Iceland
Patreksfjordur, Iceland
Patreksfjörður: Látrabjarg Puffin Cliffs and the Red Sands of the Westfjords
Patreksfjörður is a small fishing town in Iceland's remote Westfjords, a region of steep mountains and deep fjords with few people and long winding roads. The big sights, the Látrabjarg bird cliffs and the red sand of Rauðasandur, are well outside town. There are no buses and taxis must be booked ahead, so arrange a tour or rental car before the day if you want to reach them.
Good to know
What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Patreksfjörður
Smaller cruise ships tie up at the town pier, which is about 500 m from the town center. Larger ships anchor in the fjord, about 0.4 nautical miles off, and bring passengers ashore by tender.
- Patreksfjörður is a fishing town of around 750 people in the south of the Westfjords, and it is the westernmost town in Iceland.
- The harbor is in the middle of town, and there are public toilets at the harbor.
- The tourist information office is at Þórsgata 8A, with a town map and information on local services.
- There is no public transportation, and taxis must be booked in advance, so independent trips beyond the town need a pre-booked rental car or tour.
Patreksfjörður on Your Own
The town itself can be seen on foot: the harbor, the memorials to fishermen and the outdoor pool with a view over the fjord. Látrabjarg and Rauðasandur are a long drive away, so seeing them on your own means renting a car well ahead.
- In town: Look for the memorials to the French fishermen who worked these waters in the 18th and 19th centuries, to British fishermen lost in Icelandic waters, and to the four people killed by avalanches in 1983.
- The pool: The outdoor pool, 16.5 by 8 m with two hot pots and a sauna, overlooks the fjord. The pool asks everyone to wash without a swimsuit before getting in.
- Látrabjarg by car: The road to the cliffs, route 612, ends at the Bjargtangar lighthouse, under 60 km from town, and the last part is gravel. Allow at least an hour at the cliffs on top of the drive there and back.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. Ships do not wait for passengers touring on their own, so leave a wide margin for the drive back.
Getting Around Patreksfjörður and the Westfjords
Patreksfjörður is small enough to walk, but the sights around it are spread out along mountain roads. Without public buses, a pre-booked rental car, taxi or tour is the only way to reach them.
- Rental cars and taxis: Rental cars are available in town, and taxis run only if ordered in advance.
- Látrabjarg: Route 612, the Örlygshafnarvegur, ends at a parking area near the Bjargtangar lighthouse, and its final stretch is gravel. The road is not maintained in winter.
- Rauðasandur: The red-sand beach is reached on route 614.
- Dynjandi: The 100 m waterfall is in Arnarfjörður, and the area around it has been a protected natural monument since 1981.
- Driving: Many roads in the Westfjords wind around fjords, and some are closed by snow in winter, so check road and weather conditions before setting out.
What to Eat in Patreksfjörður
Patreksfjörður lives from fishing, and fish processing and fish farming are its main work. Cod, haddock and Atlantic catfish from the town are sold fresh, frozen and salted to markets in Europe.
- In town: There is a restaurant and café, a hotel restaurant, and a grocery store with a bakery and pizza counter.
- Other shops: The town also has a liquor store and a bank with an ATM.
Tipping in Iceland
Tipping is not part of Icelandic custom and is never expected. In rare cases an attempt to leave a tip can even be taken as an insult.
- Restaurants and cafés: Pay the bill as it is; no tip is expected.
- Guides: Some tour guides encourage tips, but there is no obligation to give one.
- Currency: Iceland uses the Icelandic króna (ISK).
Fishing Town Life in Patreksfjörður
Patreksfjörður was one of Iceland's pioneers in trawler fishing early in the 20th century, and fishing still shapes the town. Visitors are welcome, and the town has asked them to remember that its colorful old houses are people's homes.
- Memorials: Monuments around town honor French fishermen of the 18th and 19th centuries, British fishermen lost in Icelandic waters (raised jointly by the people of Aberdeen, Hull and Grimsby), all who have sailed from the fjord to fish, and the victims of the 1983 avalanches.
- The French fishermen: The town also has an exhibition titled "The French Fishermen and the Old Time."
- Homes, not sights: You can photograph the old houses, but do not go into gardens or houses even if a door is open, and do not take pictures through windows.
- Children: Do not photograph local children without an adult's permission.
- Birds: Near nesting birds, keep noise down and talk quietly.
Settlers, Trawlers, and the Látrabjarg Rescue
Patreksfjörður takes its name from the Viking Age, when the first settler named the fjord after a bishop in the Hebrides. Farmers lived here from the 9th century, but the town itself grew only with the fishing booms of the 18th and early 20th centuries.
- 9th century: The medieval Book of Settlements records that Örlygur Hrappsson, a settler from the Hebrides, named the fjord after his spiritual guide, Bishop Patrick of the Hebrides.
- Trading era: In the monopoly trade era, the trading post stood on Vatneyri, a low spit where there was once a lagoon.
- Around 1900: A village grew on Vatneyri and Geirseyri as fishing, fish processing and the fish trade expanded, and Patreksfjörður became an early center of trawler fishing.
- 1946: The old lagoon on Vatneyri was dug out to create the present harbor.
- December 1947: The British trawler Dhoon ran aground below Látrabjarg in a storm. Local farmers lowered themselves down the cliff and rescued all 12 surviving crew over about three days.
- 1983: Avalanches killed four people and destroyed many homes in the town.
- 1990: A national fishing quota system was introduced, and many residents left. The town had about 1,000 people in 1981.
- 2021: Látrabjarg was protected as a nature reserve.
- To learn more ashore: The regional folk museum at Hnjótur, founded by the farmer Egill Ólafsson, is in Örlygshöfn on route 612, the road to Látrabjarg.
Patreksfjörður with Children and Families
For a family day, the outdoor pool in town and the puffins at Látrabjarg are the two highlights. The cliffs need close supervision, because the edges are fragile and the drop is long.
- Younger children: The pool has a small pool alongside the main one, two hot pots and a view over the fjord, all a short walk from the harbor.
- School age: Puffins nest on the grassy tops of the Látrabjarg cliffs, usually from late spring through July, and they are often seen close by. Bring a zoom lens instead of moving toward them.
- Teenagers: Teenagers who like walking can follow part of the cliff top at Látrabjarg, the westernmost point of Iceland, or the reddish sand of Rauðasandur, both on open and exposed ground.
- Cliff safety: Keep children behind any barriers and well away from the edge, where seabird burrows weaken the ground and chunks of cliff can break off.
Accessibility in Patreksfjörður
The pier is about 500 m from the town center, so the town is manageable for most visitors on a docking day. Beyond town, the sights involve gravel roads and uneven ground, and a tender day adds a small-boat transfer.
- Tendering: Larger ships anchor about 0.4 nautical miles off and use tenders. Ask the ship how its tenders are boarded before you plan the day.
- In town: Public toilets are at the harbor, at the tourist information office and at the campsite.
- Látrabjarg: There is parking at the end of route 612 near the lighthouse, but the final stretch of road is gravel and the cliff top is open, exposed ground.
- Weather: Wind, fog and wet ground make the cliff top harder going, so check conditions before you set out.
Shopping in Patreksfjörður
Shopping in Patreksfjörður is small-town Iceland: a tourist information office with a shop, a gift shop, a supermarket and a few everyday stores. Do not come expecting a shopping street.
- Tourist information office: It doubles as a small shop for visitors.
- Everyday stores: The town has a supermarket, a pharmacy, a bank with an ATM and a Red Cross thrift store.
- Gift shop: There is a gift shop in town.
Coastal Landscapes and Wildlife Near Patreksfjörður
Two places stand out on the coast near Patreksfjörður: Rauðasandur, a beach of reddish sand about 10 km long, and the Látrabjarg cliffs, 14 km long and up to 441 m high. Both are a drive from town.
- Rauðasandur: The name means "red sand," and seals and seabirds are often seen along the shore. On clear days the Snæfellsjökull glacier is visible across the bay.
- Sjöundá: A deserted farm at the eastern end of Rauðasandur was the scene of a double murder in 1802 that inspired the novel Svartfugl.
- Látrabjarg: In summer the cliffs fill with breeding seabirds, puffins, razorbills, guillemots and fulmars among them.
- Breiðavík: On the way to Látrabjarg, the road comes down to the sandy cove of Breiðavík, where there is a church.
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