Formidable terrain.

The west is unlike the rest of Iceland, thus if you're planning to vier off Route 1, we highly suggest that you befriend the website safetravel.is as road conditions and especially weather - can be commanding in this region. Having said that - this place offers some of the most scenic fjords drives in the country.

Hvítserkur

After probably the longest non-stop leg of 300km and 4 hours, we took a short detour towards Hvítserkur. We were lucky enough to see it at low tide, so we could wander around the odd looking rock formation. However we loved the place due to how much action we saw in the outlaying river mouth. Seals and a whole variety of birds hunting like crazy! After that we continued on Route 711, which is all gravel, but stunning and worth the effort. 

Dynjandi & the Westfjords.

The next day was a full on battle with the elements as we faced pouring rain, blizzard, mud, gravel and everything in between whilst making out way to the Dynjandi waterfall. Only here did we realise how heavy can Icelandic weather can get when we were traversing a pass over a fjord to reach the falls, temperature fell to -1 and it started snowing as if it was mid winter. We came unequipped of course, but made it out just in time. As the weather deteriorated even further. The falls were worth it though, and we can only imagine how beautiful they are when the weather is nice.

Latrabjarg & Puffins.

After staying the night over in Patreksfjörður, we carried onwards to our main destination in the westfjords - Latrabjarg! The place is infamous for its road and weather, however its the again - the wind was our undoing. Gusting to 70 knots off shore, it was quite a challenge to stay on two feet. 

Road to Snæfellsnes.

Our next stop was the Snæfellsnes peninsula which was nearly 400 km away, most of which was gravel. We made sure to stop wherever possible for a coffee to soak in the views. 

The weather. Again.

Of course fair weather didn't last long, until we were hit by another blizzard. This one was much more severe though, causing havoc throughout the west of the island. Our van of course with running on summer tires, which meant that we had to dock our 'boat' for the night at the first town we came across, which was Búðardalur. 

After black comes white.

Having endured the craziness of the other day, we were blessed with sunny skies and a new 'outfit' the fjords put on themselves. A crispy white frosting on the top made everything look so much prettier!

Back to the main road.

After spending nearly half of our time in places where you barely meet other people, it was odd to see tourist group buses again. Maybe that made our Kirkjufell experience so poor. Maybe it was the fact that it was so minor comparing to all the things we've already seen in this amazing land of wonders.

Stop-overs.

Whilst in the peninsula, pay attention to all the roadsigns marking landmarks. Svödufoss was one that was definitely worth a stop. Do note that with suitable footwear, it's quite easy to reach the very top of the fall. 

A medieval'ish beach.

Djúpalónssandur beach was such a surprise! Take your time here and explore the amazing rock formations and crazy wood textures within the rocks. The fishermen who used to use this place a docking shore have left 4 stones that were used to test a man's strength. 

The final touch.

Our last point in the western part of Iceland was Arnastapi with it's glorious stone bridges. Even though we were nearly maxed out on wows and ohs, this place the final tick in the list. With the weather yet again brewing, the shoreline was as dramatic as ever creating a stunning setting. The full shoreline is made of hexagonal basalt which makes it look otherworldly. 

The End.

Our last pitstop before heading for Reykjavik - Búðakirkja church. Weather and light not playing ball, meant that we did not spend a lot of time savouring this location and the surroundings of this petite church. 

All in all - we will return to this wonderland. Next time it will be winter time to explore it a different light and dig deeper into the glacier, but we urge anyone who loves the great outdoors to visit this country while it's still this wild. It truly is unlike any other place on Earth.