft that more immersive vacation so users of the guide will be able to apply what they learn to their own dream destinations. 15 Handpicked Walks include: Rota Vicentina, Portugal English Way, Spain Mont Saint-Michel, FranceTour du Mont Blanc, France and Italy Cinque Terre 2.0, Italy Lycian Way, Turkey Alpine Pass Route, Switzerland King Ludwig’s Way, Germany The Moselle, Germany The Ardennes, Luxembourg and Belgium The Lake District, England, UK West Highland Way, Scotland, UK Laugavegur Trek, Iceland The Sahara Desert, Morocco

From vast glaciers to steaming volcanic lakes, experience the land of the midnight sun with Rick Steves. Inside Rick Steves Iceland you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring Iceland Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from the stunning northern lights to hidden hikes and cozy bookstores How to connect with culture: Soak in hidden hot springs, sample smoked fish, and chat with locals in welcoming rural towns Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and relax Self-guided walking tours of lively Reykjavík and incredible museums as well as mile-by-mile scenic driving tours Detailed maps for exploring on the go Useful resources including a packing list, a historical overview, and helpful Icelandic phrases Over 500 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Complete, up-to-date information on Reykjavík, the Ring Road, the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Golden Circle, the South Coast, the Westman Islands, West Iceland, the Eastfjords, and more Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Iceland. Expanding your trip? Try Rick Steves Scandinavia or Rick Steves Scandinavian & Northern European Cruise Ports.

The Laugavegur is one of the big walks. It is the most famous trek in Iceland and crosses other worldly landscapes formed by recent volcanos. I did it from north to south and it runs over 80km from Landmannalauger via Thorsmork to Skogar on the coast. The trail is normally open from late June to mid-August. I started on the 15 June, the first day the bus ran to Landmannalaugar. I hadn't booked the huts as I didn't know whether I'd make it. So I took camping gear. The scenery is sensational and unlike anywhere I'd been before. At this time of the year there is still a lot of snow. I was alone much of the time, having started early in the year. There were three river crossings in flood and I needed to strip and take care. You pass through vivid rhyolite mountains, climb snow slopes, cross ash deserts, rift canyons and glacial streams. There are wild flowers, sweet birch and the cries of redshank and ptarmigan. I did the trek from Landmannalaugar to Skogar in 4 days including the bus trips at either end.