Chapter 21: Goodbye Hesteyri and Another Night in Bolungarvik

Continued from Chapter 20

Click images to enlarge

All too soon, our 8 days in Hesteyri were over and it was time to head back to Bolungarvik before flying back to Reykjavik a day later.

This time, a ferry was coming directly from Bolungarvik and taking us back there which saved having to drive the 15km from Ísafjörður to where we were staying.

The ferry arrives to pick us up

It was time to say goodbye to our new friends, C and F, before boarding the ferry. Time for a last group photo!

Great memories, good people and fun times

As the boat left the Hesteyrarfjörður at 6pm, from the stern I took one more image of Hesteyri.

Adieu Hesteyri - thanks for the wonderful 8 days

Soon, we had made our way back over the Isafjarðardjúp fjörd and had tied up at the Bolungarvik refilling wharf to unload all our gear. By the way, the ferry ride costs €100 each way for 2 adults and 2 kids!

Blatting back across the Isafjarðardjúp

As the transportation was being sorted out, I wandered over to the big fishing boat tied up on the other side of the wharf and shot off a few images of the Þorlákur. It was the biggest fishing vessel that I had seen in these waters.



Once we were ensconced in Sosa's Apartments (which are run by Birna's 2 daughters), we cooked dinner. As I washed up, out of the kitchen window I noticed that the light of the setting sun was a brilliant orange. I couldn't resist heading out to photograph it! Bundling up against the cold, I wandered back down to the wharf area.

Orange reflections

It was now 10:30pm. The mountains were catching the last of the sun's rays and this was being reflected in the relatively still water in the harbour. The fishing boats were tied up and motionless - their orange buoys and rescue floatation devices glowed in agreement with the sunlight.

The Day-glo orange equipment really stood out

I stood and photographed for about 15 minutes before the sun sank behind the mountains and it fell gloomy.

The smallest pirate ship with the biggest flag!

Walking back to the apartment, it was time for bed. We had a full day and another night to spend in Bolungarvik ahead of our flight, and we were really wondering how we were going to keep ourselves occupied!

Next Chapter: Ísafjörður and walking back to Bolungarvik

Chapter 20: Visiting the old Whaling Station

Continued from Chapter 19

Click on images to enlarge

A short distance away from Hesteyri, towards the end of the fjörd, lies Stekkeyri which is the abandoned whaling/herring station in Hesteyrarfjörður.

Stekkeyri is located closer to the end of the Hesteyrarfjörður

We took the easy walk to the station on a couple of occasions - once in the late afternoon under a warming sun and blue skies, and again on our last day in Hesteyri when the weather finally packed in and it started to lightly rain.

The station from the track between Hesteyri and Stekkeyri

A Norwegian company, Brødrene Bull, built the station in 1894 to process whales caught in the environs. The Norwegians pulled out in 1915 when the Icelandic Government introduced a 10 year ban on whaling in an effort to recover the dwindling whale population.

What's left of the old boilers

The station sat empty and unworked until 1927 when a company from Reykjavík, called Kveldúlfur, bought it and converted it into a herring fishmeal factory.

The wooden ribs were once part of the wharf area which extended into the fjörd

In the beginning, the fishing was performed by small boats man-powered by six oars, and it wasn't until later that motorized vessels took over. There are some interesting photos of the old station in operation hanging on the dining room walls in the Doctor's House Lodge.

Looking towards the fjörd's entrance

Hesteyri settlement serviced the station and provided manpower as well as services such as a school, post office, doctor's services, telephone communications, a church and a store. In its heyday, up to 80 people lived in Hesteyri.

Rain hangs over the fjörd on our second visit

In the late 1930s, the herring supplies began to dwindle and the station was closed in 1940. People began to leave Hesteyri to look for other work, until the settlement was totally abandoned in 1952.

Silhouetted against a threatening sky

Today, all that remains is some crumbling brickwork and rusting iron. There is little sign of the long wharves that used to protrude a long way into the fjörd, and which used to bustle with activity as the boats came in to unload their catches.

What caused the hole in the chimney?

Upon seeing the hole at the top of the chimney, J remarked that it looked as if a cannonball had gone through it.

One night at the lodge, an Icelandic friend of Birna's family told us a story about his father who was with the Icelandic Navy and stationed on a coastal vessel. They had been given some old, non-incendiary shells by the British Navy to be used in practice firings.

Their boat entered Hesteyrarfjörður and, for a laugh, they aimed their gun at the chimney of the whaling station, never expecting that they would hit it. Hit it, they did and the hole is a constant reminder of the prowess of the Icelandic Navy!

Next Chapter: Leaving Hesteyri and another night in Bolungarvik

Chapter 19: 4 Hesteyri Summer Residents

Continued from Chapter 18

Hestyri is now a destination where former residents (who lived there prior to 1952) or their families live in their houses over the summer vacation. The population also varies according to the number of tourists visiting the area, and they comprise mostly of hikers who either begin or end their Hornstrandir hikes at Hesteyri.

We had daily contact with 4 Icelanders who are regular Hesteyri residents.

Hrólfur Vagnsson is a son of Birna - the Doctor's House Lodge owner. He is a very well-known jazz accordionist who was born in Bolungarvik but has spent a lot of time working in Germany (where in 1989 in Hanover, he set up Studio Vagnsson recording studios), as well as giving concerts all over Europe and in Japan and China. Hrólfur also spends a lot of time in Thailand where he works regularly with the First Thai Symphony Orchestra.

Hrólfur Vagnsson

When in Iceland over summer, Hrólfur is mostly at Hesteyri where he helps Birna by maintaining the Doctor's House, as well as greeting lodge guests when they arrive on the ferry. His electrical engineering background has helped him to set up a battery power supply for the lodge which runs the marine telephone, small LED lights placed in the kitchen and hallways and mobile phone chargers.

Hrólfur was really hospitable to us and took us out fishing for cod in his zodiac inflatable, as well as advising us on good hikes up the mountains. However, he didn't help us in our quest to watch the Arctic Foxes at close quarters, as he scared them off every time he went out for a cigarette!

Birna Pálsdóttir is Hrólfur's mother and she runs the Doctor's House Lodge as well as catering for the Coffee Cruise boat trips that come from Isafjordur.

The Doctor's House at Hesteyri

Now in her mid-70s, Birna can usually be found in the kitchen as she prepares food for the cruises or for various family members who happen to be visiting Hesteyri over the summer period.

Birna in her kitchen

On the rare occasions when she does sit down, she catches up on the local news or knits from a huge ball of homespun, dyed wool.

A rare chance to sit down

During winter and when Hesteyri is inaccessible, Birna lives in Bolungarvik where her daughters and sons also live.

A well-earned coffee break

When it was time to leave, I choked up when hugging Birna goodbye. She had opened her home to us and we had become part of her extended family. She even taught me a couple of Icelandic recipes while we worked together in the kitchen, and gave me many tastes of her preserves, cakes and pickled herring. In turn, we had cheerfully washed up the dishes and coffee pots after the coffee cruise visits, and most mornings we had scrubbed out her sticky porridge saucepan and washed her breakfast dishes too. She appreciated the help. I knew that we had made an impression on her when my goodbye hug was fiercely returned and we both stood there with tears in our eyes.

This is Birgir and his older sister Dagmar outside their tiny house in Hesteyri.

Dagmar and Birgir pose outside their house

The house has no electricity, no plumbing and no toilet. Light is provided from gas lamps and water is collected from the stream for cooking and ablutions.

The bare necessities

Dagmar is 83, and she and Birgir were born in Hesteyri and attended the Hesteyri School until the settlement was abandoned in the early 50s. The family then moved to Reykjavik in search of work. Dagmar has a home in Reykjavik, but every summer she and her brother come home to live in Hesteyri.

Dagmar - keeper of the camera and the delicious chocolate biscuits

Birgir is 78 and is definitely the naughty ringleader of the duo. With a twinkle in his eye and many stories from his childhood in Hesteyri, as a school teacher and his world travels, he can be seen walking slowly around Hesteyri with his Nordic walking poles - talking to anyone who comes within earshot.

Birnir in his living room

We had great fun checking Birgir's and Dagmar's fishing net each day. C had set it with Birgir by the river mouth in the hope of catching some late season salmon. Unfortunately, all it ever caught was a few flounder/flatfish and a lot of seaweed.

Now also based in Reykjavik, each summer Birgir tells everyone that it will be his last one in Hesteyri. I guess that time will come one day, but we pray that Birgir's and Dagmar's summers in Hesteyri may long continue.

We remember with great fondness our time spent in Hesteyri and the wonderful people we met, such as these 4 lovely Icelanders.

Next Chapter: Visiting the old Whaling Station

Chapter 18: Our Second Hike

Continued from Chapter 17

As C and F had been coming on vacation to Hesteyri for about 12 years, they have explored the area well and know where all the good sights are within the environs.

C suggested that we climb up the slopes to the right of where we had climbed on our first hike. She knew of a waterfall that we could easily get to, so the 6 of us, armed with lunch, set off to see what we could find.

The green line follows our hike in a clockwise direction

Before we climbed the main ridge, we had to climb a smaller rise which was known as Elf King Mountain.

Click on images to enlarge

Elf King Mountain with its rock cairn on the summit

"It's imperative," said C, "that before we go any further, we have to pay homage to the Elf King and thank him for his hospitality and for welcoming us to the fjörd."

We reached the cairn on top of the mountain and we each added a rock to it, while thanking the Elf King for allowing us to holiday in his kingdom. Of course, we then had to take a photo to record the occasion.

At the summit of Elf King Mountain

As we started our climb up to the waterfall, we were joined by Matthias who was another guest at the lodge. J knew him from way back so they had a long chat as they caught up on about 20 years since last seeing each other.

We finally got to the stream on which the waterfall was located. It was one of the streams which came together to form the main river through Hesteyri. We were again high enough to be in what remained of the snow.

A small snowfield melts by the stream

The waterfall fell in 2 drops with the main lower one standing at about 4 metres high. The pool at the bottom was knee-deep, and J couldn't resist shedding her shoes, socks and jeans and having a paddle. Crazy woman, cold water. I can't show you that photo as she'd kill me!

The waterfall - forever known by us as Claudia's Waterfall

The boys of all ages had fun rolling blocks of snow and ice into the stream.


I took a short video of their activities and the girls had fun laughing at them - especially towards the end when they almost fell over the ice into the stream!

We then climbed up to the right of the waterfall to have lunch, continuing the chatting and enjoying the glorious view over Hesteyri and the fjörds.

Lunch with a view

From the top of Claudia's Waterfall, we could see that there were more cascades above it. As with all the streams that we encountered in Iceland, this one flowed swiftly as it made its way down the mountain.

The falls farther up the stream

With lunch over, we ascended another 100 metres up the mountain to where there were bigger snowfields. Approaching one from the side, we discovered that the ice had been undermined by the melted water to form a tunnel. The boys descended through it while the adults clambered down the outside of it, all meeting at the bottom.

M makes his way through the ice tunnel

The next adventure for the boys was to slide down the ice fields which I videoed. The first attempt was without incident, even though M did his best to slide off the bottom before he was stopped by F!



The second slide ended in disaster as F slid on his back off the ice and onto the rocks, hurting himself in the process. M slid off the edge with no harm done while A made his way more cautiously and carefully after seeing what had happened to the other 2. At one stage the video shows rocks as I aimed it downwards while considering to go to F's assistance, but C beat me to it, so I continued to film!



Climbing no further upwards, we made our way along the mountain ridge. The going was tougher than it looked, as the greenery was spongy and thick, and our feet were sinking into it as if we were walking in 8" of snow.

Heading back to Hesteyri

When we were parallel with Hesteyri, we made our way back down the steep slope.

Hesteyri. Elf King Mountain is in the centre right of this image.

Interestingly, each person chose a different route down, but at the bottom of the slope, we all were grouped together again. F went straight to bed to rest his back. Our older kid went back up the hills to collect blueberries. J and our younger kid went swimming in the stream. C and I sat in the sun and relaxed. Apart from F hurting himself, it had been another perfect day. Thankfully, his injuries weren't serious, and by the next morning he was back to his usual self.

Next Chapter: 4 of Hesteyri's Summer Residents

Chapter 17: Vistas and Moods of Hesteyrarfjörður

Continued from Chapter 16

Although we had missed the 2 months of midnight sun where it never got darker than in my first image below, we still had some long days before the gloom would set in about midnight.

It was very strange being able to see out at all times. We often watched the Arctic Foxes moving about the houses in search of food. They looked like little black ghosts flitting in and out of the bushes. These animals are remarkable: their coats are totally dark, almost black in summer, and turn snow white to camouflage them in the snow during wintertime.

Even though the sun would dip below the horizon with the earth's rotation, I could still track its whereabouts from the brighter patch in the sky as the earth revolved around to start another day.

Over the 8 days in which we were in Hesteyri, we saw many different moods of the Hesteyrarfjörður depending on the weather and time of day.

The purple oval marks the area of the Hesteyrarfjörður

I took lots of images of the fjörd and surrounding area - some of which I'll share with you in this post.

Click on images to enlarge

Taken at about 6pm when the light would get very vivid when there was no cloud cover

At 11pm one night, fog started to drape itself over the neighbouring mountains. It didn't get further down than this as the light breeze blew it back from where it came.

We didn't have a midnight sun, but we did have a midnight sunset!

The landscape looked this gloomy all through the night. It was still possible to see quite some distance.

Looking towards the end of the fjörd at about 5pm on a brilliant day

Looking towards the mouth of the Jökulfirdir into the main fjðrd - the Isafjarðardjúp

The fjðrd continued around the corner of the left promontory

Taken from the Hesteyri jetty

Low tide revealed brown seaweed and kelp

The threat of rain

It also rained in the Isafjarðardjúp

I got a little wet from the rain while taking this, but it didn't fall for long

A more cloudy day made for a more dramatic, somber image

Everything looked happier when the sun shone through

I never tired of looking at the scenery - although I did long for some of the light quality that is found around sunset and sunrise at other times of the year. I'll have to go back to Iceland in another season, I guess!

Next Chapter: Our 2nd hike up the mountains