Hólmavík

Hólmavík is the exit from the Westfjords on the eastern side and the entry for anyone doing the region clockwise. Route 61 from Ísafjörður arrives here after the long circuit of the Djúp fjords and the Steingrímsfjarðarheiði pass; from here the road south rejoins the Ring Road in Hrútafjörður in an hour. It is also the base for the Strandir coast north to Djúpavík and the end of the road at Norðurfjörður, which has nothing of its own.

The practical line: Olís has a fuel station here (olis.is, confirmed today), the only confirmed fuel between Ísafjörður and the Ring Road. A small grocery exists; Krambúðin lists a store here on an older Samkaup page, which could not be confirmed on a current store list today. There is a municipal pool and a campsite; toilets at the harbour. For the Strandir road north, this is the last fuel, the last shop and the last reliable signal; fill here and carry water.

Timing: three hours from Ísafjörður, an hour to the Ring Road at Staðarskáli, two and a half to Borgarnes. Hólmavík is quiet all year; the museum and the harbour café are the only places that ever queue.

Safety is the pass: Steingrímsfjarðarheiði climbs above 400 m on the way to the Djúp and is closed in winter storms; check umferdin.is and the 1777 line before a morning departure west. The Strandir road north is gravel, single-track in places and unserviced in winter.