Hiking Iceland’s Plane Wreck

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Increasingly popular is hiking out to see the 1973 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur Crash.

You might have seen it in Justin Bieber’s 2015 music video I’ll Show You.

7.4-km out-and-back hike from the parking lot on the southern Highway 1 Ring Road
in high season you can pay to take a shuttle to and from the parking lot
close to Vik and Skógafoss, two of the most popular tourist attractions
flat black sand
many tourists on a nice day in high season

I found the wreck fairly interesting — but enjoyed more continuing to the big black sand beach on the ocean. I had that to myself.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The flight encountered severe icing and the crew were forced to land on a frozen river at Sólheimasandur.

All 7 crew members survived and were rescued by helicopter, but the aircraft was written off. The unsalvaged remains of the aircraft were left at the scene.

In January 2020, two Chinese tourists died of hypothermia near the wreckage after getting caught in a storm that went over the area.

A month later, SAR units had to rescue several tourists that had ignored a warning from the police to not trek to the wreckage due to deteriorating weather in the area.

AllTrails.

August 16, 2024August 12, 2024

Cape to Cape Track, Western Australia

Laura Waddell and her Mom did the coastal track October and early November 2023.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

August 15, 2024August 15, 2024

Cycling / Hiking the Faroe Islands

Challenging Logistics

Expensive.

The best way to travel the 500km of roads over 17 islands is by personal vehicle. This gives you the flexibility to go when the weather forecast looks … better. 😀

Otherwise you are limited by the infrequent public buses and ferries. AND ferries often don’t run when it’s too windy.

On the other hand, with a motor vehicle, you pay a fee for every undersea tunnel you drive through, and any ferry you need to take. It adds up quickly.

I went with gravel bike — but was too cowardly to cycle through most of the many narrow tunnels. It is allowed, however. Locals told me they don’t mind bikes in tunnels.

I did cycle 2 of them.

It’s easy to put your bike under the bus — and I did it every day.

BUT the buses run infrequently, especially on weekends and holidays. There are very few locals on them, only a few cheapskate tourists.

If you like coastal scenery, there is no place on the Faroe Islands more than 5km from the seas.

I had a bike shop in the capital do a tune-up and replaced the chain. Bike ran great — until the new chain broke. It was Sunday and there was no bus service. I had to hitchhike with my disabled transport.

Note: A number of the most famous hikes on the Faroe Islands cross privately owned land and have expensive fees. Similar attractions in Norway and Iceland are free.

There are campgrounds, but I’d recommend booking a roof over your head. I had an inexpensive room in a Vestmanna guesthouse, happy to be warm and dry my clothing every night.

The Faroe Islands are great. But logistics are challenging. Book as many days as possible.

The easiest way to hike is with your own motor vehicle. Either rent — or take the only ferry to the Faroe Islands.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

August 12, 2024

Scrambling Fossurin í Fossá, Faroe Islands

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Fossurin í Fossá is one of the highest waterfalls in the Faroe Islands. Super popular with tourists.

140 metres to the sea in two stages.

You can drive to the base easily.

I did the surprisingly difficult scramble up in-between the two falls. It was a rush.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

August 10, 2024August 8, 2024

Mulafossur Waterfall, Gásadalur, Faroe Islands

One of the best — and free — highlights of the Faroe Islands is the tiny village of Gásadalur (13 inhabitants).

Tourists go to see the Múlafossur Waterfall — but the village itself is also charming.

If you look long enough, you’ll probably see some puffins near here.

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Before 2004, people needed to hike over a mountain shoulder to get there — but after the Gásadalstunnilin tunnel (1.4 km) was blasted — it’s became possible to drive, cycle, or arrive by public bus.

I cycled. And it was a bit scary in that long tunnel.

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On the way out I put my bike on a bus.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – hiking around Gásadalur, including the old Postman’s Trail

On the way to the waterfall, before the tunnel, you get great views of 2 sea stacks called Drangarnir — Stóri Drangur and Lítli Drangur.

August 8, 2024August 4, 2024

Visiting the Faroe Islands

Planning my own visit to the remote Faroe Islands, I watched Ryan Shirley’s video most.

You need your own motor vehicle and quite a few days to duplicate what Ryan did. Often you want to wait on the weather to see highlights.

Ferries are sometimes cancelled due to wind.

The capital and largest city, Tórshavn, receives the fewest recorded hours of sunshine of any city in the world.

There are about 500km of roads to navigate, though you wouldn’t normally need a 4 wheel drive for most.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

August 8, 2024August 8, 2024

Hiking to Leynar, Faroe Islands

Leynar (Danish: Lejnum) is just another scenic coast village in the Faroe Islands. Population 116.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of the hike on YouTube.

This was amongst the prettiest houses I saw on the islands.

I’d heard about a popular route for locals, crossing a mountain pass and finishing in Leynar. It’s not on any tourist guidebook I’ve seen, including AllTrails.

It’s not signed. Finding the trailhead on highway 50 was tricky. Look for a large stone cairn. It is somewhat marked on the Maps.me app.