Got up finally, about 0745, and went to get breakfast. Pretty good – cheerios, cheese, meat, OJ, and some really good rye bread – homemade. Got stuff packed and, finally, headed out about 1015-1030. Went to a beach with seals – supposedly – saw about three. Not really concerned as we will be seeing plenty later on. Today should be a very easy day with not much to do. Drive to Stykkishólmur and board the ferry to Brjánslækur . Got to Stykkishólmur, gassed up and then went to get our ferry tickets. No problem here. Did call the place where we will stay tonight as the itinerary said you could fix your own supper. Fortunately, the man at the Guesthouse said he will be fixing. We can eat when we get there and then go see the ‘bird cliffs’. No problem as it never gets dark at all here this time of the year.
Then found a REALLY good restaurant in a town near the harbor. They had some really good ‘bread balls’ made using sourdough, wheat flour and thyme. Hot and with melted butter – to die for. They also served it with a couple kinds of salt. Unbelievable!!!!! Had a hamburger with caromont cheese – very good. Talking to the waitress about what was around Sky… – about 1100 people, there is a cloister and the sisters have a hotel, hospital, cloister and church all in the same facility! It is rather large and quite modern. Drove around town – did not take long – very nice. Then went to a museum in what is the oldest two-story wood frame house in Iceland. Was a restoration of what a wealthy person might have had in the late 1800s. Very nice and well worth the visit, facebook.com/norskahusid. There is a rather dated website. With this behind us, we went to the harbor and parked for boarding the ferry.
Right now, as I am typing this we are on the ferry heading to Flatley Island then on to Brjansleekur Port. The area here is a major eco-area of Iceland with over of half of its coastline in this fjord. 40% of its fish, one of the world’s largest rookeries and so forth. But more as we get along today. Stopped at Flatley Island for a brief time to load/unload passengers. There are four full-time residents, two older couples that live here. Other people have summer houses. Based on the passengers looks like some come to hike/camp for a couple of days. This is NOT a large island by any stretch of the imagination! And off we go again to Brjánslækur.
Then, headed west to the Guesthouse. Along the coast – was quite nice then up and over a high pass. On the far side of the pass, we headed off of the main road to the Guesthouse along the south side of a fjord. After a few km, the pavement turned to dirt and we had about 25km of dirt road. Not the best in the world but okay. Finally got to the Guesthouse (about 8 PM) and checked in. Kind of rustic – but okay. The room had three beds and the bathroom/shower in the same room the bathroom/shower was separated from the rest of the room simply by a curtain. After we checked in and took our stuff to the room we had supper cooked by the owner/proprietor of the facility. The main entre was cod. Absolutely the best I have had – outstanding. We decided to not go on to the birding site tonight but wait until the morning. By the time we were done with eating it was a bit after nine. Could have gone – don’t forget it does not get dark here at all this time of the year. So we headed on to bed.
Additional Information
Continue to the charming town of Stykkishólmur situated by Breiðafjörður Bay. We recommend an adventure cruise from Stykkishólmur to explore the many small islands of Breiðafjörður Bay with its rich birdlife and delicious scallops and sea urchin rows. Take a ferry in the afternoon across Breiðafjörður Bay to port of Brjánslækur on the South Coast of the West Fjords.
From Brjánslækur continue to Látrabjarg, one of the most spectacular sea cliffs in the world. The cliff is 450 meters high and about 14 kilometres long, providing millions of species of seabirds with a safe home and an abundance of seafood from the ocean. Látragjarg is a magnificent attraction, but we encourage travellers to be careful; the cliff edges can be weak. Látrabjarg is a place where many Icelandic ships and their crews have perished due to the unforgiving force of the sea. On your way to Látrabjarg, try to find time to stop at the interesting folk museum at Hnjótur.
Highlights:
Stykkishólmur Town
Breiðafjörður Bay
Látrabjarg Cliff
Photos