We wrote about our way to the place where all roads end in Iceland in a previous article, be sure to take a peek here. We, on the other hand, the next morning while eating a breakfast that was so unromantic to the circumstances of nature, because bread with pate, began to think about what to do next. We had two days left, so not too much, but enough to see something else. So there will be about the still delightful West Fjords, and finally a few words about our volunteer work on a sheep farm.
Sipping hot coffee, we quite quickly decided to return along the same road we had come – through Djupavik and then along the east coast until the beginning of road number 61. And here, instead of heading south from where we had come a few days earlier, we decided to turn west to the West Fjords. We were very anxious to reach the westernmost point of Europe – the Latrabjarg cliffs.
As a matter of fact, we didn’t have much of a choice, which definitely shortened the time of our morning discussion. :))) The section of 60 between Flókalundur and Fjallfoss (the gravel road winds along the top of one of the fjords, right next to the most beautiful Dynjandi waterfall!) was impassable due to the large amount of snow, and we didn’t have time to return along the same route in turn. So we were left with only 60 and 62 in the south of the Fjords, and that’s where we headed. We gathered our gear, once again cast a glance at the rocky cliffs of the not-so-distant Hornstrandir, drowning in fog, and returned to the familiar road toward Holmavik.
WEST FJORDS – TO THE END OF THE WORLD AND BACK
Many people consider visiting the same places as time lost. However, sometimes a moment is enough for the landscape to change beyond recognition, to show its hitherto undiscovered face. Such was the case this time as well. Seemingly the same road we drove yesterday, the same passing landscapes – Djupavik, Holmavik, and everything completely different. Dense, milky fog enveloped the tops of the mountains, descended low into valleys and ravines, blurred the line between earth and sky. The waves were louder and more threatening, the ocean was more agitated, the bird’s cries fell silent somewhere. We absorbed the passing, nostalgic landscapes in almost complete silence. And so we drove the next 130 kilometers until we reached road number 60. Here, where civilization began, the sun timidly began to look out from behind the clouds, and we followed its lead. At least some more time. :)))
BY THE ROAD TO THE FARTHEST WEST – TOWARDS LATRABJARG
Further along the road led us, this winding coastline, this climbing zigzagging peaks, crossing more fjords, each stunning in its raw beauty and surprising at every kilometer. We could write at length about our delights, we could share dozens of photos from the route, but we leave some for you to discover, and besides, the entry would drag mercilessly. :)))
Nevertheless, we would like to write about two picturesque hot springs that are literally by the roadside. Because of which it took us a while to find them the first time, because we would never have believed in life that they could be REALLY by the roadside. The first is Krosslaug along with a small pool and a beautiful view of the mountains and the bay. The second is Hellulaug with a less lurid view, but water unearthly warm and, for us, perfect. We’ve marked both of them on the map at the end of the post – we hope it will make your search easier.
10 KILOMETERS OF BOUNDLESS SOLITUDE – RAUDISANDUR
Before we reached our destination, which we wrote about in the introduction, the Latrabjarg cliffs, we stopped at a place equally beautiful and amazing and the only one of its kind in all of Iceland – the Red Beach – Raudisandur. To Raudisandur leads in turn, a very cool gravel road 612, which we turned off 62, and later, after the shipwreck Gardar BA 64 (worth a stop!), the road 614. It winds along the top of the fjord, and at the very end with quite sharp serpentines descends almost to the beach itself. We drove down carefully, the road is heavily rocky and without any barriers. But all the inconveniences were compensated by the stunning view of the vast beach and the contrasting gray ocean. We remember like today when we first met Raudisandur. It was summer, late at night, but the sun was just setting, painting everything in amazing shades of pink and purple. Today was not so epic, we missed that play of sunlight of the day and sun-saturated colors.
But back to the beach itself – don’t let the name fool you! We have been to Raudisandur several times, at different times of the day and year. It took on a variety of colors – from amazing gold in the early morning sun, orange during sunset, but it never showed us in red. On this day it was honey-colored, dropping into brown in places, and although its color was not so spectacular its vastness and space – stunned. The wide, almost 10-kilometer beach stretched far, far away, in the distance we could see the Latrabjarg cliffs looming in the distance on one side, and the nearby fjord on the other. We strolled along the ocean shore for hours, except for us and hundreds of birds, we were completely alone.
Unfortunately, the days in April are not yet as long as during the summer. It got dark pretty quickly and we decided to spend the night at a nearby campground. We remembered it from our last trip, well equipped in a beautiful location, right next to the beach. However, it turned out that, the campground was not yet open. We didn’t have much of a choice, returning along the same road wasn’t one of the wisest ideas, so we returned to the area of the small square we passed on the way to the campground. The place seemed pretty good for an overnight stay, sheltered from the wind on one side. We weren’t quite sure if it wasn’t sometimes private property, but we didn’t meet a living ghost in the area, so there was no one to ask for permission either. Tired after a long day, we fell asleep almost immediately. No one woke us up, no one probably even noticed our presence.
3 WEEKS LATER – LATRABJARG CLIFFS
Woody Allen once said: “if you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans for the future.” You may remember how anxious we were to reach the Latrabjarg cliffs. They were to be our final destination of this trip, its crowning achievement. And now imagine our disappointment when in the morning it turned out that a section of the road leading to the cliffs was impassable. We had grown accustomed to nature dictating the conditions, but still, this was not how we imagined the last day of our trip.
We were forced to change our plans, but in a way thanks to this we discovered a new, beautiful place with hot springs and a swimming pool – look below! We returned to Latrabjarg three weeks later, and we were still rewarded, as the first mascons had already flown to Iceland. Now we know that nothing happens for a reason, and when one door closes in front of us, another one stands open. Although at the time we didn’t laugh too much.
BATH OVERLOOKING THE FJORDS – REYKJAFJARDARLAUG
Continuing, however, on our then-current journey. We continued on towards Patreksfjörður, a tiny town in a typically Icelandic climate. We wrote tiny, but still probably the largest in the region. There are two entire stores in it, including one with an almost 100% Polish staff. As we found out later, there are very many Poles living in Patreksfjörður. They came here mainly to work in the nearby fish processing plant, later bringing their families and acclimatizing to this desolate corner of Iceland. We also found Vinbudin, the local liquor store, also the only one in the region. We took the opportunity, did some shopping, which we also recommend to everyone, because you never know when the opportunity will come, visited a gas station and moved on. :)))
The road climbed again to the top of the fjord, continued to descend and stretched along the shore of the bay. The weather was glorious, the sun’s rays reflected in the waters of the bay, sparkling and shimmering colorfully. The sky was a beautiful deep shade of blue, which was beautified by clouds flashing across it, white and fluffy as lambs. We had long forgotten about Latrabjarg, because when you pass such landscapes you can’t be sad for long. :)))
When we passed Bíldudalur it was already quite late and we started looking around for a nice place to spend the night. We wondered about the camping site at Hellulaug and in principle we were already decided on it, but by the road we came across Reykjafjardarlaug. A dozen kilometers beyond Bíldudalur, we found a magnificent hot springs and geothermal pool with the most spectacular view we had visited so far. Without words, we knew we wanted to spend the rest of the day here, enjoying the sun, blue skies and the view of the still snow-capped fjords in the distance. Anyway, take a look at the photos yourself. :)))
OUR SHEEP ADVENTURE – A MONTH ON AN ICELANDIC FARM
The next morning we packed up and moved on. We had maybe a few dozen kilometers to drive. We took our time, enjoyed the day and wondered what was waiting for us at the farm we were heading to.
We met Ásgeir, the owner of Innri Múli, on workaway.info. He was looking for help with his, quite sizable, flock of sheep, and we just happened to have an excess of free time, so we thought – why not? Besides, we’ve always wanted to see what life is like on an Icelandic farm, so we didn’t think long. And so, one morning we showed up at the gate of Innri Múli – one of the largest sheep farms in the region.
Probably many of you are wondering what we did there, and probably just as many will be surprised to hear the answer. :))) For a month, we helped sheep moms bring their offspring into the world. We can’t hide the fact that it was hard at times, especially at the beginning. We had absolutely no experience and education in this field, everything was taught to us by Ásgeir and his brother. At the beginning they assisted us, after a few days we were left alone. There were many difficult moments, it was not always rosy, you know – life. Sometimes we were overwhelmed by depression. But on the other hand, looking at the hundreds of little lambs we helped come into the world, we were filled with pride and satisfaction. Certainly, we will never forget the time we spent on the farm, with all Ásgeir’s family and friends, his wonderful mother, who cooked us delicious food every day (it’s thanks to her that we grew fond of mutton!) and all those tears, both of joy and sadness. Well I guess that’s it, we still toss you a map at the end with all the places we visited marked. See you somewhere along the route!
