Ranger spends 26th summer protecting Hornstrandir

Jón Björnsson has spent his 26th summer working as a ranger in the Hornstrandir nature reserve, where limited infrastructure helps preserve its remote character, mbl.is reported.

He travelled widely across the reserve this summer, often walking long distances through its headlands, towering cliffs, abandoned settlements and largely untouched nature.

Fewer than 10,000 visitors are estimated to have travelled to Hornstrandir this summer, roughly the same number as in many recent years. Visitor pressure is spread relatively evenly across the reserve, supporting its protection.

Most visitors travel to Hesteyri, Aðalvík, Fljótavík, Hlöðuvík and Hornvík, usually walking between the locations. A growing group also visits on guided day trips.

“I would think that almost half of those who come to Hornstrandir each summer are day visitors, most of whom go to Hesteyri,” Björnsson said. Hesteyri has services throughout the summer, including a café, food and accommodation at Læknishúsið, a campsite, water toilets, a pier and a ranger for much of the season.

Organised guided trips run almost daily, allowing more people to visit the reserve with local guides. Björnsson said this reduces pressure on the land and wildlife and enables visitors to explore the area without being in exceptional physical shape or having expensive outdoor equipment.

Accidents are rare, although rescue vessels sometimes have to travel north to collect people after minor injuries or because of illness.

Björnsson worked mostly for Náttúruverndarstofnun, a nature conservation agency, in the southern Westfjords this summer, at Látrabjarg, Dynjandi and Vatnsfjörður. He still occasionally worked replacement shifts in Hornstrandir.

Over the nearly 30 years he has been connected with the Hornstrandir region, the makeup of its visitors has changed considerably. Icelanders were once prominent among visitors, but are now a minority, with people arriving from around the world.

Some visitors own houses in Hornstrandir, often family properties that have belonged to the same extended families for generations. They maintain their links to the area by spending summers in houses where their grandparents or more distant ancestors once lived.

Infrastructure in Hornstrandir remains limited. Campsites are basic, with an outhouse and a stream, while there are few walking paths, many marked by old cairns, and waterways remain unbridged.

Björnsson said the lack of development gives the reserve its distinctive character, places greater demands on visitors and creates a wilderness experience that is becoming increasingly valuable in a developed world. He said it was important to preserve that distinctiveness.