From Isafjordjup to Holmavik
It's been a week since we arrived in Iceland. We're heading towards the eastern coast of the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) for our last day in the fjords. We've planned to take our time and stop along the fjords, as we have nearly a three-hour drive to reach our evening accommodation in Holmavík.
Along the Isafjordjup, we observed numerous seals basking on the shores. It's always surprising to see how the weather can change drastically from one fjord to another, going from clouds and rain to clear blue skies just a few kilometers away.
A Wealth of Hot Springs
As mentioned earlier, the Westfjords region is probably the area with the most hot pots in Iceland. To give a clearer idea, along today’s planned route, we could have bathed in five hot pots:
- Hörgshlíðarlaug
- Drangsnes
- Gvendarlaug
- Nauteyrarlaug
- Galtahryggjarlaug (Heydalur)
We passed right by Hörgshlíðarlaug, but its concrete pool appearance didn't entice us. The same goes for Drangsnes, where we had lunch at noon. Yet, the hot pots offer a magnificent view of the sea. Ultimately, we decided to bathe at Gvendarlaug, very close to Drangsnes (see photo).
The hot pot can accommodate two or three people and is located below a heated pool. The natural hot pot is definitely more enjoyable!
The Witchcraft Museum in Holmavík
In the middle of the afternoon, we arrived in Holmavík, where we dropped off our things at our guesthouse before heading to the Witchcraft Museum, which the village is known for.
We found this small museum very interesting. We learned a lot about magic and witchcraft in Iceland, particularly in the 17th century. The Westfjords region was really the heart of these beliefs and the majority of events related to these topics. We spent about an hour in the museum before returning to our guesthouse for dinner and some rest.
