On La Palma ’ s Ruta de los Volcanes , where eruptions occur regularly
La Restinga on El Hierro , where a sub-sea eruption took place in 2011
Ashes to Ashes
Paddy Dillon tries not to erupt when nature foils his plans
When I �irst started writing about the outdoors , I never thought I ’ d be dealing with volcanic eruptions , one after another , over a period of ten years . For the most part I ’ ve been able to dodge eruptions or dismiss their effects , but now I can ’ t outrun the streams of lava or ignore the ash falling from the sky , and forces beyond my control have obliterated some of my walking routes .
Let ’ s start with Eyja�jallajökull - the volcano that newsreaders dreaded having to mention on a daily basis in April and May 2010 . I ’ d only just been given a contract to write a guidebook covering Iceland when ash from the eruption disrupted �lights throughout Europe . The ‘ ash ’ was amazing stuff , quite invisible to the naked eye , and like everyone else I found myself staring into the clear blue sky , wondering why all the aircraft had been grounded . It turned out that even microscopic particles of ash can cause havoc inside jet engines .
By the time I reached Iceland in July 2010 , tee-shirts were on sale explaining how to pronounce Eyja�jallajökull , so I had no excuse but to learn it . For the record , Icelanders like you to pronounce things properly . Even on the way to my �irst walk , a bus driver refused to let me take a seat until I pronounced my destination – Hellisheiði - correctly . Sitting in a visitor centre before even setting foot on the trail , things began to sound ominous . Video footage showed boots
A voiceover warned , ‘ not everyone who ventures onto the lava returns ’ crunching across the lava while a voiceover warned , ‘ not everyone who ventures onto the lava returns ’.
I won ’ t forget my trek along the Skógar Trail , crossing the shoulder of Eyja�jallajökull on a glacier that was covered in black ash , my eyes weeping and throat rasping as a gale continually drove �ine ash into my face . I decided that I would use the word ‘ pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis ’ in my guidebook , regardless of whether or not I contracted the disease from the ash . I was carrying a map that had half its details obscured with pencil scribble . ‘ I don ’ t care if you already bought a map ,’ said the warden before I started the trek . ‘ It ’ s wrong and you have to buy a new map from me for 500 kronur .’ He scribbled on the map , telling me that the trail had been overwhelmed by lava , so he drew me a new trail . He scribbled out a lake , telling me that it had been �illed in with ash . He added a couple of extra hills , telling me that they were called Magni and Móði , and that they didn ’ t exist before 2010 . In previous years I ’ d never been able to put hills into a guidebook before they were put into anyone else ’ s guidebook , so I leapt at the chance to include these two !
I returned to Iceland in May 2011 , when the sub-glacial Grímsvötn volcano erupted . It ’ s in a very remote part of Iceland that ’ s almost impossible for tourists to reach , and it didn ’ t cause much inconvenience to
6 outdoor focus / spring 2022