Puffins at Hafnarhólmi, Borgarfjörður eystri

Hafnarhólmi is a rocky islet joined to the small-boat harbour at Borgarfjörður eystri, where puffins nest close enough to watch from wooden platforms. The village's site estimates 8,000–10,000 pairs, and neither it nor Visit Austurland lists any charge. It suits anyone in the East between mid-April and mid-August who wants puffins without a boat, families with small children, and photographers. It does not suit a tight Ring Road day: the fjord is 75 minutes each way from Egilsstaðir and on no ledger route.

The figures, read today: borgarfjordureystri.is says puffins return to nest from mid-April to mid-August, with the main numbers from May to mid-August, and then leave for the open sea. It describes a shelter and wooden platforms that bring visitors close to the burrows without the risk of falling into one or off a cliff, and estimates 8,000–10,000 breeding pairs, about 0.25 % of Iceland's puffins. Kittiwakes, fulmars and common eiders nest on the islet too, and all species are protected by law in the breeding season. Visit Austurland, the regional tourist office, gives the nesting season as mid-April to the beginning of August, says locals have looked after the islet for decades, and notes the Hafnarhús harbour building with art exhibitions and food, which the village's site lists as a café. Neither page lists an admission or parking charge.

#The arithmetic

Egilsstaðir is the nearest sleep town on the ledgers: day 3 of the seven-day Ring Road and days 3 and 4 of the ten-day Ring Road. From there the harbour is 77 km and 75 minutes each way by OSRM on OpenStreetMap. With an hour on the platforms, 15 minutes at the harbour and a 30-minute buffer, about 255 minutes. The ten-day journey's day 4 is a loop from Egilsstaðir, so the puffins could replace Seyðisfjörður on it in June or July; they cannot be added to it without dropping something.

#What goes wrong

Season: outside mid-April to mid-August there is nothing to see, and the village's site says numbers thin after mid-August. Disturbance: keep to the platforms, which exist so that nobody steps into a burrow; the birds are protected while breeding. Roads: safetravel.is advises checking umferdin.is and vedur.is before setting out and waiting somewhere safe if weather turns. Weather on the platforms: safetravel.is's hiking advice is to carry a hat, gloves and windproof layers even on a short outing.

#Alternatives on the same road

Back towards Egilsstaðir and over the pass, the Seyðisfjörður rainbow street and Tvísöngur walk is a free 90 minutes. Inland, the Hengifoss walk is the long climb in Fljótsdalur. For puffins on the ledgers themselves, Látrabjarg on the Westfjords loop and the Reykjavík puffin boat are the other options.