The Westfjords fjords are many and we all have our favorite fjord. Sometimes it’s because of beauty or memories or because of family ties. There is one fjord that combines all this for me and it can truly be said that it is in many ways my favorite fjord.
Álftafjörður is the nearest fjord to Skutulsfjörður where Ísafjörður Town is. In Álftafjörður is the village Súðavík, which can be clearly seen in the attached photos. About 200 people live there.
27 years ago a large avalanche fell on the village and 14 people died. Subsequently, the settlement was moved to a safer area and the houses in the old settlement are now only used for a few months a year when it is considered safe to live there. Despite this great shock, Súðavík has flourished in many ways, although the settlement and human life are still partly in the shadow of this great event.
South-west of Súðavík is the mountain Kofri with its unique mountain peak. My mother loved Kofri a lot as she grew up in an old turf farm at the foot of the mountain.
Much has changed in the 100 years since then. In many ways for the better but in other respects little changed. Álftafjörður is the same, although there are now more and better houses and a main road. The time for turf farms is over. The fjord is probably as beautiful today as it was then – at least in my eyes. In addition, the fjord is endowed with magic and I know of at least one magic stone that can change the lives of the people standing on it for the better.
The photos with this post are taken at different times on different cameras from one of the best viewing points at Ísafjörður Bay. It’s a lot of fun to stop there no matter what the weather is like and take some pictures. From there you can see on a good day over to Snowy Beach and part of Glacier Fjords and the whole of Álftafjörður. The view point is on The Westfjords Way route.
Click on top of any photo to start a full-screen slideshow.
