Ísafjarðardjúp, Westfjords, Iceland
Ísafjarðardjúp is a large fjord in the Westfjords region of Iceland and an extended arm of the Denmark Strait. Its 47 mile length takes a massive swathe out of the Westfjords landmass.
The north east coast of Ísafjarðardjúp is fairly straight with the only inlet being Kaldalón. However, approaching from the south east and descending from the Steingrímsfjarðarheiði mountain pass on road 61, the views of Ísafjarðardjúp are spectacular: remote, uninhabited, forbidding fjordlands as far as the eye can see. In fact, from the head of Ísafjörður in the east to the regional capital of Ísafjörður in the west there are very few settlements along a very lonely and circuitous road which stretches around 125 miles and winds its way in and out of a series of smaller fjords making the drive like sliding along each tooth of a fine comb. The southern fjords of Skutulsfjörður, Álftafjörður, Seyðisfjörður, Hestsfjörður, Skötufjörður, Mjóifjörður and Ísafjörður extend well in to the land. Three islands lie in Ísafjarðardjúp: Borgarey, Æðey and Vigur with Borgarey the smallest with no inhabitants and Vigur the largest.
Ísafjörður is the regional capital of the Westfjords region and is located on a spit of sand in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger Ísafjarðardjúp. With a population of about 2,600, it is the largest town in the Westfjords and is connected by road and a recent 3.4 mile road tunnel to Bolungarvík which lies 9 miles to the north west and to the small town of Súðavík to the east. The partly one-lane Vestfjarðagöng tunnel completed in 1996 leads to the small towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri and to the western parts of the Westfjords. Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A severe decline in the fishing industry for a variety of reasons and a decline in the fish population has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere and to a decline in the town's population. The harbour at Ísafjörður also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area. The tourist industry is growing and Ísafjörður is a major access point to the nature reserve and uninhabited wilderness area on the Hornstrandir peninsula.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: view from road 61 near Ogur
The north east coast of Ísafjarðardjúp is fairly straight with the only inlet being Kaldalón. However, approaching from the south east and descending from the Steingrímsfjarðarheiði mountain pass on road 61, the views of Ísafjarðardjúp are spectacular: remote, uninhabited, forbidding fjordlands as far as the eye can see. In fact, from the head of Ísafjörður in the east to the regional capital of Ísafjörður in the west there are very few settlements along a very lonely and circuitous road which stretches around 125 miles and winds its way in and out of a series of smaller fjords making the drive like sliding along each tooth of a fine comb. The southern fjords of Skutulsfjörður, Álftafjörður, Seyðisfjörður, Hestsfjörður, Skötufjörður, Mjóifjörður and Ísafjörður extend well in to the land. Three islands lie in Ísafjarðardjúp: Borgarey, Æðey and Vigur with Borgarey the smallest with no inhabitants and Vigur the largest.
Ísafjörður is the regional capital of the Westfjords region and is located on a spit of sand in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger Ísafjarðardjúp. With a population of about 2,600, it is the largest town in the Westfjords and is connected by road and a recent 3.4 mile road tunnel to Bolungarvík which lies 9 miles to the north west and to the small town of Súðavík to the east. The partly one-lane Vestfjarðagöng tunnel completed in 1996 leads to the small towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri and to the western parts of the Westfjords. Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A severe decline in the fishing industry for a variety of reasons and a decline in the fish population has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere and to a decline in the town's population. The harbour at Ísafjörður also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area. The tourist industry is growing and Ísafjörður is a major access point to the nature reserve and uninhabited wilderness area on the Hornstrandir peninsula.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: view from road 61 near Ogur
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Also in: Westfjords
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