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Ab muscles idea of trekking the longest waymarked trail in Greenland must conjure up images of endless ice-fields, marauding polar bears, desperate struggles for survival and huge expense. The truth is, the Arctic Circle Trail offers a reasonably easy trek, provided it’s approached with careful thought and planning. Overlook the huge ice-cap and polar bears, which are there if you would like them, but don’t feature on the trail. Instead, pay attention to one of many largest ice-free areas of Greenland, between your airport terminal at Kangerlussuaq along with the western seaboard at Sisimiut.

The Arctic Circle Trail is genuinely north in the Arctic Circle for the entire length, which means that in midsummer there isn’t any nightfall, and for the brief summer months ordinary trekkers can enjoy the wild and desolate tundra by simply following stone-built cairns. Bearing in mind that there is absolutely nowhere you can acquire provisions along the way, for upwards of 100 miles (160km), hard part is usually to be ruthless when packing food and all the kit you’ll want to stay alive. Water is clean, fresh, plentiful and freely available. If you bring all your food to Greenland and limit your spending, the trail could be completed within a strict budget. Detailed maps and guidebooks are available.

Some trekkers burden themselves with huge as well as packs, which require great effort to carry, which often means carrying a great deal of food to stoke with extra calories. Think light and pack light. There are many basic wooden huts at intervals along the way, offering four walls, a roof, and bunks for between four and 24 trekkers. They are not staffed, can’t be pre-booked, and provide no facilities apart from shelter. In case you have a tent, you are able to pitch it anywhere you want, subject simply to the character of the terrain and the prevailing weather.

Generally, the elements arises from two directions – east and west. An easterly breeze, coming off the ice-cap, is cool and incredibly dry. A westerly breeze, coming over sea, brings cloud and a way of measuring rain. It won’t snow in the short summer time, mid-June to mid-September, as well as the rest of the time, varying quantities of snow and ice will take care of the trail, plus the center of winter it’ll be dark constantly and temperatures will plummet far, far below freezing for months at a time.

The air-port at Kangerlussuaq enjoys around 300 clear-sky days annually, hence the weather needs to be good, along with the trail starts by using a simple tarmac and dirt road. At night research station at Kellyville, the path is just a narrow path across empty tundra dotted with lakes. If you’re going simply to walk from hut to hut, then the route will require maybe nine days, unless stages are doubled-up. Using a tent offers greater flexibility, and a few trekkers complete the route in as little as weekly. Huts are located at Hundeso, Katiffik, The Canoe Centre, Ikkattook, Eqalugaarniarfik, Innajuattok, Nerumaq and Kangerluarsuk Tulleq. Youth hostels and hotels are located in the terminal points of Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut.

You have the choice to work with a free kayak to paddle all day long down the large lake of Amitsorsuaq, rather than walk along its shore. There are only a small number of kayaks, of course, if all of them are moored in the ‘wrong’ end in the lake, then walking will be the only option. The way is often low-lying, below 500ft (150m), but climbs on occasions over 1300ft (400m), notably around Ikkattook, Iluliumanersuup Portornga and Qerrortusuk Majoriaa. There are a couple of river crossings whose difficulty depends on melt-water and rainfall. These are difficult at the outset of the season, but better to ford later. The most important river, Ole’s Lakseelv, features a footbridge if needed.

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