From Patreksfjordur to Isafjordur

The journey to Isafjordur involved driving one of the highest passes in the Westfjords and we were hoping for clearer weather.

Waking to clear skies and good visibility, we decided to drive fifteen minutes or so back in the direction of Raudisander first to photograph Iceland’s oldest steel ship, the Gardar 64 left here after the whaling restrictions had increased and it was declared unsafe for further operations.

At breakfast before we left I was amused to see this display of cold drinks including cod liver oil.

The conditions were just right today – no tourists to get in the way although this can be quite a busy site, and muted skies but good light.

And, turning to look towards the fjord end there were some landscapes to photograph with ice on the water breaking up the reflections.

Along the way we had also spotted a small seal colony sunning themselves in the early light .

And where they were also offered some lovely reflections in a much less fierce wind than on the previous day.

After a quick stop in Patreksfjordur we were off on the road to Isafjordur. We knew there would be stops along the way and that there would be some prime locations but we still had no idea what the unpredictable Icelandic weather would make possible.

As ever we were amazed by the variety of the conditions..

Two of my favourite shots of the day were taken at the furthest point of a fjord beyond the small community where we were to have lunch

The changing light and visibility made different aspects of the scene more impressive every time we looked.

Despite the fact that this was a long drive, we managed to stop for lunch at a lovely local restaurant cum convenience store where all the local workers seemed to congregate and the owners made us very welcome. I also found bags of salt that I had seen first in the south and decided not to buy as they came from the Westfjords. It felt good to support some local businesses.

Driving conditions were not good and for long-is stretches of time it felt as though we were in a white-out. Occasionally, we spotted ice on the high pass, but our driver soldiered on, never complaining just urging the front seat passenger to talk with him.

Soon after 4pm we arrived at Dynjandi, one of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls. I had only seen photographs of the top fall – the one actually named Dynjandi and which everyone recognises – whereas there are five other falls between that and the car park at the bottom. I spent most of our time here around the bottom three falls, using a long lens to photograph Dynjandi itself. I understand from others that the second of the falls was the most photogenic but it did require a steep, rocky climb: not my choice!!

It was easy to fill a couple of hours there before another short drive to the small fishing town of Isafjordur where we arrived to find the hotel full of ladies drinking blue cocktails and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Apparently, they were a political party of some kind – looking at the Wikipedia entry on Icelandic politics, it may have been the Independence Party which has more seats than any other in parliament.

That meant a visit to a local restaurant for dinner as the hotel restaurant was closed. Once again, we found a small restaurant frequented by locals offering great food including the local speciality apple cake .

We were ready for a good night’s sleep.