Ísafjörður
Arrived off Ísafjörður on Saturday morning around 7am. An overcast, wet morning with temperature around 12c. Ísafjörður (meaning ice fjord, literally fjord of ices) is a town in the northwest of Iceland. With a population of about 2,600, Ísafjörður is the largest settlement in the peninsula of Vestfirðir.
43 of us met at 8am for our boat tour out to visit Hesteyri, a remote abandoned village. Hesteyri, located on the remote Hornstrandir Peninsula, is one of Iceland’s last truly untouched places. Hesteyri is in a secluded bay at the edge of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Surrounded by towering peaks and the cold Atlantic, Hesteyri feels like a place frozen in time. Once home to a small fishing community, the village was abandoned in the mid-20th century after the decline of the herring industry. A former whaling station and later a herring factory, the site now stands as a quiet memorial to a vanished way of life. Walking among the preserved houses of Hesteyri is like stepping into a bygone era. Some of the old buildings have been carefully restored and are now used as simple summer cottages.
First, we tendered for 15 minutes to the dockside and then transferred to our tour boat, the Grudrun Kristjans run by Sjoferdir Tours. Our guide today was Katie from Virginia! Along with 2 crew members. Set off down the Fjord at high speed for an hour to finally reach our remote destination. A wet ride out, so those of us with waterproof clothing stayed outside at the back of the boat. Debarked onto a small floating jetty, then onto the beach. There was a seal lying out on one of the nearby rocks. There were several wooden houses scattered around, one of which was the Guesthouse/Café which we were able to visit. This is an area where arctic foxes are often seen, but unfortunately not by us. We set off along the beach with our guide then inland along a path going past some of the houses. Passed the spot where the church once stood and the gravestones which are still there. Tour ended near the waterfall, and we had over an hour to continue exploring or go back to the Café for food and drinks. As it was now overcast but dry, Jimmy (another guest) and I decided to hike up the trail to see how high and far we could get. Reached a high point with great views across the whole remote landscape. Returned down to the café with just enough time for a quick visit before returning to the boat at 11:50am. Another hour boat ride back to Ísafjörður and this time it was rougher with spray over the boat. 1pm back on the dock with the rain coming down again. Transferred to the tender for our return.
Highlight of the day: Views from the top of the hill
