An early start was made yesterday morning when a whole host of Land Rover owners set off from Olís at Rauðavatn. Promptly at nine o'clock, the convoy of about 25 vehicles departed. The route led to Bása in Þórsmörk.

Members of Iceland Rover look around at Drumbabót.

On the way to Thorsmörk

The weather wasn't really a bother for the group, but it drizzled on and off, as they say, until it poured steadily. Land Rover owners don't let little things like the weather affect their plans, so they drove on, and the first stop was Hvolsvöllur.

It was noticeable that many of the drivers and passengers were dressed in Icelandic traditional clothing. The Lopapeysa was the theme of the trip, but the stylish sixpences also made their mark on the gathering.

Some had coffee while others chatted and aired out the four-legged ones.

After a short stop, we set off and drove up the Fljótshlíð to Drumbabót.

The vehicles of the members of the Iceland Rover Club are diverse.

Ancient tree stumps

Drumbabót is on the aurors west of Aurasel, about 9 km from Hvolsvöllur. For the past century, large tree trunks have been emerging from the sand at Drumbabót. These were recently studied and are believed to be about 1,250 years old, dating to just before the settlement of the country.

They are all in a state of flux, and it is therefore believed that the forest was destroyed by a catastrophic flood, likely from Katla. It is only accessible by jeep to Drumbabót, but since everyone was driving a well-equipped Land Rover, that was not a problem.

The parking lot at Gluggafoss was literally packed with Land Rovers.

We recommend taking this loop if you're planning a trip up to Bása, but after Drumbabót, the group rested at Gluggafoss before continuing on to Bása.

Fun hossing

The road from Seljalandsfoss up to Thorsmörk at this time of year is quite difficult to traverse, with a lot of gravel, and the jeeps really felt it on the way up.

This one actually had little choice but to cross this stream!

Some people slightly lowered their tire pressure to get a little more softness.

Old but good

The oldest in the group was a long 1969 Series 3, which was originally owned by the Akureyri Car Rental and has seen two eras.

The old man made no hesitation in following the younger one and showed no sign of giving up.

A very brief stop caused by a loose branch brought the old one to a halt on the way out of Thórsmörk, but it's always good to be in a convoy with over twenty-five experts in Land Rover lore—after all, the problem was solved in ten minutes and the convoy smoothly set off again on its way to a barbecue.

The father and son, Arni Arnason, physical therapist, and Arni Haukur Arnason, auto mechanic and police officer.

Throw a party

The final highlight of the trip was attending a barbecue at the summer house of Gunnlaugur Gunnlaugsson and his wife, Anna Júlíusdóttir, near Hvolsvöllur.

Gunnlaugur, Anna, and their children are Land Rover enthusiasts through and through, and they own both the oldest Land Rover in the country and an example of the last Defender models to be mass-produced.

The couple are gracious hosts, and delicious grilled dishes, coffee and donuts, and soft drinks were served.

The accompanying photos are from today's trip, but Bílablogg took a bunch of photos that are being edited together to tell the story of the journey, which will be published in the coming days.

Club members enjoyed delicious grilled food at the home of Gunnlaugur and Anna.

We at Bílabloggi thank you for joining us on a fun day with the Iceland Rover Club – both members and Jeeps.

Photos: Pétur R. Pétursson