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By Root 1728 0

coastline of the oft-forgotten peninsula between the Snæfellsnes and Westfjords (look for the turn-off at Fellströnd along Rte 60). Windswept farmsteads lie frozen in time, and boulder-strewn hills roll skyward turning into flattened granite crowns – in the mist and midnight sun they look like impenetrable walls of a stone fortress. If you want to spend the night, there’s a campsite at Á ( 434 1420), just before Skarð – a lonely farm that has remained in the hands of the same family for over 1000 years. If you’re hungry for a bit of hiking, pick up the Vestfirðir & Dalir £7 map (available at most regional tourist information centres for a nominal fee), which features a dozen trails on the shield-shaped peninsula.

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Further north, follow the turn at Rte 590 to find the farm at Hvammur, which produced a whole line of prominent Icelanders, including Snorri Sturluson of Prose Edda fame. It was settled in around 895 by Auður the Deep-Minded, the wife of the Irish king Olaf Godfraidh, who has a bit part in the Laxdæla Saga. By coincidence, Árni Magnússon, who rescued most of the Icelandic sagas from the 1728 fire in Copenhagen, was also born at Hvammur.

Head past the turn-off for Rte 590 to find the geothermal village of Laugar, known throughout Iceland as the birthplace of Laxdæla Saga beauty Guðrun Ósvífursdóttir. Base yourself at the ultra-friendly Hótel Edda ( 444 4930; www.hoteledda.is; Sælingsdalur; sites per person Ikr700, sb Ikr1700, s/d without bathroom Ikr6800/8500, with bathroom Ikr12,400/15,000; ). There’s a new wing with surprisingly modern rooms, an older hospital-style annexe with shared bathrooms, and sleeping-bag space is in converted classrooms. During the rest of the year, the complex is used as a boarding retreat for Icelandic teens. The restaurant (mains Ikr2200 to Ikr4900) gets good reviews – it serves the delicious ice cream from Erpsstaðir (see the boxed text, above). Local historians believe that they’ve found Guðrun’s bathing pool in the hills nearby – ask at the hotel if it’s open to the public.

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The Westfjords

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SOUTH COAST

DALIR TO DJÚPADALUR

FLÓKALUNDUR TO PATREKSFJÖRÐUR

SOUTHWEST PENINSULAS

LÁTRABJARG PENINSULA

PATREKSFJÖRÐUR

TÁLKNAFJÖRÐUR

BÍLDUDALUR

CENTRAL PENINSULAS

DYNJANDI

ÞINGEYRI PENINSULA

ÞINGEYRI

DÝRAFJÖRÐUR & ÖNUNDARFJÖRÐUR

FLATEYRI

SUÐUREYRI

ÍSAFJÖRÐUR

BOLUNGARVÍK

ÍSAFJARÐARDJÚP

HORNSTRANDIR

TOURS

SLEEPING

GETTING THERE & AWAY

STRANDIR COAST

STAÐARSKÁLI TO HÓLMAVÍK

HÓLMAVÍK

DRANGSNES

BJARNARFJÖRÐUR

REYKJARFJÖRÐUR

NORÐURFJÖRÐUR

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Like giant lobster claws snipping away at the Arctic Circle, the desolate Westfjords is one of Iceland’s most spectacular regions. Sparsely populated, fantastically rugged, and isolated by its remote location and limited roads, the Westfjords is an outdoor adventurer’s dream. The landscape here is truly humbling, ranging from soaring mountains and unfathomably deep and silent fjords to a tortuous coastline dotted with tiny fishing villages clinging doggedly to a traditional way of life.

To the north lies the uninhabited wilderness region of Hornstrandir, home to the 176-sq-km Drangajökull (925m), the last surviving ice cap in the region. Abandoned by the last villagers in the 1950s, Hornstrandir is now one of the country’s premier hiking destinations. South of here lies the region’s largest town, the cosmopolitan oasis of Ísafjörður. A friendly, happening mini-metropolis, it’s the place to stock up and indulge before heading for the small villages that line the coast.

Unassuming, determined and often staunchly traditional, these smaller communities have suffered serious population decline in recent years. Many struggle to persuade their young people to stay and offer a warm welcome to the tourists who bring valuable income and energy to their quiet streets. Further south, nesting birds mob the cliffs at Látrabjarg, waves lash the golden sands at Breiðavík, and craggy inlets and precipitous peaks vie for your attention at every turn.

Give yourself