We all get reminders of events from our past lives. The one that ‘popped-up’ today reminded me that, this day, in 2015, I was visiting a Nature Reserve in Iceland…. was it really that long ago… it was.
On that day we were moored at Isafjordur, a busy little port and community, hidden deep in fjords and surround by high mountains, to the north west of Iceland. I had heard of Hesteyri, now a Nature Reserve, until the 1950’s it was a small outpost and Whaling Station.
July seemed the optimum time for a visit for the flora of this most northerly and westerly areas of Iceland. Access for visitors is only possible across high summer and a boat trip is needed.
It is hard to describe the Reserve. Bleak, yet also full of flora, threatening with its mountain surrounds, some still snow capped… but also strangely welcoming, an enveloping feeling of a very different place, strangely uplifting. A few lucky folk have holiday homes to enjoy in the short summer with its long days. I have visited many Nature Reserves in many locations. Hesteyri is the most remote, has a unique beauty, very memorable… yet hard to describe. Maybe a longer visit to absorb more of the location was needed, but it is still a lifetime memory, just surprised it was so long ago.
So here are two more images that I hope convey the character of Hesteyri and this remote area of Iceland.
Would love to return but doubt I will.
Wherever you are today, make memories….. and also…
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
7th July
(C) David Oakes 2026
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 