Sunday, July 8, 2012

On Hornbjarg

Standing on top of Hornbjarg in Hornvík, Icelandic Westfjords, you can overlook all of the Hornvík bay and the jagged cliff edge forming the eastern border of the ridge.
Looking to the north you can only see the polar circle.

If this place was easier or quicker to reach or easier to stay at, it might be crowded. But getting there across the Greenland sea by boat and camping out in the wild with no facilities does not make this a tourist place.

Please take our recommendation seriously: Do not attempt Hornstrandir or Hornvík without propper equipment and preparation. This is not a vacation park but wildernis and you have to be 100 % self reliant to be able to stay out there. The next person - litterally and really - can be miles away and days. 

Wilderness camping and hiking surely is not for everyone but I hear the wow and awesome comments about our Hornstrandir photos all the time. That does not mean that there is no risk - well, there also is fun, if you know what you are doing.







Look at all the birds flying off those cliffs. There are thousands and there is constant motion and screaming!

The cliff edge looks like razor blades and falls straight and deep down towards no beach section or anything but drops right into the ocean and into nothing.

These birds are nicely safe on those cracks and ledges. People don't disturb them, foxes don't get all that far and there is safety in numbers a lot.

By the way: yes, these colors pop out a lot. But the sky really WAS that blue that one day. There is near to no pollution out there and the weather was splendid. And there is such an abundance of buttercups - I was posting photos of them earlier, I know - that the green grass turns saturated yellow and lush vegitation. These colors are real, that is what I want to tell you.

2 comments:

  1. I really like the popping green - and I just can repeat myself: stunning views and very well captured!
    I would love to do the hike and be in the wild thingy.. but as I've never done that, I think I would be totally lost... in more than one way *gg

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  2. Feli: The key is good preparation. Then you know 100 %, expect 200 % and get thrown into 500 % of the experience that you were thinking of. It's do-able. And it's lovely.

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