SEEDS 034. Þjórsárdalur - Hiking trails & Paths

PROJECT: SEEDS volunteers will work in the area of Þjórsárdalur in the Southern highlands of Iceland, we will work in cooperation with the municipality of Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur, the Environmental Agency of Iceland and some locals in the area. 

SEEDS volunteers will be mostly working on the hiking trails and walking paths in the area of this beautiful valley. The main tasks of the volunteers will be to put down signposts on the walking trails and to paint pickets on the different routes in the area. The work of putting down pickets into the ground on the paths is physical and tools used include the sledge (sledgehammer) and crowbar.  

Well maintained paths enable people to visit these amazing areas without damaging them and this important work also helps to improve safety for visitors. Additional tasks may be cleaning or beautifying the area, like hand-picking garbage or collecting trash blown by the wind or brought by some visitors. 

Some of the trails are located in an isolated area and the group may spend the day at the work site, therefore it will be needed to prepare lunch packs in the morning as we would return in the late afternoon back to the accommodation. The group may be split during the day to work in different locations. 

The working day normally runs from 09:00 to 17:00 with breaks for lunch and coffee; however, please be prepared for some flexibility due to the nature of Iceland's changeable weather. No previous experience is necessary but the work is demanding and requires a good physical condition;  it can at times be repetitive.  

As it is outdoors work, volunteers shall be ready to adapt and be flexible with the working and free-time schedule, as depending on the weather, we may not be able to perform some of the tasks or activities planned.

Volunteers need to be prepared for working and walking in a raw landscape and sometimes cold weather. Be prepared to experience all kinds of weather and bring warm clothes as the tasks take place outside and it can get cold. Bring warm under-layers, waterproofs, walking shoes/boots, a good sleeping bag and gloves.

ACCOMMODATION: This project gives SEEDS volunteers the opportunity to live in a very beautiful and recently renovated mountain hut which has been very popular among visitors travelling into the interior or the highlands.

Volunteers will sleep on mattresses in shared rooms.  Please bring your own sleeping bag.  The hut is fully equipped with a kitchen, showers and a washing machine if needed. Volunteers will share the duties of preparing food, cooking meals and cleaning. Everyone is expected to show consideration for their companions. 

Do not forget to bring some traditional/typical food, drinks, recipes, music, games or movies from your country for the intercultural evening. Please be aware some items or ingredients may be expensive in Iceland and you will need to buy them yourselves or bring them from your country. 

LOCATION: Þjórsárdalur is a valley in Árnessýsla county in Iceland that lies between mount Búrfell alongside the river Þjórsá to the east and mount Skriðufell to the west. The valley is quite flattened over and pumice after repeated eruption of the nearby volcano Hekla as well as other volcanoes in the vicinity like the Vatnaöldur volcanic system which produced Iceland's biggest known lava field Þjórsá Lava (Þjórsárhraun) in prehistoric times or the Grímsnes volcanic system with the crater Kerið. 

Landmarks in Þjórsárdal include Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng, Gjáin, Háifoss, and Vegghamrar. Hiking trails around the area and sites of cultural and natural heritage are popular among foreign and local visitors. 

LANGUAGE: English will be the language in the camp; basic conversational skills are needed. 

TERMINAL: Closest international Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). Bus station: Central Reykjavík (BSÍ). 

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 300 (Euros). 

The fee can either be transferred in advance via bank transfer, or paid in cash on arrival. It includes transport from the meeting point to the camp and back (on the first and last day). 

Meeting time will be 10:00 am on July 23 at SEEDS Office in Reykjavik. Participants that cannot arrive on time (later or delayed flights) will be sent information on how to reach the camp on their own.

It may be cold and/or rainy, so we recommend bringing warm and waterproof clothes (underlayers, overcoats, scarves, gloves and hats) and good walking shoes.