Vaðalfjöll (Reykhólar)

Conveniently located at Hotel Bjarkalundur, this short hike can be a fabulous stop on a trip towards the West Fjords. (Hotel Bjarkalundur offers good quality food and drinks throughout the day, including decent coffee.)

The hike leads to a pair of rocky peaks that give an awesome view of the two bays, the peninsula between, and the hinterland - they are by far the highest points in the area.

The hike is an easy ascent on gentle slopes passing wild blueberry fields for a free little snack. Occasionally the path disappears in the shrubs, then watch out for hidden holes. Finally you reach the rocky peaks; here you climb up a chimney in the middle between the two peaks. It's a roughly 45 degree ascent, so I preferred to "climb" on all fours, holding towards the rocks - you probably also could just walk up with a moderate risk of slipping on the slippery sand and gravel. When holding to the rocks, this is also an awesome climb for kids with some alpine experience. From the saddle, you can climb further on the right peak, and easily walk on the left peak where you also can find a shiny metal box to leave a message to future hikers.

Note: the entry point to the trail is on the right of the hotel - walk to the last wooden cabin and then find the trail to the right behind the last cabin. From there follow the path to the wooden stairs over the fence. After this the path disappears every once in a while, just walk towards the peaks that you should climb from the left side. When following my trail here, you best walk it in "reverse direction" as I found the correct entry point only on the way back - on the way up I used an alternative starting point, a small parking bay shortly after the hotel.