Arctic Coast Way: Husavik to Bakkafjordur

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Husavik

   Húsavík is the town that decided to make whales its trade and has done very well from the decision. It sits on the shore of Skjálfandi bay in north Iceland, facing across the water to the snowy peaks of the Tröllaskagi range, and a row of brightly painted wooden boats waits at the harbour for visitors. The bay is one of the best places in Europe to see humpback whales, along with minke whales, porpoises and sometimes blue whales, and tours run from spring to autumn, sailing out on old oak fishing boats. Many boats provide warm overalls, and you will be glad of them.

   Read the complete Husavik write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Husavik is where the day begins. Next is Raufarhofn.

2. 2. Raufarhofn

   Raufarhofn is a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Iceland, on the flat, empty Melrakkaslétta peninsula, a few kilometres south of the Arctic Circle. It was once one of the busiest herring ports in the country, and in the middle of the twentieth century the harbour was crowded with boats and the surrounding area full of salting stations. Today only a couple of hundred people live here, and many of the old buildings stand empty, which gives the place a faintly wistful atmosphere.

   Read the complete Raufarhofn write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Raufarhofn comes up about 131 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bakkafjordur.

3. 3. Bakkafjörður

   Bakkafjörður is among the smallest and loneliest places on the Arctic Coast Way, a village of perhaps seventy people on the north-eastern edge of Iceland, close to the base of the Langanes peninsula. It sits on a low, boggy shore beside the bay of Bakkaflói, with a harbour, a few houses, a church and a view of the sea that goes on to the horizon. The name means the bank fjord, and the surroundings are open moorland, lakes and sea cliffs rather than mountains. A fishing economy kept the village alive, and it survives on little but stubbornness.

   Read the complete Bakkafjordur write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 242 km.