Day 27: Hveravik Campsite – Norðurfjörður

The forecast promises stable, sunny weather for this afternoon, so we take advantage of it and drive up the eastern finger of the Westfjords as far as Krossneslaug – there’s no road beyond that point.

The views of the mountains and fjords are breathtakingly beautiful.

We stop for lunch at Hotel Djúpavik. Bell pepper soup and a slice of chocolate cake – Brigitte’s birthday menu. :-)

The place feels cozy, filled with all sorts of knick-knacks and odds and ends; it could easily be a rustic farmhouse parlor in Austria or some other remote area where an eclectic mix of people gathers simply because there are no other options around.

There used to be a large herring processing plant in the village, but we decide to skip the tour – and there isn’t much else going on in town, anyway. :-)

A short walk takes us to the site of Iceland’s first witch burning, where three men were executed. It’s interesting that in Iceland, it was mostly men who were targeted, rather than women.

And then, Krossneslaug. A pool in the middle of nowhere. With a view out to sea – facing where, exactly? Svalbard?

By the way: Yesterday, for the first time, the blue area on the GPS display showed "Greenland Sea" instead of "Atlantic."

For the night, we head back a short distance to a hiking club’s grounds in Norðurfjörður.

This evening, we’re celebrating the occasion with some red wine and cheese, and we’re hoping for dry weather for breakfast. But if the worst comes to the worst, there’s an old warehouse here we can use.

It all feels a bit like the end of the world. However, we’ve heard that the northern part of this eastern section of the Westfjords is a popular hiking area among Icelanders. That said, you apparently have to plan and book the cabins and boat transfers a long, long time in advance.