Our intrepid travellers share their experiences of cruising Iceland in August. Their adventure starts in Isafjordur (literally Ice Fjord), the largest town in Northwest Iceland with a population of 2600, and the capital of the Westfjord region.  Their cruise arrived in the evening so they were all set to go for their 5hr excursion the next day…

Our excursion took us initially through a single lane 5.6km tunnel (with passing bays) through the mountains, the road then skirting around several fjords with isolated houses and small farms, then a recently completed second tunnel, two lane, 4.7km in length before reaching Dynjandi Waterfall, sited at the head of the fjord above where a farm had once been established, long since abandoned, with no habitation now in sight.

The setting was stunning, so isolated, yet the steep sided fjord framed these waterfalls tumbling down the mountainside in several stages perfectly, to really appreciate them required an energetic scramble the mountainside, where the wild blueberries flourish amongst the rocks,  the view was worth the effort.

Back then the way we came, until halfway through the 5.6 km tunnel another tunnel branched  off to the left taking us out to another fjord and the fishing village of Thingeyri, population 240. 

What made this excursion so special for us was our guide, a 40 year old woman who had been born and raised in this village, and the time she took to share the story of her life and that of the village, her contentment with her life and her children, and her perspective on Iceland, the survival of small villages such as hers, conservation and climate change, self sufficiency and being comfortable in her own skin. Quite inspiring, and heart felt.

We walked the village with her as she told her story, she shared small salmon salads in a jar each, then fish cakes made and served by her 13 year old daughter, the final sampling was haddock dried in the traditional way, pounded with a mallet, then eaten,surprisingly good and by all accounts, very nutritious.

Also through the village we saw  the rainbow flag flying or displayed quite prominently which we found interesting, especially in such a small village, we have subsequently seen it everywhere in Iceland, it appears that, as a nation, they take equal rights very seriously.

Back through the tunnels and past the site of an avalanche that in 1995 wiped out half the tiny village of Sudavik, before dropping down to Isafjordur and back to the ship, a great afternoon. We sailed at 8 that evening for Skagafjordur.