0:00:03 > 0:00:04'Iceland.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'A land of fire and ice.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09What is that?
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'The most recent eruptions here caused chaos all across Europe.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:18- Is this THE ash?- Yeah.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Yeah, this is it.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24'It's one of the most geologically active places on Earth.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:27We really are at the gates to Hell!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30That's the burning core of the Earth!
0:00:30 > 0:00:35'Over 130 volcanoes are gradually pushing this country apart.'
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Julia, that's it. That's where we're heading.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Our prize.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49So five minutes out of the hut and this is our first epic view of the day.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54'Wherever you look is another heart-stopping sight.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:56- Makes you want to cry.- It does.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58It's extraordinary.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04'I'm about to embark on the most challenging walk of my life.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:07My thighs are killing me.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- We've still got so far to go!- Yes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28'Landing in Iceland makes you feel like you've arrived at the edge of the world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33'For an avid walker like me, this place is paradise.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42'In an area only slightly smaller than England, Iceland has glaciers.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'Volcanoes.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48'Lava fields.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'Mountains.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52'Gorges.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54'And geysers.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03'Indeed, Iceland's very existence is a geological oddity.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08'It marks where the European and American tectonic plates meet and are pushed apart
0:02:08 > 0:02:10'by volcanic activity.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20'There are only 320,000 people in Iceland
0:02:20 > 0:02:25'and the first permanent settlement wasn't established until 874AD.
0:02:26 > 0:02:32'It was then that a Viking chieftain called Ingolfr Arnarson arrived off the coast with his family.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36'According to legend, he threw two carved pillars overboard
0:02:36 > 0:02:40'vowing to set up home wherever they landed.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46'The pillars washed ashore on a coastline dotted with steam vents, so he called the place Reykjavik,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50'which in Norse means "Bay of Smoke".
0:02:50 > 0:02:57'His settlement is still the capital and home to two-thirds of Iceland's tiny population.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06'The reason I've come to Reykjavik is for advice on my expedition.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10'I'd like to walk to the volcano that grounded planes across Europe,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14'but walking up a live volcano is not to be taken lightly.
0:03:14 > 0:03:21'So I've arranged to meet Ari Gudmundsson. He's a geophysicist, a volcanologist and a broadcaster.'
0:03:21 > 0:03:26- Hi,- Ari. Hello, Julia. - Nice to see you, nice to see you.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32So before we begin a geology lesson, here we have now one of the most famous volcanoes in the world.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37- How do you pronounce its name? - It's Eyjafjallajokull.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- Eyjafjallajokull. - Yeah, that's good.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47- And the easy way to do it is just to talk about the E volcano. - You see, that I can do!
0:03:47 > 0:03:53- The E volcano. What's happening now? - Right now, everything is quiet.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57You have to know that the eruption had two different phases.
0:03:57 > 0:04:03The first phase we had this rather small eruption on the flank of the volcano.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08And it was, yeah, you could say a tourist attraction, not disturbance.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13- And that was the first eruption that caused problems for air traffic...? - No. Nothing.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19- You just knew in Iceland. - Yeah, but then it paused for two days, the volcano
0:04:19 > 0:04:23and started again to erupt, this time in the summit crater.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26That eruption caused all the havoc
0:04:26 > 0:04:29because mixing magma and ice,
0:04:29 > 0:04:35because that was in the glaciated part of the volcano, it's an explosive thing.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- Not a good combination.- By no means.
0:04:38 > 0:04:45- How close do you think I'll get? - You will get very close to the lava craters from the first phase. Easy.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49But to get to the big one, that's a bit more difficult.
0:04:49 > 0:04:55It's another long climb and it has been off limits to people for a long time now.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00So, in reality, you have to put a request to the authorities
0:05:00 > 0:05:06and ask them for permission to go to the top crater to see what's up there.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12And that's even more interesting. But, well, submit and see what happens.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'The route I'll be following is the Landmannalaugar Trail,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25'the start of which is a three-hour drive east of Reykjavik.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30'It was the first dedicated hiking trail in Iceland, laid out back in the 1960s.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37'It's considered one of the finest walking routes in the world,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42'right up there with the Inca Trail in Peru and the Milford Track in New Zealand.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51'I've got 60km to cover so it will take a good four days to walk to the base of the volcano.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00'On the fifth day, I'll climb up to the new hills formed by outlet vents
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'from the first part of the volcanic eruption.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08'Meanwhile, we've put an application in with the authorities
0:06:08 > 0:06:15'to see if I can get permission to go up to the main crater, 10km west of these new hills.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22'At night I'll stay in a series of huts across the wilderness,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'set up for intrepid walkers like me.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31'And this place does make you feel intrepid. It's like embarking on a journey through Lord of the Rings.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35'This is no accident.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41'JRR Tolkien was fascinated by Iceland and it's said
0:06:41 > 0:06:47'that this is as close as you're likely to get to Middle Earth, the fantasy land in his novels.
0:06:50 > 0:06:57'It turns out that even driving to the start of the trail is something of an epic quest.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06'It may be the middle of summer, but the weather is changeable and the roads just rough tracks.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15'But after a bone-shaking drive, I finally reach the start of the route at Landmannalaugar.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26'These huts are only open from June to August. The rest of the year, the weather is too ferocious for hiking.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36'Yet even this bleak-looking camp has a great surprise in store for me.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43'How weird. A boiling hot river.'
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Ohh.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54This is hotter than your bath, I'm sure.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01It should be getting colder this way. Oh, yeah, getting slightly... slightly colder.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06You can feel the temperature drop a little bit.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08It's still lovely, though.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14'My first real brush with Iceland's volcanic landscape couldn't be more enchanting.'
0:08:14 > 0:08:16What a way to start a walk!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I think I'll just stay here all day.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27'This area sits right on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
0:08:27 > 0:08:32'a crack in the Earth's surface running diagonally across Iceland.
0:08:32 > 0:08:38'This rift is the place where two of the tectonic plates that make up our planet's surface meet.
0:08:38 > 0:08:45'And it's this instability on the Earth's crust that causes Iceland's volcanoes and geothermal activity.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52'It's an intimidating place and the greatest walking challenge I've faced,
0:08:52 > 0:08:58'so I've enlisted the help of a companion from one of Iceland's guiding companies.'
0:08:58 > 0:09:04- Hi, Hanna, lovely to meet you. - So nice to meet you.- I could spend all day in the hot spring!- I know!
0:09:04 > 0:09:09Have we got an action-packed five days? Lots to climb and get into?
0:09:09 > 0:09:15We're going to see a nice selection of lava fields. Really different types of lava fields.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19We're going to see some river crossings, we'll see deserts
0:09:19 > 0:09:24- and really colourful mountains. - That's quite a lot!- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:31- So what have we got in store for Day One?- Let me show you the map. It's going to be a varied day.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- So we're starting here... Landmannalaugar?- Landmannalaugar.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45We could walk through this lava field here, but I prefer going through the valley here.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48It's really spectacular.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Then crossing the lava field this way, we go around the base of this mountain, up the ridge,
0:09:53 > 0:10:00- and then walk into this geothermal area here.- Geothermal area! It just sounds exciting!- It is.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06And then we're continuing, you know, upward in direction to the hut here.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- How do we say this?- Hoskuldsskali.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10OK, yeah.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17- And...it looks like quite a hike. What distance are we covering? - That's about 12km.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21We're starting at 590 metres and ending at about 1,100 metres.
0:10:21 > 0:10:28- Yeah, so...- Five hours? Four? - Five hours, I should think. - Better get going!- Let's do that.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37'Although I've done a lot of walking, I'm feeling slightly apprehensive.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'It's all a bit more raw and exposed down here
0:10:40 > 0:10:45'and as soon as we leave the huts we're in the most incredible wild landscape.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'I'm glad to be with someone who knows the ropes
0:10:50 > 0:10:56- 'and it's always good to walk and talk.'- They don't want to just know about...- The Vikings!- ..the Vikings.
0:10:56 > 0:11:02And the elves and stuff. They really want to know what people are doing now.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Up this way?- Yeah. Right up there.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18OK.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Knobbly little path.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Oh, my lord!
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Look at that!
0:11:32 > 0:11:38- It's amazing, isn't it?- Yeah. - So this is the lava field?- It is.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42We were sitting right next to it when we first met earlier today.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47And this was created in one single massive motion
0:11:47 > 0:11:50at the end of the 15th century.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54It actually came from a few small vents up there.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- You can see how it comes out of that crater.- Look at all the...- Yes!
0:11:58 > 0:12:03- ..the spines along the edge. And the colours. It's incredible.- Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11I walk a lot in the Lake District and the landscape there is so old compared to this.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- This was...15th century?- 15th.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- So this is all fresh, new ground, really.- Yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22It's quite old for us. It gets younger as we continue our walk.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28- That's strange to me. It is such a young formation, isn't it, the land here?- Yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:39'This lava and the volcanoes that formed it are one of the few visible parts of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43'Most of this ridge lies under the ocean,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47'as it runs from Iceland to just short of the South Pole.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52'It marks the point where the Atlantic is gradually getting wider
0:12:52 > 0:12:59'and what we see in Iceland is the ocean floor being pushed up to the surface to form new land.'
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Let's go this way.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05'Over the next few million years, Iceland will grow bigger and bigger,
0:13:05 > 0:13:11'possibly forming a new continent that will sit between Europe and America.'
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- That way?- Yes.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18'It's like being inside the most exciting GCSE Geology book in the world!'
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- So this is a crater?- Well, this is one of the vents, yeah,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25where this lava came out from.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30- It's a really eggy smell, isn't it? - Yes, the sulphur you're smelling.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35- You can see down there. Let's look. - It's such a vibrant colour.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Extraordinary colour. And if you pick one up you can see the crystals.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Yes...
0:13:42 > 0:13:44It's just beautiful, isn't it?
0:13:44 > 0:13:50- So you say this crater is much bigger than it was 20 years ago? - Much bigger, yeah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55- You can see how the geothermal activity is kind of boiling it.- Mm.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Apart almost. It's opening up, it's deepening.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03A lot more sulphur is coming to the surface.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- It is quite literally a boiling landscape.- It is, absolutely.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18'As we leave the lava field, we're climbing steadily.
0:14:18 > 0:14:25'The walking here is no harder than anywhere else I've been, but it feels more alien and exposed.'
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- That's a good...climb.- Yeah!
0:14:28 > 0:14:30It is a bit of a climb.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Ohh...
0:14:35 > 0:14:39It's so beautiful, though. So worth it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'The hills we're crossing are breathtaking.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49'They may be barren, but I've never seen anything like them.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12'As we climb higher, the wind is really starting to bite.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17'Our route is marked by posts every 100 metres or so
0:15:17 > 0:15:24- 'and the effect the relentless buffeting has on them is startling.' - Look at this, Julia.- Hey.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30- Isn't that extraordinary?- How long has that been there?- A couple of years.- Is that all? Blimey!
0:15:30 > 0:15:33It's the wind. It's so harsh up here.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- It's very beautiful, though. - Yeah, it is extraordinary.- Gnarled.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42We would say that's a gnarled, weather-beaten bit of wood.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49'My respect for this landscape grows deeper with every step.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:23OK.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25What is THAT?
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Well, the whole area is called Storihver,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32which basically just means big, hot spring.
0:16:32 > 0:16:39And what's happening here is that water trickles down deep in the Earth where there's lava
0:16:39 > 0:16:45and it heats up there. So as the water rushes up, it's hotter than the boiling point.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- So it's just exploding up! - Exploding up. Yeah.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55It's amazing, isn't it? And look over here. You see little puddles fizzing.
0:16:55 > 0:17:01- It is boiling hot. - You really shouldn't touch it. - We're standing on a bubbling mass
0:17:01 > 0:17:07- beneath our feet.- Yes. That's exactly what's happening. - It's just incredible.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19'This collections of springs is just one of 780 dotted across Iceland.
0:17:23 > 0:17:29'In other parts of the country, these take the form of steaming mud pools
0:17:29 > 0:17:34'and even huge columns of boiling water we know as geysers.
0:17:34 > 0:17:40'In fact, Iceland gave the word to the world. Geyser means to gush in Icelandic.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50'Out amid the steam vents, this can feel like a very desolate place.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57'The entire population live by the coast. The rest of the country is a wilderness of ice,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00'rock, fire and water.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08'It's this otherworldliness that brought NASA to an area of Iceland called Askja to train astronauts
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'for the geological conditions they'd encounter on the Moon.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18'Across most of Iceland, you could walk for miles and see no sign of human life.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'No roads, no houses,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23'nothing.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34'Back on the trail, Hanna is keen for us to keep moving. We've still got two hours to go
0:18:34 > 0:18:38'and the weather is going from bad to worse.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44'The wind and the rain are relentless and the clouds so low I can barely see
0:18:44 > 0:18:48'from one route marking post to the next.
0:18:53 > 0:19:00'I'm very glad I've got Hanna guiding me. Without her at my side, this would be terrifying.
0:19:04 > 0:19:10'And as we near the end of the day's walk, we come across something that brings home how dangerous it can be.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16'In loving memory of Ido Keinan who passed away in a blizzard
0:19:16 > 0:19:21'so close to the safe hut nearby yet so far, at only 25 years old.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25'June 27th, 2004.
0:19:30 > 0:19:37'This tragedy took place in the height of summer. We're in August, although it doesn't feel like it.'
0:19:37 > 0:19:41You can see how easily it happens. Today - this, with us.
0:19:41 > 0:19:48Yes, it can. And that's also why we should really get going soon, and get to the safety of the hut.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Shall we?
0:19:53 > 0:19:58'We make it to the hut, but the weather this high up is awful.
0:19:58 > 0:20:04'The forecast for tomorrow is no better, so we reluctantly call in the back-up vehicles and drive on
0:20:04 > 0:20:06'to the next hut down the trail.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11'It means missing 12km of the route, but it gets us down from the really high part,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15'which is a nightmare in this weather.'
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The weather closed in today and became quite menacing.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Our equipment stopped working and we had to get off the mountain to the closest hut.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Nevertheless, it was an exhilarating first day.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36Even though I've been to Iceland before, now I really feel it.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45After the day I've had, I need a shower and the best thing about my shower is the view.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51But there are some practicalities to get to grips with.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58400 kronur buys you 5 minutes. That's about £2.50. So speed is of the essence.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Bless.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11'It's 11pm, but during the summer Iceland never really gets dark.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15'We're staying at a place called Swan Lake.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19'As the twilight that passes for an Icelandic summer night sets in,
0:21:19 > 0:21:25'it feels an eerie and foreboding place. The perfect setting for some Nordic story telling.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:31Swan Lake is named after the whooper swan that breeds in the highland areas
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and is quite common in summertime.
0:21:34 > 0:21:41The strange thing is that it's called Swan Lake, but no one has ever seen any swans here.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45But the story goes that in the 18th century
0:21:45 > 0:21:49a man was in the area with his daughter on horseback.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53And they were looking for sheep. This was in the autumn.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57And coming to the lake, he saw swans on the lake.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01And the swans were hunted at this time.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07So he wanted, obviously, to get the swans and he rode into the lake on his horse.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13- But the horse got frightened and threw him and he disappeared into the lake.- Gone?- Gone.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- Disappeared.- People looked for him, but they couldn't find him.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22- No sign of his body, no sign of him. - He just disappeared into the lake.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27And then, months later, his mother dreamt
0:22:27 > 0:22:30that his body was in the cave
0:22:30 > 0:22:35that farmers used as their shelter at the lake
0:22:35 > 0:22:41when they were looking for sheep. And in the spring, when the area was accessible again,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45people came looking for him and found him dead in a cave.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Very strange.
0:22:47 > 0:22:53And the strange thing is that no one has ever seen a swan on this lake.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58'Listening to Hanna's story in the semi-darkness is mesmerising.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02'Iceland has drawn me in.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06'I wonder where this saga will take me next.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26'It's Day Two. As we've skipped a day's walking, we're now halfway to the volcano.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34'By this point on the route, I was hoping to get my first glimpse of Eyjafjallajokull,
0:23:34 > 0:23:39'but the terrible weather has caught up with us again.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12'The showers come and go all morning as we march on through black volcanic rock
0:24:12 > 0:24:17'covered with a thick layer of dust and sand. But this isn't any old dust.'
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Is this THE ash now?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Yeah, yeah. This is it.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28This is the stuff that caused chaos all over Europe. What happened here?
0:24:28 > 0:24:34The areas to the south of the glacier were very seriously affected, the farming areas.
0:24:34 > 0:24:41- But it could have been much worse. - Much worse. If the wind had been blowing in a westerly direction,
0:24:41 > 0:24:47or even to the north of Iceland and the farming lands there had been destroyed,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51that would have had very serious consequences for everyone.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00'In the thousand years Iceland has been inhabited,
0:25:00 > 0:25:06'there have been over 250 eruptions in a volcanically-active zone covering a quarter of the country.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12'Our trail runs through the heart of this zone,
0:25:12 > 0:25:17'but many of Iceland's biggest settlements are also within it.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'I'm wondering just how dangerous is it to live here?
0:25:22 > 0:25:27'Well, not nearly as deadly as you may imagine. In the last 100 years,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31'only two people in Iceland have been killed by volcanoes -
0:25:31 > 0:25:35'one, a scientist who was crushed by lava,
0:25:35 > 0:25:41'the other, a man who was overcome by noxious gases while breaking in to a chemist's to steal drugs
0:25:41 > 0:25:46'during a 1973 eruption here, on the offshore Westman Islands.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58'The rain is back and I feel like an astronaut as I slog through this lunar landscape,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00'cocooned in my wet weather gear.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12'Heaving under its blanket of ash, this may not be the prettiest place I've walked, but I'm glad I did it.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16'It's so fantastically odd.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29'Nonetheless, it's a relief to see the hut for the night.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'We seem to have finally escaped the worst of the terrible weather.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41'And the warden here has a welcome pot of coffee on the go.'
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Why do you want to be a warden? What does the job give you?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47It's a habit!
0:26:48 > 0:26:53It's a very nice job, staying here. Usually I have my family with me.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58- My wife and two kids and two dogs.- In this?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- In this house.- You call it a house!
0:27:00 > 0:27:06- It's tiny!- Yeah.- All sleeping in here?- All sleeping in here.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- Two and one.- And the dogs?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Ahh.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16- It's a bit like living on a boat. - I used to be a fisherman on a small boat.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22- So it's probably the same. - Maybe that's why you like it. - Could be.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25How many people can sleep in the huts?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It's about 60 people in the huts.
0:27:28 > 0:27:35And when the weather is really bad, and more people knock on the door, what happens if you are full?
0:27:35 > 0:27:41- We always manage to somehow... - Squeeze.- Sleep on the floor or somewhere.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- You make room for everybody.- Nobody has to stay out in crazy weather.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51- How many years do you think you will carry on doing this for?- I'm not sure. Maybe this is the last summer,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55but I don't know. I've been in it for six years.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00But I will never stop going to the mountains. I'm a mountain man.
0:28:03 > 0:28:10'This might not be the job for everyone, but I think it would be a wonderful way to spend the summer.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14'Just look at this place.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18'I have to say, I'm pretty jealous.
0:28:29 > 0:28:35'It's Day Three. We're now three-quarters of the way along the Landmannalaugar Trail.
0:28:35 > 0:28:41'The volcano we're heading towards sits under the Eyjafjallajokull Glacier,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45'which is how the volcano got its name.
0:28:45 > 0:28:51'Glaciers occur when ice builds up faster than it can melt, forming ice caps that stay all year round.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'It may seem surprising that a volcano is covered with ice,
0:28:57 > 0:29:03'but because glaciers occur on high ground, many of Iceland's large volcanoes are covered with ice caps.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09'We've got 12km to walk today to reach the base of this glacier.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12'Tomorrow, all being well, we'll head up to the new hills
0:29:12 > 0:29:16'formed by the outlet vents on the side of the volcano.
0:29:16 > 0:29:22'One thing which shouldn't be too much of a problem is finding the right route.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27'We've got an impressive feature to follow for most of the day.'
0:29:32 > 0:29:38So, five minutes out of the hut, and this is our first epic view of the day. It's ridiculous!
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Shall we go a little bit closer?
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Yeah, yeah.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Even up here, what, a couple of hundred metres from the bottom,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- the sound of the water is so powerful.- Yeah.
0:29:58 > 0:30:04Can you imagine what it was like at the end of the last glacial period, 8,000 years ago,
0:30:04 > 0:30:09- when all this was being created by the melting ice?- The water was just carving through the rock.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12And it's so young, 8,000 years ago.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17When you talk about geology, you're used to hearing "millions of years ago".
0:30:17 > 0:30:198,000 years, I mean, it's a puppy.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24Yes, but again we are in the middle of the volcanically active zone of Iceland
0:30:24 > 0:30:27and it's all happening right now.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31- Is this your Grand Canyon? - This is our Grand Canyon, yes.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37'Although we're now only 12 kilometres from the glacier and its volcano,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41'the weather up till now has been so bad, I still haven't seen it.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45'But as we cross over a ridge midway through the morning,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48'we suddenly get our first glimpse of the Big E.
0:30:50 > 0:30:56'To the east, we can just make out the new vents, while ahead of us lies the main crater.'
0:30:57 > 0:31:01So, Julia, that's it. That's our volcano. That's where we're heading.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- Our prize.- Yeah.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10Can you make out the crater at the very top? The steam is rising up. It looks like clouds, but it's steam.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Because we've got cloud cover, you can't see it so easily.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17You can see it coming up a bit, then slowly going down.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Can you see that little crater, like a little valley? That's it.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24And the secondary crater is over this way.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27We're definitely going to make it there.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31- Then we're going to see what...- What happens.- What the future brings us.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- I want to make it there. - Yeah, so do I.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38So do I.
0:31:44 > 0:31:50'The canyon we're following is taking us down to a huge valley right in front of Eyjafjallajokull.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58'Here, all the melting water from the surrounding glaciers
0:31:58 > 0:32:02'join up to form a web of interlinking streams and rivers.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15'The shifting banks and surging winter floods make bridging almost impossible...
0:32:17 > 0:32:22'..which means we're going to have to cross the streams the old-fashioned way.'
0:32:24 > 0:32:30OK... You know what? I think this looks like a good place, you know, to cross.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32- It's not too wide, is it?- No.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37Up there it was too violent, but here it is starting to break up into tributaries
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- and we'll be able to cross the individual streams.- OK.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Let's just sit down, get our shoes off and I'll talk you through it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52It's going to be cold because this is a frozen glacier, isn't it?
0:32:52 > 0:32:56Yeah, yeah, it's cold. It's a few degrees if we're lucky.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Take your time crossing. Keep your eye on the far bank and get over there.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05- This is probably going to go up to our...- Up to our necks?
0:33:05 > 0:33:09- Up to our necks.- Great! - Get everything off(!)
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- Let's do a naked river crossing. - Naked river crossing!
0:33:13 > 0:33:17And then tie your shoe laces together
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and hang your shoes around your neck.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Agh!
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- It's not so bad.- That was all right.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43'Once we're across the river, we get another big surprise.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48'Suddenly, we're into a beautiful, lush, green valley.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50'It's incredible.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55'This is about as much vegetation as I've seen anywhere in Iceland so far.'
0:33:55 > 0:34:00Yet again, the landscape has changed. Why is it so green here?
0:34:00 > 0:34:05Yeah, it's a very sheltered valley, you know, by the volcano, the glaciers.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09And so the plants get the chance to grow.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14The growing season is so short in Iceland. It's really only three months.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17And even shorter sometimes in some areas.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22Most places are windswept, so the plants just really never get a chance.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- But they do here.- Yeah.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34'We've arrived at Thorsmork...
0:34:35 > 0:34:40'..by far the biggest hut since Landmannalaugar.'
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- So this is it.- This is it.- Home.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47'And the most civilisation we've seen in three days.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56'Before us sits the glacier of Eyjafjallajokull,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59'dark and brooding under its thick blanket of ash.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03'But it hasn't always looked like this.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07'This footage of the glacier was taken prior to the 2010 eruption,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10'back when it was pristine and white.
0:35:13 > 0:35:20'Eyjafjallajokull has gone off on three previous occasions in the past one thousand years...
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'..the last time being in 1821.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28'However, the latest eruption didn't come out of the blue.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34'Earthquakes, which usually precede an eruption, came and went throughout the 1990s
0:35:34 > 0:35:38'and then started again in earnest during 2009.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44'These earthquakes were seven to ten kilometres underground,
0:35:44 > 0:35:48'but by early 2010, monitoring equipment showed the rumblings
0:35:48 > 0:35:51'moving closer and closer to the surface.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55'Just before midnight on the 20th of March,
0:35:55 > 0:36:01'Eyjafjallajokull's 189-year sleep finally came to an end.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08'One of the drivers who is supporting our trip is Kristjan.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11'He's brought in supplies to feed my hungry crew,
0:36:11 > 0:36:18'but he's also got some stunning photos from visits he made to the volcano during the eruptions.'
0:36:18 > 0:36:22And this is during the first part of the eruption, the lava eruption.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27And we went up on the third day, I think, after it started.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31And what's this? It looks like a firework display.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34This is when we're further into the night
0:36:34 > 0:36:37and the light show became more spectacular.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41You know, it's like watching fireworks for hours and hours.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45It must have been just such a sensory overload -
0:36:45 > 0:36:49the heat and the visuals and just the environment being up there.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Yes. All of that.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54It's just amazing to see,
0:36:54 > 0:36:58to feel the heat from the lava, the noise from the explosions,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and the rumbling of the lava when it's flowing.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05- The sound feels a bit like being in an old factory...- With the rumble.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09With the rumble and the squeaking. It's quite magnificent.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Have you seen anything like this in your life?
0:37:12 > 0:37:17Actually, I've seen a few eruptions, but this one was very accessible.
0:37:17 > 0:37:23So the first part of this eruption was in a good place, it was easy to access.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25We could get all the way up to it.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28This is obviously the ash cloud.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32This picture was actually taken on the 17th of April.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37If I remember correctly, that's the day when all the flights in Europe went down.
0:37:37 > 0:37:43- Yeah, it stopped me. Thank you very much.- There was one airport open and that was in Iceland.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- Yeah, I'm sure. - We just shipped it over.
0:37:46 > 0:37:52What was the difference between the first eruption and the second eruption?
0:37:52 > 0:37:57The first eruption was a regular lava eruption like we have in volcanoes all over Iceland,
0:37:57 > 0:38:03but the second eruption is under a glacier and that type of eruption is much more dangerous
0:38:03 > 0:38:06because you have these huge explosions.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11When we drove up, about one or two kilometres away from the crater,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14we started to see these huge potholes on the glacier
0:38:14 > 0:38:18which were up to five metres wide and four or five metres deep,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21which we had to drive around.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26And they were made by huge lava bombs which came flying 1,000 metres high
0:38:26 > 0:38:31and about 500 to 1,000 metres away from the crater and dropped on the glacier.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- So just mega lava bombs?- Yeah.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37And this went on all the way up to the crater.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41We probably won't make it to the crater, but how close will we get?
0:38:41 > 0:38:46I can take you to the outlet glacier from the crater where all the floods came down.
0:38:46 > 0:38:52There used to be this beautiful glacier lake there, but now it's just all covered with ash.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58- So it's an ash lake? - It's an ash lake, but you can see up the glacier and into the crater
0:38:58 > 0:39:01- where it all was happening. - I can't wait.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05'Kristjan drove up the glacier when the eruption first started.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09'That was before the authorities closed the area down.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13'It's now almost impossible to get permission to go all the way up.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17'We're still hoping my request will be successful,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21'but this trip out to the ash lake in front of the main crater
0:39:21 > 0:39:23'may well be as close as I ever get.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30'This is a view of the lake that used to sit in front of the volcano,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33'the one that Kristjan thought was so beautiful.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37'Now look at it.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41'It's like he's brought me to the Gates of Mordor.'
0:39:51 > 0:39:55- So this used to be your lake?- Yeah.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57And now it looks like a car park.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00Oh, yeah. Everything around looks different.
0:40:00 > 0:40:06At the top, up at the glacier, I would say it's about 50 metres higher than it was.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Down here at the bottom, where the river is running,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13it's about 20 metres lower than it was.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18You can imagine the amount of material which has been brought down
0:40:18 > 0:40:21because the lake was deep as well.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Can we go down there? Can we walk on there?
0:40:23 > 0:40:27No. This area is declared "a danger zone"
0:40:27 > 0:40:32because not only did a lot of mud and water flow down here,
0:40:32 > 0:40:37from the glacier, it took massive icebergs and buried it in the sand.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39And it creates quicksand.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44- Ooh!- Well, we could maybe walk, but we might not come back.
0:40:44 > 0:40:50- If you didn't know this was a danger zone, you could easily wander across there.- It looks harmless.- Yeah.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- But it isn't. Believe me. - I do believe you, Kristjan.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59- So this landscape has changed for ever?- It has changed, but that's just how it is.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04- One day, green will fight its way back.- Yeah, and white.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Because obviously, the glacier isn't very white now.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10'Frustrating as it may be, I can understand
0:41:10 > 0:41:16'why the authorities don't want too many people climbing up to the main crater.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21'It looks pretty hairy up there, but it's got me fired up for our trip tomorrow -
0:41:21 > 0:41:23'our final assault on the Big E.'
0:41:39 > 0:41:43'Our route for the final day will take us up to the two new hills
0:41:43 > 0:41:47'formed by the lava vents on the side of the volcano.
0:41:47 > 0:41:53'These are about ten kilometres east of the main crater at the centre of Eyjafjallajokull.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00'There is still no word on our application to go up to this main crater,
0:42:00 > 0:42:07'but even if we aren't able to get up there, our trip today will take us to the newest hills in the world.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12'It should be a spectacular day and I'm itching to get going.'
0:42:13 > 0:42:17- Cute little bridge.- Yeah, it's cute.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25'But before we get to the vents, I've got a gruelling walk ahead of me.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33'We'll be hiking for about eight hours,
0:42:33 > 0:42:37'the first five of which will be a relentless climb.'
0:43:10 > 0:43:13This is the valley that we're looking at.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15We have a nice view of it now.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18And it's sheltered by three glaciers -
0:43:18 > 0:43:24a small one, in fact, a tiny one over this way which we can see in that direction,
0:43:24 > 0:43:29a rather large one, Myrdalsjokull, in that direction.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Mm-hm. Where's our one?
0:43:31 > 0:43:38- Eyjafjallajokull is over there and you can see it just between those two hills there.- Oh, yeah.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43- And we are approximately here on the map.- Mm-hm.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46And we've got 500 metres to go.
0:43:46 > 0:43:52- When you say we've got 500 metres to go, you don't just mean we've got 500 metres to walk?- No.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57- No, we've got to gain 500 metres. - In altitude.- In altitude, yeah.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59We're going up to 1,100 metres
0:43:59 > 0:44:01and about eight kilometres.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05- OK, so lungs and knees in action. - Absolutely.
0:44:12 > 0:44:17'As we climb higher, the vegetation once more gives way to ash and rock.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25'It's a thrilling and exciting feeling.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28'We're getting close to the new crater now.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35'As we cross a huge plateau, we come across yet another awesome sight.'
0:44:37 > 0:44:43What I wanted to show you here is the lava flow from the eruption
0:44:43 > 0:44:47and you can see that it came over this ridge
0:44:47 > 0:44:50and it fell down in a wall of fire,
0:44:50 > 0:44:53in a cascade, in a lava fall,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56and poured down here into the gorge.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00It must have been such a spectacle, a burning flow of red.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05Yeah, red-hot lava just tumbling down there. It was magnificent.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Now we're going to head over that ridge
0:45:08 > 0:45:12and we're eventually going to get to the eruption site.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- We've still got so far to go! - Yes, we do.
0:45:31 > 0:45:37'Looking back as we climb, you can see the green river valley where we started this morning
0:45:37 > 0:45:40'and the big plateau we just crossed.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45'The climbing seems to go on and on.'
0:45:48 > 0:45:50My thighs are killing me!
0:45:52 > 0:45:58'It may be exhausting, but my tiredness is starting to be replaced with rising excitement.'
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- You did a little sidestep there. - A bit of skiing.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26'We finally reach the new hills created by the eruption.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35'The sight that greets us is breathtaking, terrifying and thrilling.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44'The power of the Earth is almost overwhelming.
0:46:44 > 0:46:50'The heat is shimmering all around us and the sulphur-laden air is rasping at my throat.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57'We need to keep moving as breathing this in for too long can be quite toxic.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06'Yet somehow they are not how I expected volcanoes to look.
0:47:06 > 0:47:11'They're not so much cones, more like raging rivers that are frozen in mid-flow.'
0:47:26 > 0:47:28COUGHING
0:47:29 > 0:47:32We can't see where we're going.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41COUGHING CONTINUES
0:47:48 > 0:47:50'These vents are constantly monitored.
0:47:50 > 0:47:56'If there was imminent danger of another eruption, we wouldn't be allowed up here,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59'but we still need to watch where we're walking.'
0:48:01 > 0:48:06OK, Jules, I want you to come over here and be really, really careful.
0:48:06 > 0:48:11I want you to look inside this crevice and tell me what you see.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Oh! We really are at the gates to Hell!
0:48:17 > 0:48:22- It's the burning core...- Yeah. - ..of the Earth.- Yes.- Look at that!
0:48:23 > 0:48:28That's right. Maybe, what, 20, 30 centimetres beneath our feet?
0:48:30 > 0:48:32- Yes...- We are on a volcano!
0:48:46 > 0:48:52'In all my walks, I don't think I've ever been to a hill that's less than six months old.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55'It's extraordinary.'
0:48:58 > 0:49:02I love the heat. You can feel it just hitting your face.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15THEY LAUGH
0:49:21 > 0:49:23- The newest hill in the world?- Yeah.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26That's right.
0:49:30 > 0:49:35Explain to me exactly how all of this was formed when the volcano went off.
0:49:35 > 0:49:40We're standing right now on the first crater, the one that first went off,
0:49:40 > 0:49:46and the lava that came from this crater went in this direction, over there, where it fell into the ravine.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48And we saw the lava fall that was created.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51And then this crater paused for a while
0:49:51 > 0:49:57and this other crater, a smaller one, over there, started erupting.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00- Have these been named yet? - Yes, they have.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03- We're standing on Magni.- Magni?
0:50:03 > 0:50:06And that is his little brother Modi over there.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11And they were the sons of Thor,
0:50:11 > 0:50:14the thunder god in Nordic mythology.
0:50:14 > 0:50:20And the valley which we walked up from this morning is called Thorsmork,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22"the valley or the woods of Thor".
0:50:22 > 0:50:27- So these are the sons? - These are the sons.- I can't believe we're standing on them.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30- And they're hot.- They're hot, yeah.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34- Shall we have a little sit down? - Yes. We should sit down.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37It's not every day you get to do this.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Not every day, no.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Oh, I've got a warm bottom!
0:50:47 > 0:50:49HANNA GIGGLES
0:50:49 > 0:50:52- You really could stay here all day.- Yeah.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57Camping here wouldn't be a problem... It would be eventually because you'd kill yourself.
0:50:57 > 0:51:03- From the fumes?- Yeah. Apart from that, at least it's warm. - It's getting a bit too warm.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- I'm still fine.- Are you?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07I got the hotter part.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10# Na-na-na-na-na! #
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Ow, it is quite hot, yeah!
0:51:22 > 0:51:24'I've reached my goal.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28'We've walked to the newest hill in the world.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32'But all too quickly, we need to get moving again.
0:51:34 > 0:51:40'We've still got to walk out to meet Kristjan who will drive us down the other side of the mountain.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49'He's going to meet us at one of the unmanned huts
0:51:49 > 0:51:54'which is there for anyone to use if they get caught by the weather up here.'
0:51:55 > 0:51:57There's a welcome Viking face!
0:52:00 > 0:52:02We did it!
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Welcome, girls. How did it go?
0:52:05 > 0:52:07Oh, it was amazing!
0:52:07 > 0:52:13Some of the best walking in my life, for sure. What incredible things we've seen! I can't believe it.
0:52:13 > 0:52:18- Just too much to take in in a few days. Too much to see.- Amazing.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22I have even better news. I've spoken to the mountain guides' office.
0:52:22 > 0:52:28They've been in contact with the authorities and we have been allowed to go up to the top.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31- To the top of the Big E? - Oh, yeah.- No?
0:52:31 > 0:52:34We're going even further up.
0:52:36 > 0:52:42'It may be a bit of a cheat to end my most exciting walk ever by helicopter,
0:52:42 > 0:52:48'but with a prize like a trip to the main crater on offer, I'm not saying no.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52'We're the first people to come up here for four months,
0:52:52 > 0:52:59'but because of all the unstable ice, it's been decided that flying is the only viable way up.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13'We're flying up over the huge tongue of ice
0:53:13 > 0:53:19'that leads from the crater down to the ash lake that Kristjan showed me.'
0:53:44 > 0:53:47'So I'm finishing my trip with a taxi service
0:53:47 > 0:53:53'right to the spot that Ari described to me at the start of the week.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57'I'm one of the few people to visit the summit of the volcano
0:53:57 > 0:54:00'that's caused so many problems across Europe.'
0:54:01 > 0:54:05- So, in 30 years, you've never been up here?- Never.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10And I'm imagining that you and I will never have seen anything like this in our lives.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12Nothing in our life.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16- Little holes all over...- Yeah.
0:54:16 > 0:54:21- Let's keep away from those.- There's a little promontory there. Let's...
0:54:25 > 0:54:29- It is like some lunar surface up here.- It's just...
0:54:30 > 0:54:33No-one's been up here. You know?
0:54:41 > 0:54:45This ash spewed out of the volcano.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48- Oh, my...- Oh, God!
0:55:08 > 0:55:11- This is...- Oh! - ..the most extraordinary...
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Look at those enormous, great grooves.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31How close do you think we can go?
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Just stunning.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44Oh!
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- It makes you want to cry.- It does.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53It's extraordinary.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58- You see, that's the crater over there.- Yeah.- Right there.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02And this was just a huge,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04smooth, white,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06ice glacier?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Yeah, pristine white.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Then in the eruption, once the lava started flowing,
0:56:12 > 0:56:18which didn't happen immediately because it was an explosive eruption under the glacier,
0:56:18 > 0:56:24it carved a tunnel through the ice all the way down that glacial tongue that we just flew over.
0:56:24 > 0:56:30It was so hot, it was burning its way through and underneath the glacier, then it's all collapsed in?
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Yeah. And there's massive crevasses down there.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37These are hundreds of metres.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Massive.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43You actually... Even from here,
0:56:43 > 0:56:48- the scale of those big crevasses is unimaginable.- Yeah.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54And look at the colour. It's black!
0:56:55 > 0:57:00It's black. There's a really, really thick layer of ash there.
0:57:02 > 0:57:08And see the steam? The steam is coming out because actually it's still really hot in there.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13And there's still some ice, so the melting is still going on.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18And the vapour moving makes it look as if the landscape is moving, doesn't it?
0:57:18 > 0:57:22I don't think I'll ever see anything quite like this again.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28It's amazing, isn't it?
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Just incredible.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Eyja...fjalla...jokull.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37That's it. Excellent.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40You're very good at this language.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44- It's not easy. - THEY LAUGH
0:57:44 > 0:57:46"The Big E" is definitely easier.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50- And it is right now...- Yeah.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53It's the Big E. Come on.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Yeah.
0:57:55 > 0:57:56Wow!
0:58:00 > 0:58:05This is now one of the most infamous volcanoes in the world
0:58:05 > 0:58:08and it's the end point for the best walk of my life.
0:58:08 > 0:58:14Iceland is utterly absorbing and so exciting. I can't wait to come back for my next adventure.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17And who knows how it will have changed by then?
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Eyjafjallajokull, I love you!
0:58:49 > 0:58:54Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:58:54 > 0:58:57Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk