Svinafellsjokull Glacier

Most glacier views in Iceland come attached to a tour price. Here you park, follow a sign and stand above the ice 12 to 15 minutes later. There is only one track, so route-finding is not an issue. It ends at a viewpoint over the tongue, with still meltwater lying below the ice. Another 10 to 15 minutes takes you down to the base, close enough to read the layers of ash in the ice. In direct sun the blue shows; under cloud the whole tongue is grey. Going onto the glacier itself is prohibited without a guide and safety equipment, and the walk gives you the scale of the thing without it.

• No facilities. The car park is a stony area with no toilets and no shelter.
• Do not step on the ice. Going onto the glacier is prohibited without a guide and safety equipment.
• Soft ground below the viewpoint. On the way down to the base of the ice there are patches of soft ground and standing water.
• Dogs and children. Dogs are allowed, and the walk to the viewpoint suits children.

Visitors arrive by car and park in a stony car park at Svinafell; it is hard to miss. From there a sign points to Svinafellsjokull, and there is one track to follow. It takes 12 to 15 minutes on foot to reach the viewpoint over the glacier tongue. Allow another 10 to 15 minutes each way to carry on down to the base of the ice, where the ground turns soft and wet in places.

Better: a clear, sunny day. The blue in the ice only shows in direct light; under cloud the tongue reads flat grey.

Avoid: wet weather. The ground on the way down to the base of the ice is soft and waterlogged in places, and rain makes it worse.

The site never closes, so the hour is yours to choose.