Arctic Coast Way

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Hvammstangi

   Hvammstangi is a fishing village of a few hundred people on the east side of the Vatnsnes peninsula in north-west Iceland, where the bay of Miðfjörður opens into the great Húnaflói. It is small, tidy and unhurried, with brightly painted houses facing a harbour full of small boats, and it is known for shrimp, a trade that kept it going for years. The thing to do here is look at seals. The Icelandic Seal Centre in the village tells the story of the harbour and common seals that haul out on the beaches around the peninsula, and the shore at Vatnsnes is among the best places in the country to watch them at rest on the rocks.

   Read the complete Hvammstangi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Hvammstangi is where the day begins. Next is Siglufjordur.

2. 2. Siglufjordur

   Siglufjordur is as far north as you can reasonably get on a paved road in Iceland, a small fishing town squeezed between steep mountains and a long narrow fjord on the Troll Peninsula. In the first half of the twentieth century it was the herring capital of the country, and during the summer the harbour was so crowded with boats and the town so full of seasonal workers that the population swelled well beyond what you see now. When the herring disappeared in the 1960s, the boom ended almost overnight. The Herring Era Museum, in a group of old waterfront buildings, tells the story well, with a salting station, workers' quarters and plenty of old photographs.

   Read the complete Siglufjordur write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Siglufjordur comes up about 201 km into the recorded legs. Next is Husavik.

3. 3. 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

   about 354 km into the recorded legs you reach Husavik. Next is Raufarhofn.

4. 4. 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, late in the day. Next is Bakkafjordur.

5. 5. 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

   Finish at Bakkafjordur. That is the ride.