📍 ///newlywed.placemat.fajitas
14 km between Hlöðuvík and Hesteyri.
The first 5-6 hours were spent in a light but steady rain, the kind that never falls hard enough to convince you to bring out the big guns, but which ends up penetrating all layers and hitting your spirits. Rivers to cross barefoot, always in this rain, don't help.
Doubt sets in: “Are we really going to manage to finish?”
The new route already seems quite ambitious.
Then, finally, the rain stops. But not the difficulty. The last few kilometers are endless: we can see the camp in the distance... it seems to get further away as we move forward. An exhausting frustration.
In Hesteyri, we head to the Old Doctor's House, the last vestige of a hamlet abandoned in the 1950s. I meet Hrólvur, a local figure who still maintains a connection with these timeless places. On the way, an unlikely surprise: standard toilets with toilet paper. An insignificant detail elsewhere, a treasure here.
Setting up the tent, making a quick repair, a hot meal... a feat at the end of the day.
Tomorrow, break. Well-deserved rest. Maybe some exploring, weather permitting. The old American military base tempts me... but a 45 km round trip, without reliable weather forecasts, is still a risky bet. We'll see tomorrow.
Hesteyri was long the center of life on Hornstrandir: a small community of fishermen and farmers survived there until 1952, before abandoning the fjord for good. Today, the Old Doctor's House serves as a refuge and guesthouse—a precious reminder of this bygone era.
#Hornstrandir #Hesteyri #IcelandHiking #Iceland2025 #IcelandAdventure #HornstrandirNatureReserve #WildIceland #TravelEnIceland #ArcticJourney #OldDoctorsHouse
