ICELAND 2016 Day 3 Laufskallarétt Horse Roundup

Dreadfull rain... I am not with luck this time, it is raining like crazy and my plans to visit Akureyri fell into shattered pieces. But my plan B was anything but unwanted. In fact, it was my plan but I didnt really feel like on missing out on exploring Akureyri again. But well today I had no choice, the weather was good on the other side of the mountains, in Skagafjorður to be exact. Today was Laufskallarétt in Holar í Hjaltadalur. So excited all around I drove off through a dreadfull grey and rainy Öxnadalur... :)

I arrived early at the scene, so I had a good parking spot and took a look around. Groups of riders were getting ready to ride up into the highlands to greet the herd coming back. It was a little while waiting until the herd finaly appeared on the horizon, and it was huge. Bigger than the one at Vididalur, but I was told that the 'size' of a round up is always measured by the amount of unshoed horses, those are the horses that really went into the highlands. All shoed horses are ridinghorses that are just added close to or on the day of the round up, or are the spare riding horses of the riders riding along. Whatever they are, for well over 20 minutes horses keep coming towards the round up, as a colorfull ribbon layed on the mountain the run from. And then I didnt calculate the huge amount of riders that were also following up. Amazing, amazing to see a round up from the view of a non rider for once :)

Once the horses had all arrived I took a walk around, where horses also pushed their way within the crowds, so authentic to experience! Here in NL if we even HAD something like a round up, the horses would be strictly separated from visitors, you maybe lucky if they didnt put up some ugly plastic fences through which you wouldnt even see anything. ;)

But I didnt stay for too long after the horses arrived. You know it is no fun if you cant have a drink or two, but once the crowds are ready to leave, I know from Vididalur roundup, that roads easily clog with cars, drunk people and loose horses. As I have a rental car, I dont feel like unneccesary damage on the car either. So I left before the sorting even started. Been there done that, the proces of sorting has been seen for a few times by now.

So I went back to Akureyri, did buy some fresh food and went back to the farm, as the weather still sucked balls in Akureyri. The Five minute rule applied now to amounts to rain, from really a lot of rain, to heave drizzle. Now weather to do anything fun here. I thought about going to a swimming pool again then, but I didnt have all my stuff with me. Driving back would be too much, as I stay 15 minutes away from Akureyri. So I just went to spend my time in the hotel lobby, lurking hot chocolate. If only there wasnt some kind of Icelandic grandparents celebrating their anniversary. So it felt a bit awkward to sit among a huge family. But I have booked a hotelroom here, and I didnt choose for it to not have a watercooker or facilities in my room. So I am not going to be thirsty on my room because of some family gathering.

As I still was rather tired, I went to sleep early. Another busy day tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pictures of this Laufskallarétt roundup :)