Will this be off the itinerary soon?

A popular element of visits to Iceland for school groups is a glacier walk on Solheimajökull glacier.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license.

That is now becoming a little more difficult and dangerous due to rapidly changing conditions at its snout, according to this RUV story.

Here's the story on the Vedur - Icelandic Meteorological Office - website.

It includes new images on the approach, which also has an increased risk of rockfalls now along the whole route to the glacier... and a new lagoon which I have never seen.

When I first visited, there was no lagoon at all in front of the glacier...

A small lagoon has formed east of Sólheimajökull's tongue. The new lagoon and the main proglacial lake delineate an ice ridge that forms a connection from the shore to the glacier. The ridge has recently rapidly diminished due to melting and calving, where icebergs break off into the lagoon.

Traversing this ice ridge now poses significant danger. There is a risk of unstable ice formations giving way, as well as a risk of slipping and falling into the cold, deep glacial lagoons on either side of the ridge. Consequently, reaching the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue is far more difficult and hazardous than before.

Conditions on the route to Sólheimajökull have changed substantially from day to day, and uncertain how they will develop in the coming weeks and months. It is critical that people traveling in the area at their own exercise caution near the glacier tongue and do not venture onto unstable ice formations or areas where there is a risk of falling into cold, deep glacial lagoons.

Local mountain guides are monitoring these changes, and tour operators have currently cancelled trips as a precaution while looking into new and safer routes.