The Southern Coast of the Vestfirðir
That morning, the weather was mixed as we left our guesthouse. We planned to explore the southern fjords at a leisurely pace, from Raudisandur to Patreksfjörður, with a stop at Latrabjarg, of course. According to our essential travel companion, the vedur.is website, the punishing rain was expected to clear soon, which would allow us to enjoy the day with a bit of warmth on our shoulders!
The Wreck of Garðar BA 64
Our first stop of the day brought us to the wreck of the famous Garðar BA 64, a trawler stranded in Breidafjörður Bay. It was the oldest steel trawler in Iceland, first launched in 1912, and has been here since 1981. Needless to say, it was in pretty rough shape!
Raudisandur and the Melanes Hike
Further west, we planned to hike around Raudisandur. The place was absolutely stunning, with endless beaches that shone with a deep orange color. There was no one around and the pure tranquility was memorable.
The Melanes hike started at a small parking area at Melanes, a few hundred meters before reaching Raudisandur. Taking our time with plenty of photo breaks, it took us only 1.5 hours to cover the 3.5 km trail that led to a memorial.
The hiking trail was easy and pleasant, crossing several streams and we encountered many cormorants and a few seals lounging on the beach along the way.
It was so peaceful that we decided to have a picnic right on the beach.
Latrabjarg and its Famous Puffins
In the early afternoon we took the stunning road leading to Latrabjarg. Stunning as it was, we had to hang on for a very bumpy road. When we arrived at the parking area, the sun came out in all its splendour allowing us to take a long walk along the cliff.
We started seeing the puffins and razorbills soon thereafter along the promontory. We walked for nearly two hours along the coast before returning to the parking lot for the drive to Patreksfjörður, arriving late in the afternoon.
There wasn’t much to see or do in this small fishing village, but we still took advantage of the beautiful silvery light, so typical of Icelandic summers, to snap a few photos.
