Yesterday landowners closed the road leading to a famous Sólheimasandur plane wreck which has recently become one of Iceland’s most popular tourist destinations. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the closing of the road had stopped people from driving to the wreck, but had not discouraged visitors who have parked their cars by the ring road and walked 3 km (1.9 miles) to the wreck.
Read more: Landowners have closed the road leading to the plane wreck on Sólheimasandur beach
A local farmer and spokesman for the landowners, Benedikt Bragason, told the news site visir.is that the decision to close the road to the wreck was made to protect the environment. Excessive traffic and destructive behaviour by motorists who have been driving off road, leaving deep tracks, turning the area into “a field of muck and dirt”, forced the landowners to close the area.
Benedikt told visir that the landowners had staked out a path in the sand leading from the ring road to the wreck, in order to protect the sand. Unfortunately far too many motorists had driven off road, tearing up the sand, leaving deep tracks which then filled with water. “We are just poor farmers, we don’t have the resources or funds to protect the area any more than we already have done. There is no way we can allow things to remain like this, because then nobody will want to visit the area.”
Read more: Sólheimasandur sand beach famous plane wreck vandalised
Visitors have respected the road closing during this first day after it was closed. Benedikt told Morgunblaðið there has been a “pile of cars” where the road to the wreck had been closed. “People just walk down there,” Benedikt adds. Nobody has complained, he told Morgunblaðið.
Yesterday landowners closed the road leading to a famous Sólheimasandur plane wreck which has recently become one of Iceland’s most popular tourist destinations. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the closing of the road had stopped people from driving to the wreck, but had not discouraged visitors who have parked their cars by the ring road and walked 3 km (1.9 miles) to the wreck.
Read more: Landowners have closed the road leading to the plane wreck on Sólheimasandur beach
A local farmer and spokesman for the landowners, Benedikt Bragason, told the news site visir.is that the decision to close the road to the wreck was made to protect the environment. Excessive traffic and destructive behaviour by motorists who have been driving off road, leaving deep tracks, turning the area into “a field of muck and dirt”, forced the landowners to close the area.
Benedikt told visir that the landowners had staked out a path in the sand leading from the ring road to the wreck, in order to protect the sand. Unfortunately far too many motorists had driven off road, tearing up the sand, leaving deep tracks which then filled with water. “We are just poor farmers, we don’t have the resources or funds to protect the area any more than we already have done. There is no way we can allow things to remain like this, because then nobody will want to visit the area.”
Read more: Sólheimasandur sand beach famous plane wreck vandalised
Visitors have respected the road closing during this first day after it was closed. Benedikt told Morgunblaðið there has been a “pile of cars” where the road to the wreck had been closed. “People just walk down there,” Benedikt adds. Nobody has complained, he told Morgunblaðið.
