Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HORNSTRANDIR HIKING PRACTICALITIES
Thanks to Hornstrandir's exposed location on the edge of the Greenland Sea, the
weather
is
especially unpredictable, and hiking here needs plenty of careful planning. Deep snow often
lies on the ground until July and snow showers are not uncommon even in July and August.
Fog, too, can be a particular problem. Also, because there are
no functioning settlements
here - those marked on maps are farm buildings, or the remains of farm buildings only - you
must be prepared for emergencies if you come to hike. It's essential to bring the following
equipment
: a sturdy tent and warm sleeping bag, waterproof clothing and boots, more food
than you'll need in case of unforeseen delays (there are
no shops
or facilities anywhere on the
peninsula, except for the guesthouse at Hesteyri), a compass and Landmælingar Íslands
1:100,000
Hornstrandir
hiking map
. Although many routes are marked on the map as clearly
defined, this is often not the case in reality; in poor weather conditions it can be all too easy to
lose the path, so make sure that you can use a compass properly before setting out.
Remember, too, that in June and July it doesn't get dark here, which means you can extend
your hiking time if needed.
Mobile phones
do not work in Hornstrandir, but there are
landline phones for use in emergencies in the orange shelters dotted around the coast and
marked on maps. Take extra care if you're crossing
tidal flats
, or rounding headlands at low
tide, as the going can often be very boggy. There are no footbridges in Hornstrandir, so bring
an old pair of running shoes to cross rivers and streams - and be prepared to grit your teeth
against the bitingly cold water.
point on the peninsula. The cliff is home to one of the country's greatest
bird
colonies
and its many ledges are stuffed full with fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes,
puffins and razorbills. Elsewhere, where farmed sheep once devoured everything
edible, there is now wild, lush vegetation of unexpected beauty and the wildlife is
free to roam - the Arctic fox makes regular appearances - while offshore, seals and
whales can be spotted.
Life for settlers on Hornstrandir was always extreme. For starters, the summer is
appreciably shorter than elsewhere in the West Fjords and, bar a geothermal spring in
remote
Reykjajörður
, there's no natural hot water source, no waterfall to generate
electricity, no natural harbour, and no road or airstrip. In fact, the fertile valleys and
inlets throughout this uninhabited wilderness are littered with traces of derelict
buildings where hardy farmers and fishermen once attempted to battle against the
inhospitable climate. The peninsula's two main settlements,
Hesteyri
and
Aðalvík
, are
now almost completely deserted, their abandonment marking the end of yet another
Icelandic community.
4
Hesteyri
Founded in around 1894,
HESTEYRI
depended entirely on a Norwegian whaling
station - remains of which can still be seen today at the head of Hesteyrarfjörður
fjord - until a drastic decline in stocks led to the station being taken over for the
processing of herring. At this time, around eighty people lived permanently in the
village, with another hundred temporarily resident at the factory, but a fall in
herring stocks led to the closure of the factory in 1940. One by one, farmers and
fishermen left, and in 1952 the last families abandoned both Hesteyri and
neighbouring Aðalvík.
Today,
Hesteyri consists of nothing more than a handful of abandoned cottages,
disintegrating skeletons of concrete and timber clothed with bits of corrugated iron,
broken stone and blocks of turf, with just one or two being renovated by families
whose roots lie here. The
ferry from Ísafjörður
visits almost daily in summer, though the
only functioning building is the white and green
Læknishúsið
guesthouse.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
DYNJANDI WATERFALL
P.198
; ARCTIC FOX
P.189
; HORNSTRANDIR
P.191
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