Welcome again to my Iceland journey report! Should you adopted together with Half III you’ll know I did a silly detour (despite the fact that Dynjandi was fantastic) and paid for it with a extremely lengthy day of driving. I used to be tremendous near my vacation spot for the night time, Djupavik. As I pulled into what I assumed was a small city I drove across the again aspect of a decrepit constructing, took a left flip and noticed some automobiles in entrance of a small constructing.
A word on trusting the suggestions of your folks
Once I prep for journeys I normally attain out to folks I do know who’ve been to locations earlier than to see if they’ve any concepts about what I ought to do. My buddy Mike, with whom I usually agree on most issues journey, instantly stated “Lodge Djupavik. You need to keep there.” I didn’t actually ask any extra questions, logged on to their web site, and made a reserving for 2 nights with out actually what to anticipate.
Again to Djupavik
So I pulled as much as this constructing, Waze telling me I had arrived, and I questioned the place the remainder of the village was. However, irrespective of, there was an indication that stated Lodge Djupavik and actually I used to be too drained to essentially be involved with something however getting some meals in my stomach and that very same stomach right into a mattress for some relaxation. They requested me to take off my footwear earlier than going upstairs to my room, so I positioned them within the pile of footwear from different visitors on the foot of an ancient-looking staircase. My room was throughout the corridor from the shared rest room and bathe and was quaint AF. I shortly ate the sandwich they made for me after which sat down to start out unpacking and preparing for mattress. My physique didn’t have time for that. I fell asleep absolutely clothed with the sunshine on and the whole lot!
I slept like an absolute brick till simply earlier than dawn the subsequent morning. I received away from bed to show the sunshine off and began to see the primary inklings of dawn and realized the clouds had damaged a bit!
I lastly felt rested, which I hadn’t actually skilled since I received to Iceland, so I took benefit and made my approach out to the shore of the bay simply exterior of the resort to seize the dawn.
The colours had been nice and it was one of many few occasions I had seen the clouds break throughout my journey up to now. I sat out within the coolness of the morning for a bit (watching some seals go by) and stated a fast prayer of gratitude for safely arriving at such a peaceable place.
As you’ll be able to inform by the relative stillness of the water within the sound it was one of many first occasions the wind died down! I made a decision to reap the benefits of it and began getting some drone footage with my new Mavic 2 Professional for the video I needed to place collectively. I despatched the drone up as shortly as I may so the noise wouldn’t disturb anybody nonetheless asleep within the resort (the Mavic 2 Professional has low-noise propellors, it’s noisy throughout takeoff however as soon as it’s within the air above 50 toes or so it’s really fairly tough to listen to). The dawn was simply as nice from the air because it was from the bottom.
I despatched the drone up very excessive and turned the lens again towards Djupavik itself, which was the primary time I noticed: there’s not a village. There’s mainly simply the previous constructing from the night time earlier than and the Lodge Djupavik, which I’ve since discovered is sometimes called “the loneliest resort in Europe”. It sits on the base of a sheer mountainside cliff, with the compulsory waterfall (Djupavikurfoss) subsequent to the entire scene.
I questioned why Mike had despatched me right here, however over breakfast I requested one of many workers members on the resort (who was a part of the household which owned the resort) concerning the historical past of the place and I discovered it completely fascinating.
The Increase and Bust of Djupavik
I’ll write out a fast historical past primarily based on their rationalization and different analysis I’ve completed however I additionally did a collection of Instagram tales about Djupavik that I compiled into a bit of video for you.
Proper across the finish of World Conflict 1 an entrepreneur referred to as Elias Stefansson determined to construct a manufacturing unit within the Westfjords of Iceland to course of herring caught within the close by waters. The manufacturing unit didn’t do extremely nicely, as a result of distant location, and the enterprise finally collapsed. Within the Forties, after the top of World Conflict II, the manufacturing unit was rebuilt (and was really one of many largest constructions in all of Europe). This time the herring enterprise boomed. Folks started to settle close to the manufacturing unit and a bit of city prospered for 20 years or so. Finally the herring inhabitants declined within the space (whether or not it was overfishing or myriad different doable explanations) and the manufacturing unit shut down once more in 1964. Within the Eighties a household purchased the manufacturing unit (and the related buildings) to attempt to deliver some life again to the previous constructing and the world itself.
The present Lodge Djupavik is within the constructing which was the feminine dormitory of the manufacturing unit. The constructing dates into the early twentieth century and nonetheless has the unique staircase, the unique wooden flooring, and a great deal of appeal. It has nice free wifi and free breakfast for its visitors for a reasonably affordable worth (I paid $150/night time, fairly affordable in comparison with the exaggeratedly inflated costs of the southern coast).
After breakfast I took a nap for a few hours after which received again within the automotive to make my approach to a random swimming pool in the midst of nowhere…
Krossneslaug – essentially the most distant public swimming pool on the earth
Iceland has tons of geothermally heated springs, notably within the Westfjords. A few of the extra common ones, just like the Blue Lagoon, are nicely touristed and have all kinds of infrastructure constructed round it. Then there’s a random one on the Atlantic coast of the Westfjords referred to as Krossneslaug. You’re mainly driving alongside one more filth highway, avoiding potholes left and proper, and impulsively you see a random public swimming pool subsequent to the frigid Atlantic waters!
The water from these geothermal scorching springs is VERY scorching so that they mix it with cool spring water to create an open-air swimming pool and scorching tub!
The pool is open 24 hours a day. Typically there’s a pool attendant there to gather the entry payment (round $7 USD) but when there isn’t one then there’s a donation field (the donations go towards sustaining the pool and locker room space).
Even in a distant place just like the Westfjords the pool ended up pretty crowded by the top of my go to! A lightweight rain blew through which made it much more fantastic to be within the good heat water. I’ve even seen photos of the northern lights within the sky at night time whereas individuals are within the pool!
I chatted with a stunning German couple for some time as we watched a part of an iceberg float by within the distance (all the way in which from Greenland!). Finally it was time for me to move again to Djupavik to see if there was a sundown price capturing so I stated my auf wiedersenen to zie Germans, dried off, and made my approach again to the automotive. However then I received out the drone as an instance simply how distant the environment of Krossneslaug had been.
I went again to the resort (the sundown ended up being rained out), had dinner within the downstairs restaurant (which was glorious but in addition very costly) and sat in my room for some time studying a guide and stress-free! I’m terrible at stress-free on holidays, notably if I’m on my own, so it felt good to seize a pleasant bathe and get some studying in earlier than an excellent night time’s relaxation. The following day would contain, sure, fairly a little bit of driving once more, so I knew I wanted to relaxation up!
I’ll say this about Djupavik and Krossneslaug
Should you’re going to be within the Westfjords I believe staying in Djupavik is a incredible possibility, simply be prepared for a extra boutique expertise! It was one in every of my favourite locations on the journey and I’ll fortunately return sooner or later for the precise cause that it took me out of my typical journey routine and made me admire the audacity of the generations earlier than who checked out a spot this distant and stated “sure, we are going to do enterprise proper right here”. Krossneslaug was an hour or so away (like the whole lot in Iceland) and was nicely well worth the journey!
What would await me the subsequent day? Should you guessed ‘most likely waterfalls and somesuch’ then you definately’re precisely proper, keep tuned!
