Westfjords

Westfjords is the name of the large peninsula located at the north-west of Iceland. The peninsula is very mountainous and the coastline is made up of dozens of fjords.

Our drive from Reykjavik to Flokalundur, our first stop on Westfjords took around five hours.  As we drove further north, there was still some snow on the surrounding hills and the grass on the side of the road was brown from being under winter snow. It will be a few more weeks before it turns green.

We stopped for lunch in the small town of Borgarnes at a café attached to a Settlement Museum. From the outside it looked a little desolate but there weren’t too many other options in the town, so we decided to give it a try.  As we entered, we knew we’d made the right decision.  In the centre of the room was a large buffet table filled with vegetarian dishes. Our waitress explained that you could eat from the buffet or order from the menu. I chose to order from the menu and selected the lamb and vegetable soup. It was served with house made bread and local butter sprinkled with the local lava salt. Our food was delicious and we left feeling very satisfied.

We arrived at our accommodation, about 20km past Flokalundur, late in the afternoon. The two-bedroom unit was one of four situated on farmland near the edge of a fjord.

The sun was still high, but the temperature was very cold.  We’d been told of a nearby hot spring, so ventured across the road to give it a try. I spent the next hour relaxing in the warm water and enjoying the amazing views.  We dried and dressed very quickly as it was around 0 degrees outside.

Not long after our soak, the guest from the next unit knocked on our door. He’d noticed that we had a very flat tyre.  The car rental company had made it clear we should contact them if this were to happen and not to fix it ourselves. I was a little relieved as it’s been a very long time since I’ve changed a tyre. We called and were told that someone would come and fix it in the morning.

We’d planned to drive back to Flokalundur for dinner but instead made do with scrambled eggs on toast.  It was the perfect meal after our long day of driving.

The next morning, a young local man arrived in a huge ute and fixed the tyre. He told us he was a sheep farmer, who also owned a construction company and did car repairs on the side.  

Feeling confident that we’d safely make it to our next destination, we headed further north.  It was a slow but breathtakingly beautiful drive over the snow-covered mountains. There were many sections of gravel and some of the bitumen roads had patches of ice.

Dynjandi, the largest waterfall in the Westfjords region, was our only stop. At 100m in height, it was very impressive. We climbed part-way up to get a better view and to take in the surrounding hills and nearby fjord.

We arrived mid-afternoon at our next accommodation in Isafjordur.  The town is the largest in Westfjords and sits on a sand spit.  Fishing is the main industry, evidenced by the strong smell around the town. The streets are lined with brightly coloured, corrugated iron houses, many with decorative wooden features on windows and roofs.

Our hosts had recommended a restaurant in the town as the ‘best fish restaurant in Iceland’. At dinner time we entered the wooden barn-like building, hoping to get a table. We were welcomed by a young local who found us a seat and asked where we were from.  When we told him we were Australian, he exclaimed “you Australians love to drink beer” and suggested some Icelandic beers we should try.  The restaurant filled quickly and the host appeared. He explained that it was a family run restaurant and his parents and wife were in the kitchen preparing our meal.  There was a large pot of fish soup that would be followed by a buffet of hot fish dishes, along with salad and vegetables. There were about eight varieties of fish all cooked in different ways.  The entire meal was delicious.

The next morning we continued driving east, out of Westfjords, towards Skagastrond which was to be our next stop for the night. It was a long drive around the coastline of half a dozen fjords and across snow covered mountains and took most of the day. We saw rain, hail and sunshine and some stunningly beautiful scenery.

At Litlibaer, we saw a café sign on a quaint black cottage with a grass covered roof and decided to stop for a drink. Inside, the walls were covered in old photos and other historic paraphernalia. The family run café provided a basic menu which included homemade apple cake and blueberry tart. We ordered these and sat for a while to enjoy the cosy atmosphere, delicious food and hot chocolate. Outside it was very cold and windy.  Across from the café was an old church and graveyard overlooking the fjord which we peered at through the tiny café window as we chatted and ate.

After arriving at Skagastrond around 6pm, we went for a walk and discovered there was nowhere other than the roadhouse to eat. Even the supermarket was closed. If we wanted to eat out we’d have to drive to the next town. After a long day of driving this was not an option, so we made toasted cheese sandwiches and relaxed in the warm cottage while we made plans for our next day’s drive to Akureyri.