27.05.2021
180 km from Látrabjarg back to Ísafjörður
On the short walk back from the geocache location to the car I found some pretty flowers – summer is around the corner. The Sea Thrift or Sea Pink – Armeria Maritima – a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers – was still tiny and low this early in the season, but already shining pink and screaming for summer.
The small white wildflowers that grew in patches all over the cliff side, I could not identify. But they were abundant around here and looked really pretty as well.
Only reluctantly I tore away from the cliffs … but the parking lot was now engulfed in fog … there was no point in hanging around much longer … it was almost 13:00 by now and so I got comfortable back in my funny tiny car and started heading down #612 away from the bird cliffs of Látrabjarg. I had to back track the 46 km gravel track to reach The Westfjords Way #62 again.
When I arrived at Breiðavík Beach – said by many to be the finest beach in Iceland – set on a meadow encompassed by the huge crescent of glacier carved cliffs of Bjarnamupur and the aquamarine waters of the Atlantic Ocean – I did not stop … mainly because I was not really a beach person and it was not really beach weather today. I would have liked to have a look around the small cluster of houses that comprised the settlement … but around there … numerous No Parking signs made it obvious that visitors were not really welcome … strange for Iceland … but possibly understandable … in a regular high season it might not be as deserted at this end of the road … however, the close-by bird cliffs of Látrabjarg – a busy tourist draw – although mean that this quiet corner here might usually be isolated and forgotten.
Coming over the mountains it seemed I was above the clouds once more. Down below there thick misty clouds were wafting over the fjord and Örlygshöfn. They gave a somewhat even more mystic touch to the already most spellbinding scenery.
I passed Hnjótur Museum once more – it still looked very deserted. I just stopped for yet another photo. Quite frankliy – it was confusing as to why there would be an old US Navy Douglas C-117D hanging out on a farm in quite literally the middle of nowhere … Supposedly the farmer at Hnjótur, who has since passed on, received the plane as a gift from the times when the US military once had troops stationed in Iceland. It seems odd around here, though …
The gravel road skirted Patreksfjörður and was weaving in and out of the foggy clouds. Even now in the afternoon there was very little traffic. Nevertheless, I clutched the steering wheel … but I kept a steady speed. For a fleeting moment I had the notion to turn onto #614 South to Rauðasandur Beach – Red Sands Beach – an apparently beautiful red beach. Most beaches in Iceland are black, but the beaches in the Westfjords were golden or pink. It would have been some 10 km down a very rough gravel track – not yet an F-road, but probably not far off … I skipped that notion due to the time … I still had to go all the way back to Ísafjörður … and maybe … just maybe … I could find a hotpot somewhere along the road to take a warm dip …
The ship wreck Garðar BA 64 was still patiently awaiting its inevitable rusty fate in the sand of the shoreline. The clouds and sun made for a spectacular scene and just the perfect photo opportunity … I only stopped quickly by the roadside, though. Just a couple of photos and I was off again.
Shortly after passing the ship wreck I reached the main #62 Vestfjarðaleiðin – The Westfjords Way – once more. But instead of turning left backtracking the scenic route via Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur, I turned right towards the southern coast which was a slightly shorter route. Leaving Skápadalur Valley, the gravel road was climbing up to Kleifaheiði – a mountain pass linking Patreksfjörður with Barðaströnd. The construction of the road – over 60 years ago – was considered a major feat and it greatly improved communications in the Westfjords.
At the highest point of the pass – at 404 m above sea level – there was a cairn, an odd stack of stones in the shape of a man. Guiding stone cairns can be found plenty around here. In the old days, Icelanders created these stone cairns as a kind of guidance. A few 100 years ago, when the weather was really bad – which it often is in Iceland anyway – and roads were unpaved, Icelanders used those piles of rock to mark the way or specific places. Thus it had long been a tradition for road construction workers to erect a monument on completing a difficult stretch of road. This one here on Kleifaheiði was called Kleifabúi – meaning inhabitant of Kleif – and supposedly watched over those who travel the road.
The road itself was beautiful with rough rocky scenery and several smaller cairns marking the ancient trails that the roads were based on. It made for a memorable road trip. And what is part of a roadtrip? … finding secret boxes … taking countless photos … and having a picnic!
Located on the top of the moors, at their western edge of the pass, Kleifabúi was a huge stone statue in the shape of a man, with an arm pointing in the direction of the road – showing the way from Barðaströnd to Patreksfjarðarbotn. The statue served as a guard and protector for travelers. It is said to resemble Hákon J. Kristófersson (1877–1967) – a farmer and a congressman from the farm Hagi at Barðaströnd. Right in the base of the cairn was a geocache hidden, that I did not take long to find!
By now I was well over the clouds and the brilliant sunshine was warm. The parking lot next to the stone man was right next to a small creek and in a bit of a valley, so it was sheltered from the cold wind. I decided to have my picnic right here – it was around 14:30 and I was hungry by now … Before I could dig around the boot of the car in what I called my provisions bag, I could not help but notice the beating my funny little car had take riding those dirt tracks … it was not really white anymore …
Nevermind … I got out my sandwich essentials … and yes, I had bought crispy bread instead of toast bread or such. I am German … anything but the good German bread is not my favourite … and anyway, crispy bread is always crispy and does not get old so quickly … The picnic table was in the most perfect spot overlooking the creek and I had the warm sun in my face … a perfect moment.
Heading down the road towards the coast refreshed, I took in the changing scenery. The road from Kleifaheiði to Gilsfjörður on the south coast of the Westfjord peninsula is often referred to as Barðaströnd or the Barðaströnd Drive and is part of the main highway system in Iceland. The Barðaströnd drive has been considered by Icelanders for a long time to be one of the worst and most boring highways in Iceland. It is one of the few roads in the main highways that are not paved and considerable parts of the road are gravel roads and often poorly maintained – that was clearly changing now with it being integrated in the Vestfjarðaleiðin – The Westfjords Way.
Barðaströnd is an area of historical interest and the place where Flóki Vilgerðarson – who was in the 9th century the first Norseman to intentionally sail to Iceland – set up a winter camp. His story is documented in the Landnámabók manuscript. However, the precise year of his arrival is not clear.
The coastline was dotted with many farms. Red-roofed buildings were sprinkled on the grassy lowlands that stretched in front of steep mountain slopes with a few small bush-covered valleys. I had already missed spotting the in Iceland ever-present Sheep … there had not been any in the barren landscape of the mountains … now there were plenty along the road … or in the middle of the now paved road. They were clearly annoyed that I had to pass with the car on their road …
Breiðafjörður – literally translating to wide fjord – is a large shallow bay approx 50 km wide and 125 km long. It separates the region of the Westfjords from the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to the south. Today I only drove along the coast as far as the road junction at Flókalundur. On the way I passed cruised by many small houses near the shoreline that looked like weekend or holiday homes … some seemed to be abandoned old farm houses …
I did look out for the dock of the Brjánslækur ferry located on the mouth of Vatnsfjörður, one of the small fjords reaching inland from Breiðafjörður. Besides the ferry slip and an old shellfish factory, there was not much … The ferry Baldur would have been a comfortable way to cross Breiðafjörður on my way to Snæfellsnes Peninsula tomorrow … The trip across Breiðafjörður takes around 2.5 hrs – much less than the drive around – and would cost probably as much as the gasoline my funny little car would use for the drive. But the ferry dock was so non-descipt … I literally missed it when driving past … same as the turn off for the protected ruins Flókatóftir, which were believed to be the ruins of Hrafna-Flóki’s settlement.
Iceland owes its name to Hrafna-Flóki or Raven-Floki. After a long navigation from Norway, he landed here in Vatnsfjörður fjord. As a navigational aid, he brought some Ravens along, which he let loose at sea, directing him to land – hence his nickname. Flóki only stayed for one winter, as he was not prepared for the cold and hardship. In the spring, Flóki hiked to a nearby mountain top. Seeing the surrounding fjords all full of ice, he announced that this cold and inhospitable place should be called Iceland.
At Flókalundur I reached Vestfjarðavegur #60 – now also part of the Westfjords Way – again and turned left towards the north and Ísafjörður. It was approx 89 km to reach the town from here and I planned to be there around 18:00. I wanted to check the supermarket before it closed and also to have a walk around town tonight. Besides, along the way a few photo stops and a couple of secret boxes I had sidethis morning where on my mind.
The gravel road was under heavy construction at the moment. It looked as if The Westfjords Way was seriously being upgraded. At this point it was just a huge construction site and huge machinery was in use. I could only drive extremely slow … not only because I had to wait for the trucks to move, but also because the track condition was atrocious and for the first time I was slightly worried for my funny little car … but we made it unscathed … maybe because another stone man stood guidance next to the road.
Once more the road was climbing up into the mountains crossing the plateau of Hornatær. The area has several distinctive peaks of approx 700 m height. Hrafna-Flóki was probably standing on one of these peaks when he saw pack ice in the fjord below and gave the country its name.
On a viewpoint at Dynjandisheiði I stopped for photos. I parked the car and walked some 50 m up the ridge. The views from here down to the Suðurfirðir – the side fjords of Arnarfjörður – were stunning. In the far far distance the misty clouds were still hanging over the fjord surface … I had passed there only a few hours ago … now I was standing up here in brilliant sunshine and an incredible warmth …
And even though I thought I had previously saved all suitable active geocaches along my route, I had a notion to check the live map once more … such a viewpoint just called for a geocache … and what can I say … indeed I had overlooked a GPS marker! The problem was, internet connection was very weak up here in the mountains and I could not download the cache details. Good thing I had an offline map on my mobile and the cache marker showed up there. That was not the best prerequisite for a successful find, but with my luck it would be hidden – under rocks – as most of the geocaches along the roads in Iceland … While the mobile phone still tried to download the listing I was already hard at search … there were many rocks to look under … but after not too long my cacher instinct led me to the right rock … and there it was! Success! … Once I had signed the logbook and hidden the box again – under rocks – the mobile had finished downloading and the listing assured me I had found the correct cache … Well, thank you! I managed without you!
Only a few kilometers on, the road wound down towards Arnarfjörður again. On my way back now I wanted to stop at the magnificent Dynjandi Waterfall – the biggest waterfall in the region and called the Jewel of the Westfjords. This magnificent waterfall was not easily reached – it is kind of tucked away between 2 mountain passes – Dynjandisheiði to the south and Hrafnseyrarheiði to the north. I had seen it this morning, but the light had been behind it as it was facing west. However, now the sun was still high up in the sky but slightly over the zenith and thus perfect. I could already see the waterfall from afar as my funny little car wobbled down the gravel track.
Parking the car I realized it was indeed very warm this afternoon. So I took only one jacket and left also the gadget bag behind. Grabbing the camera and mobile phone I got out of the car and admired Dynjandi Waterfall. There was a secret box hidden up near the falls and also an Earth Cache located here. Off I was heading up the deserted trail … there were only like 3 other cars in the parking lot today.
Dynjandi – or Fjallfoss as it is often called – cascades approx 100 m and is said to be looking exactly like a beautiful bridal veil. On top, it is 30 m wide and widens up to 60 m at the bottom. There are 6 other waterfalls below Dynjandi, which the trail passed on the way up to the biggest waterfall. It was quite a scenic route with quite a climb up …
While hiking up, I collected answers for the Earth Cache … well, I took photos of the info boards near the parking lot and would make up the answers later … I passed the smaller falls on the way up. Their names were – from above according to the map by the parking lot – Hæstahjallafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, Göngumannafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Kvíslarfoss, Hundafoss and Bæjarfoss (Sjóarfoss). They were all beautiful and made for awesome photos.
I took a small detour to find the secret box, of course. It was supposed to be located slightly off the marked path. I searched for quite a while … getting constantly distracted by the magnificent views … but even with a spoiler photo – which was probably several years old – I was not successful and gave up … for now …
Reaching the natural plateau below the main Dynjandi Falls I was absolutely in awe! The Icelandic term dynjandi means thunderous or resounding and hearing the thunderous sounds of it I had to deem it absolutely true.
There were many beautiful angles to Dynjandi, but it was so hard to actually capture the sheer size of the waterfall in a photo … to show, how huge this amazing waterfall actually was, was hard … By now the sun was almost searing … I had to take my jacket off so hot it was … all of 16°C! … it was absolutely windless up here and just … beautiful.
With all the awe of this breathtaking sight, I did not fail to remember that secret box close by … I was not going to give up on this one and checked once more all the photos submitted by cachers who logged this secret box as a found online and uploaded a photo. That did not help me much … in the end I had done like before … looked under every rock, in every crook and cranny … and was successful! Yeah!
Happily I headed back to the parking lot and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather and the absolutely stunning views … and of course I found many more photo opportunities. Be it pretty pink flowers or another angle of one of the amazing waterfalls …
Tearing myself away from the gorgeous scenery of the falls, I got back in the car and quickly I was back on the road. Soon I reached Dýrafjarðargöng – the newest tunnel in Iceland connecting Arnarfjörður and Dýrafjörður – and with it the asphalted road. The Vestfjarðavegur comes from the south of Borgarfjörður and is led into the 5601 m long tunnel. Of this, 5301 m were dug through the mountain, the additional length results from avalanche protection tunnels at both portals. The southern tunnel entrance is 35 m above sea level. The road rises in the tunnel with 1.5% up to 90 m to end with the same gradient at 67 m height in the north further east in Dýrafjörður. In addition to the tunnel, 8.1 km of new roads were built. This 2020 opened tunnel shortens Vestfjarðarvegur by nearly 28 km and is important in linking north and south parts of the Westfjords. It relieves the mountain pass that is unpaved and closed most of the year.
I did not linger anymore along the way back to town. With the asphalted road now I stepped on the gas – never over the speed limit of course. But every now and again I had to take photos of the surroundings. With this beautiful weather and the blue sky, the snowy mountain tops glistered in the afternoon light.
Around 18:00 I reached Vestfjarðagöng – often also called Breiðadals-og-Botnsheiðar tunnel – which was opened in 1995 and is the longest continuous tunnel of Iceland. It has a total lenght of 9120 m. The exciting thing here was that it has an intersection in the tunnel – there are 3 entrances / exits. Only the part from the intersection to Ísafjörður is two-lane, the rest is single-lane and there are alternative bays every 100 m or so to give way to oncoming traffic – which made the passage exciting, because assessing the oncoming traffic here was still a matter of luck for me. Lucky I was that traffic was virtually none existent this evening … or coming from the south I basically had the right of way in the one-lane section.
Coming out of the tunnel it was not far anymore to the town of Ísafjörður – meaning ice fjord or fjord of ice. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger fjord Ísafjarðardjúp. With a population of about 2600, Ísafjörður is the largest settlement of the Westfjords. The weather was incredible still and the afternoon light let the fjord sparkle in azure and the snow capped mountains glister.
I reached Ísafjörður Hostel approx 18:30. Once I parked the car, I run across the street to netto supermarket for some groceries. Luckily it was open until 19:00. Rummaging for more crispy bread, some cheese and skyr, on an impulse I splurged in a steak. To accompany that, I found some salad and an avocado. It all came to some ISK 4000. Satisfied I happily wandered back to the hostel.
Back in the hostel I was still alone. Oh well, nice. Straightaway I got dinner started. Unfortunately the kitchen here was not as well equipped as in the guesthouses before. At least there had been some oil and some salt and pepper before, in some even more condiments. Here … was … nothing … While I had known about the oil and had looked for a small sized bottle or a small piece of butter in the supermarket, I had not found anything suitable and I was not going to buy and carry or donate a big bottle of expensive oil either. So I hoped the available pan was non-stick coated and would cook my steak anyway. In fact, it did … though with a lot of smoke and a lot of scrubbing the pan afterwards … but it did.
At least I had all the fixings for the salad. I had bought a mix for salad dressing and instead of mixing it with oil and water, I stirred it into plain skyr to make a skyr-herb-dressing. The avocado I mashed up and put it in plain skyr as well, a bit of salt and pepper and I had a dip for the steak. Et voilà!
Next door was a pub and everybody sat outside in the evening sun. So I figured I could do the same! I put one of the small couch tables in front of the house – there was a door from the kitchen out to the small garden which I figured would be used as a terrace in the summer. A kitchen chair came out as well and I had dinner in the sun with a beautiful view towards the fjord and the snowy mountains.
After dinner I cleaned up the kitchen and then went for a walk through the neighbourhood to find 2 geocaches. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains and the town was in the shade now. That also meant it was getting cold. It was around 21:00, but I wanted to find those secret boxes, because I knew tomorrow morning I would want to leave early again and not have the time to look for them. One was hidden in the yard of Café Faktorhus which was just a couple of blocks behind the hostel. The Café was closed, but apparently it was allowed to go in the yard to search the secret box in an old pump well. It was a very pretty location, but unfortunately there was no box … I turned every stone … nothing … A couple strolled by on their evening walk and they eyed me suspiciously … so I gave up the search … But I logged it anyway as photolog …
According to Iceland’s Book of Settlement, the fjord Skutulsfjörður was first settled in the 9th century by a man called Helgi Magri Hrólfsson. Around the 16th century, Ísafjörður grew rapidly due to it becoming a merchant trading post. The town was granted municipal status in 1786.The oldest house still standing in Iceland – built in 1734 – is today part of the local folk museum. The area also includes the most extensive body of old timber frame houses in the country, constructed in the 18th century by foreign traders. One of these was Tjöruhús – now a seafood restaurant – and another Turnhús – now a maritime museum. Throughout its history, Ísafjörður has been one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. Several factors – a fishing restriction in the 1980s, drops in the fish population and monopolisation from bigger fisheries in Reykjavík – have led to a sizeable decline in the town’s population. In recent years, the tourism industry has yet again created local jobs and economic prosperity for the town. The town now has many hotels and hostels, restaurants and cafés and tour operators.
The second geocache I had set my eyes on was an easy one. The GPS marker pointed to the center of a traffic circle … and I could see the box already from afar … A geocacher before had not hidden it properly … or some not initiated person had accidentally found it and not known to hide it again … I quickly signed the logbook and then put the box back in its proper place.
Having been successful in my mission, I trotted back to the close-by hostel. It had been another eventful and long day. A quick shower, a nightcap while trying to check some photos and in no time I was asleep.
28.05.2021
423 km Ísafjörður Hostel in the Westfjords to The Freezer Hostel & Cultural Center at Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Wake up an hour early to live an hour more.
Unknown
My alarm rang at 04:45 this morning. Since I had another long roadtrip ahead of me, I wanted an early start. But I still had to sort some photos to post for the family back home and jot down some notes in the journal before getting on the road. I had some sort of routine in this mastered and was done quickly. The packing was done quickly as well. I had to throw away the left over salad I bought yesterday … I had wanted to have it for dinner today, but the fridge of the hostel was more a freezer and the salad was done now … pity … it had been an expensive salad. Everything else had survived the freezing and by 06:30 everything was in the car and I had done a last check of the hostel so not to forget anything.
I drove the few hundred meters to Hotel Ísafjörður to drop the key. The receptionist was preparing breakfast for the hotel guests, but I found him anyway. He was surprised when I told him, I had been all alone in the hostel for the 2 nights, but then he remembered that the big school class was arriving today to stay over the weekend … Phew, I had had been lucky …
It was cloudy this morning, rather grey and a light drizzle was hitting the windshield as I drove out of town. Before I turned onto #60 Vestfjarðaleiðin at the end of the fjord, I stopped at Orkan gas station. Usually this is the least expensive fuel station … not around here, though. Same price as in town at N1 … nevertheless I had to fill up the car … always be prepared, they said … It took ISK 5600 for 23.6 liters … but I was on the save side now.
I had a long way ahead of me … all the way to the end of Snæfellsnes Peninsula. I had booked 2 nights at The Freezer Hostel in Rifi, because it had been the cheapest option for € 21 per night at a 6 bed dorm. With my talent of getting distracted by photo opportunities and hotpots and considering the road conditions, it would take me all day to manage the more than 400 km … google said 6 hrs … Ha! What does google know?!
The first 89 km to reach the southern coast of the Westfjords, I had to take the same road as yesterday, of course – through the long tunnels, past the huge waterfall, over the snowy mountain plateau and via the rough construction site. I made good time – there was nearly no traffic this early in the morning. I met all of 3 cars until I reached the southern coast by 08:00.
It was the perfect time for a warm morning bath! I had already decided that and looked up Hellulaug on google maps. Hellulaug is a geothermal pool which is located right on the beach and cannot be seen from the road. So when I had passed the junction at Flókalundur yesterday afternoon, I had already craned my neck for it … google maps stated it to be south on #62 just before the junction … there would usually be some sort of sign … but nothing … the satellite image showed a gravel track leading down and I was brave enough to turned my funny little car onto it … I did not get far … less than 100 m … before I decided to not risk it. I made … let’s just say … an 8-point-turn on the track … and then parked the car by the roadside at the turn off. I was determined to have my bath!
I grabbed the camera gadget bag and my bathing stuff and headed on foot down this track … google leading the way … somehow I was not sure if I would be successful … however, after the Fosslaug near Varmahlíð the other day … I was open for everything … I passed a car parked in the bushes. Clearly those guys had slept in the car, but were looking at me so surprised, that I did not dare to ask for directions … At the end of the track I had reached the coast and there even was a hut … but no hotpot … What a pity! Disappointed I headed back to the car. This time I was making my way cross-country through the bushes to the main road and then back to my car. I was still looking out for a sign I might have missed that this hotpot was somewhere close … but nothing …
Disillusioned I got into the car and turned on #60 east now … getting on the way to Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Less than a km on … I had just started to accelerate on the asphalted road … I did spot a sign out of the corner of my eye … WAIT! … Did it say Hellulaug? … I stepped on the breaks – luckily there was no traffic this early – and reversed in the middle of the road for some 100 m … There was a parking lot! And the now already familiar sign for pool … I found it! Unbelievable!
Later I found out that google maps had fooled me with having 2 markers for Hellulaug and I had plainly looked up the wrong one. The parking lot was deserted and so was the small pool below! Happily I gathered all the bags once more and hiked down the clearly marked path.
Hellulaug is a natural geothermal pool directly by the beach of Vatnsfjörður under a big rock. It is not visible from the main road, just from above at the parking lot.
There was no changing area either … however there was kind of a rockwall to hide behind from the cold wind blowing off the fjord and park the dry stuff. Before I changed into my swim suit I did set up the camera on its tripod and connected it to the remote controlling app on my mobile phone. That was a quick affair and as quickly I had changed and climbed into the soothing warm water.
The pool was approx 90 cm deep and the temperature of the water was about 38°C – definitely warmer than Fosslaug the other day. The geothermal water comes from a well next to the parking lot through a borehole above the pool. It was awesome sitting there with the view of the ocean and Vatnsfjörður fjord!
The locals apparently swim in the cold fjord after the warm bath at high tide … Not me, though … I was totally happy lounging in the hotpot … the view was just spectacular … it made this quite a unique experience … and made up for all the effort finding it!
Totally content I climbed out of the blissfully warm water after nearly 45 min and quickly changed and bundled up. By 09:30 I was back on the road heading east. Vestfjarðaleiðin – The Westfjords Way – #60 was closely skirting the southern coast now and this part was often referred to as Barðaströnd or the Barðaströnd drive. For a long time, it had been considered by Icelanders to be one of the worst and most boring highways in the country. It had been one of the few roads in the main highway system that for decades had not been paved and considerable parts of the road were often poorly maintained gravel roads. So it was supposedly not the most interesting of roads in Iceland – from the car’s perspective or the local driver’s perspective that might be in a hurry to go home. Since approximately fall 2020 however, the opening of the Westfjords Way – here also marketed as the Ring Road #2 – has changed this opinion considerably.
The main purpose of the Ring Road #2 was to encourage visitors to spend longer in the Westfjords area – most tourists had simply bypassed the Westfjords when circling the island on Ring Road # 1. However, with the unveiling of the Ring Road #2, heavy construction work had been taking place and streamlined the access of this route. Now most of the coastal road was proper asphalt and I could make good time … if I were not distracted by photo opportunities all the time …
As my journey progressed across Iceland,
words began to fail me
so that all I could do was circle a fjord and write … Wow.
Andrew Evan
This road was one of the most spectacular drives in Iceland with stunning landscape – amazingly beautiful. The view over the Breiðafjörður to the south was awesome. The weather had cleared up slightly and I could see the snowcapped mountains of Snaefellsnes Peninsula at the far side of the fjord. This was where I was headed today …
Breiðafjörður is a large shallow bay – approx 50 km wide and 125 km long which separates the region of the Westfjords from the Snæfellsnes peninsula to the south. It is encircled by mountains, including the Látrabjarg bird cliffs at the tip of the Westfjords and Kirkjufell and the glacier Snæfellsjökull on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. An interesting feature of the fjord is that the land to the north was formed about 15 mio years ago, whereas the land to the south was formed less than half that time ago. Breiðafjörður has a spectacular land and seascape consisting of shallow seas, small fjords and bays as well as intertidal areas, dotted with about 3000 islands, islets and skerries. The area contains about half of Iceland’s intertidal area and tides can be up to 6 m. It consists mainly of basaltic lava formed during rift volcanism in the late Tertiary that was deeply eroded by glaciers during the quaternary age, creating a diverse landscape. There are several geothermal sites, some visible only at low tide.
Numerous smaller fjords extend inland from the main fjord – the road winding along each and every one o them. It was a different landscape from the northern route along Ísafjarðardjúp I drove when I was arriving in the Westfjords the other day. Leaving Vatnsfjörður the next bay over was Kjálkafjörður located between the peninsulas Harðarnes and Litlanes, which rise up to a height of 571 m. The Vestfjarðavegur circled the fjord for 15 km. Since 2014, a dam and a new bridge have shortened this route, which was leading directly into Kerlingarfjörður. This one is barely 3 km wide and extends about 7 km in land. The narrow Mjóifjörður branches off at the end of the fjord, but the entrance to the fjord was closed with dams in 2014 and there is only an exchange of water under a 160 m long bridge now. The road crossed that bridge to then cut over the narrowest end of the mountainous Skálmarnes peninsula. It had the shape of a triangle between Kerlingarfjörður and Skálmarfjörður, connected to the southern foothills of the Þingmannaheiði by a narrow land bridge. About 350 m high, girded on all sides by steep walls, the peninsula has only a little underland at the southern end.
Now the road did not follow the coastline of those small fjords now, but rather crossed over the narrowest parts of the peninsulas created by the fjords. The 2.5 km wide and 15 km long Skálmarfjörður – Icelandic for trouserlegfjord – was next and had roughly the shape of a boot like Italy – when viewed on the map. The short sidefjord Vattarfjörður formed the broad ledge. Vestfjarðavegur #60 ran only in the narrow toe of this boot on the north coast. To the east of the fjord, the Svínanes headland rose to a height of 470 m. The very narrow but long Kvígindisfjörður – 1.5 km wide and extending 10 km inland – was separating this headland from the next. On the fjords east bank there was a slope up to Kollafjörður on the other side of Bæjarnes peninsula with its mountain top of Bæjarnesfjall at an altitude of 393 m. Unlike with the neighboring fjords, Vestfjarðavegur #60 did not reach the banks of Kvígindisfjörður.
This Kollafjörður – east of Kvígindisfjörður – is barely 3 km wide but extends approx 14 km inland. The road descended to the shore again and ran along the coast. At the top end of Kollafjörður, the F-road #66 branched off to the north via Kollafjarðarheiði to the Ísafjörður fjord – I had stopped at the northern end of this some 25 km long challenging gravel track connecting #60 with #61.
The drive around Kollafjörður was long and beautiful. On my left hand Skálanesfjall was rising to an elevation of 307 m. The peninsula jutted out into Breiðafjörður – vistas over the bay and across to Snæfellsnes peninsula were breathtaking.
Some small – seemingly abandoned – huts were scattered across the lowlands below the hills and along the shoreline. I stopped often to take photos and admire the scenery. There was very little traffic still … so it was no problem to stop by the roadside for photos.
Coming around this peninsula the road changed to gravel once more and reached Þorskafjörður – Icelandic for codfjord – which extends 16 km inland and is up to 1.5 km wide. Gufufjörður and Djúpifjörður branch off at the fjord entrance. Gufufjörður is first and is so flat that it can be mistaken for a watt.
Djúpifjörður’s mouth between the headlands of Grónes and Hallsteinsnes wass less than a kilometer wide, with several islands in front of it. The fjord protruded 6 km inland. It was beautiful for sure … the gravel road an adventure …
Along the inner part of Þorskafjörður, 12 km of the Vestfjarðavegur #60 ran along its coast. At the head of the fjord Þorskafjarðarvegur #608 branched off – it wasleading 23 km north over the Þorskafjarðarheiði to Djúpvegur #61, the main connection to Ísafjörður.
The isthmus between Þorskafjörður in the north and Berufjörður in the south is almost 3 km wide. Berufjörður is a short fjord between the Borgarnes and Reykjanes peninsulas, in which there are many islets with eider duck colonies. A farm of the same name is located at the head of the fjord.
Next I passed Króksfjörður – a short and shallow fjord on the northeast side of Breiðafjörður and one of the southernmost fjords of the Westfjords. The fjord was closest to Berufjörður to the west and Gilsfjörður to the east. From Króksfjörður a year-round road – #61 in fact – that opened in the autumn of 2009 led through Gautsdalur and then Arnkötludalur to Steingrímsfjörður near Hólmavík on the north coast of the region. There was a considerable amount of settlement along the fjord and some of the lowlands.
Finally, I also had the chance to find the first geocache of the day! Between Króksfjörður and Gilsfjörður there was a small headland – Króksfjarðarnes – and an eponymous service center on it. Close to this was a picnic area with great views over the fjord. Unfortunately the weather had deteriorated considerably. The sun that had come out frequently all morning was now hiding behind enormous clouds and the wind was very cold. Nevertheless, after I had pulled up as close as possible to the cache coordinates, I got out of the car bundled up in jackets and went in search of the secret box. The listing stated – below the “finger” looking rock … There were many rocks, of course … none looked like a finger … I had to brave the seemingly freezing wind and my fingers got really cold, but eventually I spotted the box and signed the logbook.
I had made good time and already covered more than half of today’s distance. So it was time for a little lunchtime snack. It was much too cold to have a picnic outside … so a Skyr in the car had to do. I turned the car to have a better view of the fjord … it was a great spot … imagine that on a clear summer day …
Shortly the Westfjords Way crossed Gilsfjörður over a long dam. The fjord was an extension of the Breiðafjörður and extended in an easterly direction approx 10 km inland. A folk legend tells that trolls are said to have dug this fjord – as well as the Breiðafjörður. The trolls dug here because they wanted to separate the Westfjords region from the main island and make it their own troll empire.
With that I also left the Westfjords Region and entered Vesturland – West Iceland – another one of the 8 regions of Iceland. Road #60 was still called Vestfjarðaleiðin – The Westfjords Way – until it would reach Ring Road #1 in another 90 km or so. It cut across Klofningsnes – an approx 800 km² large peninsula between the Westfjords and Snæfellsnes. Its north coast was called Skarðsströnd and extended to Gilsfjörður, while Hvammsfjörður was in front of the Fellsströnd, its south coast.
I was fascinated by the strange UFO clouds hovering over the mountains ahead of me now. Those were lenticular clouds – the Latin Lenticularis means lentil-shaped – stationary clouds that form mostly in the troposphere, typically in parallel alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or saucer. There are 3 main types of lenticular clouds – altocumulus standing lenticular (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular (SCSL)and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL) – varying in altitude above the ground. Because of their unique appearance, they have been suggested as an explanation for some unidentified flying object – UFO – sightings.
There were no geocaches along the way here either … but the road was good asphalt again and there was slightly more traffic … if that was because I was closer to Reykjavik and the Ring Road #1 now or because it was getting afternoon … I would not know. However, those UFO clouds were really putting a sort of apocalyptic spell on the landscape and the light … As air travels along the surface of the Earth, obstructions are often encountered. These include both natural features of the Earth – such as mountains or hills – and artificial structures – such as buildings and other structures. These disrupt the flow of air into “eddies” or areas of turbulence influenced by these obstructions. When moist, stable air flows over a larger eddy – such as those caused by mountains – a series of large-scale standing waves form on the leeward side of the mountain. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops below the local dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds.
Then I reached the coast of Hvammsfjörður – a side fjord of Breiðafjörður and separated from it by a large number of small islands. The L- or boot-shaped fjord was approx 40 km long and approx 9 km wide. The north bank formed the Klofningsnes peninsula, the south bank the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The largest town on the fjord was Búðardalur, which the road just bypassed. Despite the grey weather, I could make out the snowcapped mountains of Snæfellsnes Peninsula. But it did look as if it was heavily raining over the fjord …
I knew I was almost at my destination when I finally turned off the Westfjords Way onto road #54 – Snæfellsnesvegur westwards. It was the main road on Snæfellsnes peninsula. Only a couple of kilometers down the road huge signs stated the gravel track was starting … That was another sign for being back in civilization … and in daytrip distance from the capital city … in the Westfjords there were virtually no signs for that … gravel tracks had to be expected … but here closer to the Ring Road #1 and the more frequented tourist circuit … huge signs were screaming … GRAVEL ROAD AHEAD! … Oooookkaaaayyyy, I got you!
The first 25 km or so the road followed Skogarströnd, the southern banks of Hvammsfjörður. The fjord was visible in the distance to the north. The landscape was sparse and rather flat … comparably … still there was very little traffic … But those UFO clouds ahead of me … they were back … or rather here as well … it sure was a weird scenario … as if the weather had a bipolar disorder … short sunny spots with blue sky followed UFO clouds with strange light conditions … grey rainy section were frequent … and it was windy … really windy … I expcted it to start snowing any minute …
Past the junction with #55 leading south, the road followed the coast more closely. More houses appeared in prime fjord-view locations. They all looked like weekend homes or vacation properties. But this early in such a strange year they also seemed deserted.
Coming closer towards the road skirted the coastline of Hvammsfjörður whose entrance was sort of “blocked” by numerous smaller and larger islands. For the first time I could catch a glimpse of Stykkishólmur – the largest town on the Snæfellsnes peninsula – in the far distance.
Álftafjörður was a narrow fjord – a southern branch of the Breiðafjörður and located in the very east of the peninsula close to Stykkishólmur. The mountains of Eyrarfjall – also called Narfeyrarfjall and 382 m high – and Úlfarsfell limit it to the east and west. Driving around the fjord, the weather had pity with me and the clouds opened to give me a fantastic clear view of a large number of snowcapped mountain passages. Apparently they were once dykes for lava.
The word Snæfellsnes was quite a bit of a mouthful for foreigners … I can certainly not pronounce it … It translates to Snow Mount’s Peninsula – an apt name for a long peninsula that sports a volcano crowned with a glacier on its far tip. In fact, the words apparently are somewhat similar to English – Snæ means snow, fells is also used in old English meaning mountain or hill and the Icelandic word nes looks like an abbreviation of the longer word peninsula in English … is what they say … I was certainly mesmerized by the views as the road circled the fjord …
Reaching the junction for Stykkishólmsvegur, I decided on a whim to follow road #58 into town. It was a approx 10 km to the center and the ferry dock. I did not really have a plan, so I just drove to the end of the road and parked by the harbour. I did not get out – it was simply too windy … It was just before 15:00 this afternoon and funnily enough exactely then the ferry from Brjánslækur arrived … So there had been one today after all … Well … it would not have saved me any time … or money … as I probably blew as much gasoline as the ferry ticket would have cost … but it would have been fun … I could kick myself for not having done proper research before …
For now I sat in the car and checked if there were any secret boxes hidden around here. And indeed, there was one across the harbour on the small basalt island Súgandisey, which sheltered the town from the northern winds. Súgandisey was connected to land by a road around the harbour to the ferry terminus. From there it was possible to walk up to a beautiful cliff and a viewpoint overlooking Stykkishólmur. On the highest point of the basalt island stood Súgandisey Lighthouse which supports the navigation in Breiðafjörður. The steel tower – only 3.5 m high – is painted red with the exception of the yellow base. It was built in 1948 and was once located at Grótta in Seltjarnarnes town, which is part of the Great Reykjavík area, but was moved to Súgandisey. The geocache was located on top of Súgandisey Island … I thought about taking this hike only briefly … considering the howling wind outside … it was an easy decision … I took a photolog …
Instead I drove through town. Stykkishólmur was a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people here made their living from fishing and tourism. The origin of Stykkishólmur can be traced to its natural harbor. The location became an important trading post early in Iceland’s history – the first trading post in Stykkishólmur was traced back to the mid-16th century – even before Denmark implemented the Danish-Icelandic Trade Monopoly which lasted from 1602 to 1787. From that time trading had been at the heart of the settlement’s history.
There were a lot of pretty houses. I turned a couple circles to look at them all. I always liked the different colour in which the houses were painted in Iceland. The colour was necessary because most buildings look more like garages otherwise … This was mainly due to Iceland’s lack of natural raw building materials such as wood and stone – so most buildings were made from concrete and corrugated steel and painted in charming colours.
Another geocache was hidden next to Stykkishólmskirkja – a white concrete structure standing prominently on a hill overlooking the town. The parking lot was empty and the church was closed, unfortunately. But I braved the strong and very cold wind, grabbed camera, mobile and pen and went around to find the secret box. I funny little car sat there enjoying the view … it did not look really white anymore … it was totally dusty inside and outside by now …
All around the country there were unique, modernist church masterpieces that reflect mythology, nature and the country’s turbulent history. And Stykkishólmskirkja was one of them. I had seen it from afar and took the opportunity to have a closer look … that a secret box was close by … the better. I had encountered several of such rather futuristic churches on my tours. These geometric, often asymmetrical buildings looked like the dwellings of the “hidden folk” of Icelandic mythology, perhaps the last refuges of the ice giants Odin had been unable to exterminate. But in fact, they were simply Icelandic interpretations of communal staples and examples of Iceland’s unique take on modernist architecture. While modernist churches were certainly not unique to Iceland, its approach to the movement seemed singular in that it was deeply informed by its cultural history and landscape.
Icelandic Modernism was born of a 20th-Century push to create a distinctive architectural style after centuries of Norwegian – followed by Danish – rule. The brightly coloured timber houses that line the streets of Icelandic towns were often wholly imported from Norway and 19th-Century stone houses were mostly designed by the Danish government. It was not until cement – a material that could endure the harsh climate and that did not have to be imported – was introduced, that a uniquely Icelandic style could be created.
The new concrete church of Stykkishólmur was located just outside the center and had a striking shape which was designed by the architect Jón Haraldsson. The building with its 300 seats was inaugurated in 1990. The entrance was located between 2 sweeping arms leading up to the belltower. Some say its appearance incongruous against the surrounding landscape. I found it quite extraordinary. The church was also used as a concert venue due to its special acoustics.
From behind the church the view over the town was beautiful as well. Again I noticed the many colourful houses. But also looking over the bay was impressive with the contrast of the dark rain clouds rolling in, the fjord and the colours …
The search for the geocache was no fun … the wind was freezing and the hint in the listing stated once more – under rocks … yeah, well … there were plenty rocks around to no surprise … I looked under each and every one of them and in each and every crevice … I think, I found the original location … but there was no box … under none of those rocks … I was getting cold and frustrated by now and did what I do in such a situation … take a minute to enjoy the view and … photolog!
Before leaving town I stopped at Bonus Supermarket to get some chocolate. Since Stykkishólmur was by far the largest town in the area, it was the best bet to find grocery shops, bakeries, restaurants etc. During roadtrips I am always munching on something … unless I pack the food in the trunk and only get the snacks out for a picnic. Today with this cold and windy weather, I had the snacks up front … and finished all the cookies and chocolate … So Bonus supermarket was a got choice. It was one of the cheaper options in any case … but I did find some chocolate cookies … and since I love checking out supermarkets, I did explore … and I found … Believe it! … Lava Skyr! … YES! … Salted caramel Skyr … That might easily become my favourite Skyr ever … without even tasting it …
And then I also found a ready-made Plokkfiskur. I had not been looking for a dinner dish … I still had plenty of noodles … but that was a find. Plokkfiskur was a simple dish – sort of a mash of potato, sauteéd onions, haddock and bechamel. We had tried it on our Tour in 2019 in a restaurant and I had really liked it. The ready-made version was cheap, so I took it. My shopping came to ISK 1100 today, which I thought was very reasonable for what I got.
By now it was 15:45, but I had made considerably good time today. I still had a good 70 km to go, though … and a couple of geocaches in mind … The weather, however … those big fat dark clouds had finally caught up with me and it started raining. As I made it back to Snæfellsnesvegur #54, I turned westwards again. The area here seemed more inhabited. Farmhouses were scattered around the pastures below the mountains.
Despite the miserable weather, the views were stunning, especially as the road reached Kolgrafafjörður – a branch of the Urtuvalafjörður which divided into Kolgrafafjörður and Hraunsfjörður. On the west side, the fjord bordered on the Framsveit peninsula, which separated it from the Grundarfjörður. To the southeast sat the mountain Kolgrafamúli and to the northeast the mountain Bjarnarhafnarfjall. The road soon crossed an ancient lava field called Berserkjahraun. The name of the lava field came from the Eyrbyggja saga, according to which 2 Berserkers were slain here by their master, because one of them fell in love with his master’s daughter.
The Snæfellsnesvegur #54 had been crossing the Kolgrafafjörður on a 230 m long bridge since 2004. The dams and other construction work on the bridge apparently have led to a rapid drop in oxygen in the water of the fjord. At the end of 2012, 25000 to 30000 tons of herrings perished from a lack of oxygen and in February 2013 a further 10000 tons were washed up dead. Before the dam and bridge were built, Snæfellsnesvegur had circled the entire fjord.
As I was driving in the intermittent rain, a rainbow appeared over Kolgrafafjörður and I stopped for a couple of photos. Rainbows are familiar sights in Iceland – most probably due to the ever changing weather – and many poems and stories have been written about them. In Icelandic and Old Norse mythology, Bifröst is a burning rainbow bridge that connects heaven and earth. It reaches between Midgard – the world – and Asgard – heaven – as described in the Prose Edda and Ynglinga Saga, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.
My next destination was almost at the very western end of the peninsula. So I just had to follow the road which a few kilometers on passed the small town of Grundarfjörður situated between a mountain range and the name-giving fjord. A side fjord of Breiðafjörður, Grundarfjörður was bounded by peninsulas on 3 sides – in the west the conspicuously conical volcanic mountain Kirkjufell, further to the west the mountainous peninsula with the mountain Stöðin protruding into the Breiðafjörður and delimiting Grundarfjörður from the larger fjord and to the east another mountainous peninsula called Framsveit. Grundarfjörður town was small and had an approx population of 870 people. Before I could think of stopping and having a look at the pretty houses … I had already passed the town … it was pouring down with rain now anyway …
Less than a kilometer outside of the town there was a parking lot next to the road with a viewpoint of the famous mountain Kirkjufell. Kirkjufell was by now an iconic mountain in Iceland. “A mountain shaped like an arrowhead”, was the description it was given in Game of Thrones … it was one of the filming locations for season 6 and 7, featuring as the arrowhead mountain that the Hound and the company north of the Wall see when capturing a white walker … not that I would know that … I have never seen even one episode of it …
However, long before the mountain was included in this world-known TV series it had been luring photographers and nature enthusiasts to visit it. Kirkjufell – Icelandic for Church Mountain – is a 463 m high mountain which is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in the country. It contains volcanic rock, but is not a volcano. It is a former nunatak, a mountain that protruded above the glaciers surrounding it during the Ice Age, and before that was part of what was once the area’s strata. This strata is composed of alternating layers of Pleistocene lava and sandstone, with tuff at its summit.
Despite the weather I stopped at the viewpoint since there was an Earth Cache marker here. Quickly I braved the weather and hopped out of the car to take photos of the information boards to figure out the answers later … a quick photo and off I was again.
I had actually planned to visit the waterfall named Kirkjufellsfoss which trickled down the opposite hillside. This waterfall was obviously the perfect photo foreground with Kirkjufell casually filling in the backdrop … and there was an Earth Cache marker there as well … Today I made it as far as the parking lot. … The wind was crazy and it rained a lot … no point of getting out of the car … it was not a photogenic day … Luckily I had another chance tomorrow or even the next day and come back with hopefully better conditions. My accommodation was only 30 km away … absolutely no distance …
Heading down the road, I still had a chance to find one more geocache today, though. Approx 6 km on there was a parking area near a beach with a viewpoint from which Kirkjufell looked entirely different. And there was a secret box hidden there as well … It was raining still …
Nevertheless, I wanted to find this geocache. It was hidden near a gate with a giant padlock … it was a great photo opportunity. And to be honest … nature was calling and this deserted parking lot seemed like a good spot to hide behind the car … there was nowhere other to hide as the stone wall was at a right angle to the road … but what the heck … there was no traffic … at least not in the last half hour or so … exactely then a number of cars zoomed past … Ooopsss … hopefully they did not see the moon …
The rain had lessened to a drizzle for a moment and I went in search of this box … it was supposed to be in the stone wall … there was even a spoiler photo of the stone wall … yeah well … I probed into every crack … stuck my hand into every cranny … I was going to find this box! … Nearly giving up I decided to take a break and a photo first … Indeed the gate with the giant padlock was cool and so was the view. If the weather had been better, I would probably have taken a walk along the beach to take more photos … but in this weather I did not even have inspiration for that …
But the geocache I had to find! So once more I probed into every crack … stuck my hand into every cranny … I even held the mobile under rocks and took a photo to look around the corner … and then … after a long time … I felt something not rocky on my finger tips … I fiddled and twisted my hand … there it was! Damn! That had been a tricky one!
The last kilometers to The Freezer Hostel & Cultural Center Rif I drove in pouring rain again. It was a quick drive along a beautifully asphalted road. In fact since leaving Stykkishólmur the road had been like new. No more gravel as before. I was closing in on the end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the mouth of Breiðafjörður. The last town I passed was Ólafsvík with approx 1000 inhabitants. I did not stop and figured I could always have a look tomorrow. By now I was fed up with the weather and just wanted to reach the hostel …
Leaving Ólafsvík I left the mountains that had accompanied the road to the south behind. The land leveled out and was more like an ancient lava field. It was less that 7 km more to today’s terminus. The tiny settlement of Ríf was just a speck of a few houses … but I found The Freezer Hostel quickly … It was probably the coolest place in town … By 17:30 I checked in …
