Hiking through Heinabergsdalur - Mýrar - Höfn - Iceland

Today we're hiking to the valley Heinabergsdalur on the recommendation of Magnús Guðjónsson and Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir.
We borrow a topographical map with the hike on it. That the road towards it is on it is especially helpful. This is not on the bigger maps and neither on our GPS.
In the morning we get into our car and follow the 1 about 2 kilometers past the next farm towards Skaftafell. We arrive at a gate in the fence and call Magnús to check if we should take this road. He says it's the right road, so we continue. But on the other side of the piece of land there's also a fence, but without a gate. Magnús calls to ask if we've arrived and we explain the problem. He tells us he'll take his car to head our way and show us the road. We look along the road, but don't see him arriving. A minute later, on the other side of the fence, he arrives. He get's into our car and leads us past the fence on a new road. Well, road is a big word. It's clear people have driven here before, but that's about all. After bouncing for quite a while and maneuvering around big rocks we arrive at the river where our hike begins.
The first challenge is to cross the river. We brought other shoes, but check first if it's possible to cross without getting our feet wet. Quickly it becomes clear it's not going to work and we put on our old shoes. The first steps are ok, but the water get very cold!
On the other side we quickly dry our feet and start the hike. The first section of the trail follows an old jeep trail. We cross a few streams and walk through flat forest. The trees grow along the ground instead of up.
When the jeep trail ends we continue on a hiking trail and see a group of reindeer. At first they're grazing, but when they notice us they take off towards the other side of Heinabergsdalur. The males stand in a row to see which way we are going.
At the end of the trail we find our own way through the valley. Fairly easily we continue to the end, but the river is carved out so much we can't cross it. We have to climb higher up the mountain to reach the glacial lake. To our amazement there is a trail just above the area of debris. We decide to take this to reach the glacial lake Vatnsdalslón. The trail is about a foots width and the mountain is very steep. Sandra isn't feeling too sure on the trail, also because it's not very stable.
Finally on the other side of the trail is Vatnsdalslón. We're both surprised at the beauty! We sit for half an hour to take in the view of the surrounding with a big smile on our faces. We have views of Breidabunga, Vatnajökull and of course Vatnsdalslón. An incredible view which we want to enjoy for a long time, but we have to hike back a couple of kilometers.
We go back by the exciting trail and follow the same route as on the way in. We don't see the reindeer anymore, actually we don't see any animals or people. We're completely alone in this valley with great nature! Something you don't mind walking a bit further for!
On the way back we do see a gate in the fence a kilometer from where we were on the way in. This road look remarkably better than the trail around the fence. Across the field and around the buildings of the farm we drive back to Hólmur.

If you decide to do this hike, please take some things into account. For the river crossing it's advisable to bring some shoes/flip-flop's. So you keep your hiking boots dry. For people who are afraid of heights the last section of the trail is inadvisable, even though it's only 100 meters. It is possible to climb further up the mountain to cross this section.
For more information, a hiking map and the route to the hike, you can always contact Magnús Guðjónsson and Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir of holiday farm Hólmur in Hornafjörður. They'll gladly inform you about the hike and the weather forecast.
The website of Magnús en Guðrún.

Length: 17.8 km.
Height difference: 420 m.