Iceland Westfjords / Six days hiking in the beauty and wilderness of Hornstrandir

#hornstrandir #iceland #westfjords #hiking_hornstrandir #hesteyri #veiðileysufjörður #hornvik #hornbjarg #hlöðuvík #fljótsvatn #látrar #outdooradventure #isafjördur

Hornstrandir - alone with me in the most remote part of the Westfjords:
Since a long time I have the wish to hike in the national park Hornstrandir, alone with tent in this landscape, which I knew only from pictures. On the approach to Ísafjörður, the view of the sunny fjords and mountains puts me in high spirits.
A boat from West Tours takes me to Veiðileysufjörður, where I start my hiking adventure completely alone in the late afternoon.
On the way up to Hafnarskarð I look back again and again to the fjord, which lies above on the ridge in all its beauty before me. To the north the view leads down to Hornvik and in the distance I see the prominent Horn, my goal for tomorrow. In the evening I reach the camp Hornvik and hole up tiredly in my tent.
Early at five it rattles beside my tent. Three young arctic foxes are playing with my trekking pole and it is wonderful to watch these animals. At 8 o'clock the low tide starts and I leave for the Horn. While I walk along the beach, the sun breaks again and again through the low-hanging clouds and in the gusty wind the mood of this beautiful bay changes constantly. At the end of the beach I cross the knee-deep river Hafnarós. First it leads on pebbles, then on a narrow path along the water. An arctic fox peeks up between stones and hides in its burrow. I take a break in the sunshine and enjoy the view over the fjord. From a sign "Hornbjarg" it leads upward. During a rest at the Horn a gust tears me my rain jacket from the backpack, out over the cliffs. Immediately I realize that I have to adjust my route choice to the weather. Instead of hiking towards Hornbjargsviti, I return to Camp Hornvik sad but euphorized by this bizarre landscape.
The weather is supposed to stay dry for another 3-4 days, so I plan 4 more stages to Hesteyri. Today's section to Camp Hlöðuvík is hard to beat in beauty. During the slow climb up to Atlaskarð an arctic fox crosses my path and I stand amazed in this gigantic landscape. Over to the Skálarkambur it leads through a scree field. Abruptly the stone desert ends and the view down to the bay Hlöðuvík overwhelms me. Framed by rugged mountains this bay with the camp resembles a paradise - lush green, small pools and the sea heart-shaped in deep blue. An incredible day ends with a bath in the crystal clear river.
The varied route from Hlöðuvík to Fljótsvatn leads over rough stones along the shore, past driftwood and after a gentle climb a magnificent view over the bay to the Horn. Above at Almenningaskarð strong gusty wind and then seemingly endless over a stone desert to Þorleifsskarð. From there a steep path leads down at the eastern edge. In the lovely meadow landscape at Fljótsvatn I meet young Icelanders whose grandmother still lived here. In a brook beside the camp I take a cool bath in the midst of innumerable trouts.
When I crawl out of the tent in the morning it is warm and windless. The path along the Fljótsvatn is not as swampy as feared and easy to walk. At the lower end of Fljótsvatn, where the path up to Nónfell begins, blueberries are ready for picking. Immediately countless small flies attack me and I flee. Further up the flies are gone, but so are the blueberries. At a cairn I enjoy the magnificent view of Látravík.
I leave early and after the first hill I have breakfast with a view back to Látravik. It is the last sunny and dry day today and the trail leads over the Hesteyrarskarð to Hesteyri. On the way down I find a small waterfall and in the pool in front of it I enjoy the bath in the fresh clear water. Wonderfully refreshed and with cake and coffee in the Old Doctors House in Hesteyri leads a wonderful hike to an end.

00:00 Intro
00:23 Flight Reykjavik to Ísafjörður
01:31 Boat to Veiðileysufjörður
02:14 Veiðileysufjörður - Hornvik
05:02 Hornvik - Horn
08:37 Hornvik - Hlöðuvík
12:13 Hlöðuvík - Fljótsvatn
14:14 Fljótsvatn - Látrar
16:14 Látrar - Hesteyri
18:20 Bolungarvik - Ísafjörður

Musik:
https://artlist.io/Reinhold-2527048