The approach to Ísafjörður tells you everything about the Westfjords. Come through the long tunnel from the west or along the fjords from the east and either way you arrive between mountains that rise almost vertically from the water, flat-topped, layered and striped with old snow, and the town lies on a curved spit of gravel in the middle of the Skutulsfjörður, as if it had been placed there by hand. It is the largest town in the region, with a few thousand people, a busy harbour and an airport where the landing between the mountains counts as one of the most dramatic in Europe.
The town has been a trading post since the sixteenth century, and the oldest part, Neðstikaupstaður, has a group of timber houses from the eighteenth century that were used by Danish merchants under the trade monopoly. One of them houses the Westfjords Heritage Museum, with exhibitions about fishing and life in the region. Ísafjörður grew prosperous in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries on fishing, especially for cod and shrimp, and the town still has a strong fishing and seafood culture, with excellent fish restaurants.
The town also has a lively cultural life for its size. Every Easter it hosts a music festival, Aldrei fór ég suður, which means I never went south, a wry nod to the young people who leave for Reykjavík. In winter the surrounding mountains are popular with skiers. The Westfjords have suffered from avalanches, and in the 1990s two villages nearby were struck by deadly avalanches, a tragedy that led to the building of large defensive barriers above the towns.
Riding in the Westfjords is an adventure. The roads follow the coast around long fjords, often on gravel, with short climbs over passes and many kilometres of shoreline. Route 61, around the Ísafjarðardjúp, is long and winding, with spectacular views and very little traffic. The weather can be harsh, with fog, rain and wind even in summer, and distances between services are long. The tunnels are a relief in bad weather.
Ísafjörður has fuel, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and accommodation. It is the place to rest, eat and prepare for the next stage of the journey, because beyond it the villages are small and the services are few.