Helgi Óskarsson’s guide to the Westfjords

The Westfjords, as the name indicates, has a lot of fjords. The landscape is stunning. We have a lot of mountains in Iceland, but it’s different here. I was born in Reykjavík and lived there for most of my life, but my wife’s family is from the Westfjords. We’ve had a house in a town called Þingeyri for the past 10 years. You can fly from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður, the main town, in 45 minutes, and it’s easier to get around now because the roads are better. You don’t need a four-wheeler to drive unless you come during the middle of the winter and there’s a lot of snow. 

The people in the Westfjords are the most hardcore you can find. This is a tough area to survive in: the weather changes very fast and frequently so you need to have really efficient clothing. The harsh conditions bring out a certain type of strength and endurance in the people here. It is not a coincidence that our company, 66˚North, started making clothing for fishermen in the Westfjords in 1926. Bring your hiking boots, your trail running shoes and a good waterproof shell jacket. 

The people in the Westfjords are the most hardcore you can find

It doesn’t make any sense to come to the Westfjords unless you want to spend time in nature. There are so many things you can do here, whether you like hiking and trail running or sitting in a hot tub and talking to locals. In the summertime, my family and I love going kayaking and paddleboarding. You can go sailing and there are people who take you out to fish. In winter, you go skiing.

I like to start my mornings here by going on a trail run. I’m not a long-distance runner; I like to go for something between a seven and 10km jog. There’s a mountain, Sandafell, that I run across that’s 8km exactly, which is a fantastic way to start the day. There are some amazing mountain bike trails, such as Vesturgata, which translates as “the road that’s in the west”. It’s about 55km to cycle and there’s a section where you’re next to the ocean. It feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere and the view of the mountains is breathtaking – no words can describe it.

The best coffee house in the Westfjords is Simbahöllin. They have amazing homemade cakes and Belgian waffles, the atmosphere is very warm and you can also have beer or a glass of wine. To eat, Tjöruhúsið is a special fish restaurant because they don’t have a menu; they just serve the catch of the day. It can be halibut, cod, plaice – basically everything that is fished here. It’s always packed. 

My family and I love going to The Old Bookstore, which has both new books and used ones that you can buy by the weight (as well as amazing Icelandic-made chocolate). Icelanders, of course, are very proud of our sagas – historical stories from the Middle Ages. I recommend that people grab a book of the Gísla Saga, about a tragic hero who must kill one of his brothers-in-law to avenge another, then visit the nearby Haukadalur valley where the story takes place.

Stay at the Kex Hotel in Þingeyri, which reopened in May after a renovation. For anyone who’s interested in golf, there is a nine-hole course nearby. Many of the best golfers in Iceland say that the seventh hole – which requires you to hit over a river and a dam – is the most beautiful in golfing. If you like architecture, the Icelandic architect Pálmar Kristmundsson renovated an abandoned concrete factory, Steypustoðin, nearby – it’s fascinating. 

There are natural hot pools in almost every town. I love to stop at Hellulaug, next to a village called Flókalundur, because the water is a perfect temperature. In some areas of Iceland the water is boiling hot, but the Westfjords is the furthest distance from where the North American and Eurasian plates meet, so you don’t have any volcanic eruptions here.

The Westfjords is where I really connect with nature and also with myself. If you want peace and quiet, just walk into one of the valleys; you won’t hear anything except maybe a sheep or a bird, and that’s it. No noise, no interruptions. You get into a different state of mind and the stressful world we live in fades away.