Hiking in Strandir
Last weekend I went for a short trip to Strandir, a remote area in the north-east facing part of the Westfjords. The primary mission was to hike around Hvalsá in Ófeigsfjörður. This uninhabited area was more or less off the radar until plans were made to build a hydropower plant using the waters of the rivers Rjúkandi, Hvalsá and Eyvindafjarðará, causing much controversy.
Strandir is one of my favorite places in Iceland being isolated but still accessible and with quite dramatic scenery. There’s only a handful of farms, a little business around tourism and a short fishing season in the summer. Hiking in the mountains is popular and so is the swimming pool at Krossnes.
The long (18 km) hike around Hvalsá was interesting but not more than that. On our way back to Reykjavík we walked up Reykjaneshyrna from where the views are spectacular, highly recommended.
As this was primarily a hiking trip there was not a lot of proper photography, but I did manage some nice snaps. Definitely need to go again with more time on my hands.
The mountain Kaldbakur.
The lighthouse at Gjögur. Although functional, the foundations were in such a bad state that it’s amazing it still stands.
View to Drangaskörð over Ófeigsfjörður.
This little guy wanted to join us on our hike but we managed to tell him to go home. He was not happy with that.
The waterfall Drynjandi in river Hvalsá. This is quite a spectacular waterfall, would love to see it early summer when there is more water.
On our way back from Drynjandi the fog rolled in. This is the last bit of the track to Hvalsá, where it ends. After that there are no more roads.
In Ófeigsfjörður.
The old herring plant in Ingólfsfjörður, which has not been operated since 1952 The road runs through the plant.
My favorite image from the trip. The makeshift jetty uses an old tank from the herring plant. The Arctic tern overhead is on its way to attack me.
The mountain Reykjaneshyrna. The hike up only takes half an hour, from where you are rewarded with magnificent 360° views as shown in the gallery below.
