The original plan for the end of our trip included several days in the Vestfirðir, that is, the Westfjords, the sparsely populated fjords of the northwest.

The attraction of the Westfjords was puffins, specifically, those at the Látrabjarg cliffs. But, we were lucky enough to have seen puffins on the east coast, so we altered our itinerary to stay three nights in the fishing village of Stykkishólmur, instead.

We lodged there at the Akkeri Guesthouse, down toward the harbor, circled in red on the map, below:

The Akkeri (translation: Anchor) was a pleasant surprise, and my favorite stay in Iceland. It was previously a restaurant, operated by the friendly current owner, a local fisherman called Steini, and his Hungarian partner, Krisztina, who we got to know pretty well during our stay there.

Here’s a view out the window of the common breakfast room. There were two very good restaurants within walking distance for dinner.

We used the village of Stykkishólmur as a base from which to explore the Snæfellsnes peninsula. For the most part, we had good weather during our time here.

One day, returning to the village early, we walked down to the harbor and hiked up to the top of the island on the harbor’s far side. I took this photo from there, looking back toward the village:

There’s a lighthouse up top…

… and the ferry to the Westfjords docks on the island side of the harbor.

On our second day at the Akkeri, Steini offered to show me his fishing boat. So the next morning, we went down to the harbor and he surprised me by asking if I’d like to go for a little ride!

Steini, by the way, means “stone” in Icelandic. It’s a nickname given to most men named “þorsteinn” (Thorsteinn). You’d have to be tough as a stone to be a fisherman in these waters.

Off we go! Steini fishes alone, often going offshore as much as 35 miles. He fishes with lines rigged with a type of spoon lure, four hooks to a rig. You can see several rigs off to the left, below.

He has four motorized and computer-assisted reels that he can program for different depths and jigging patterns. Quite high tech.

We motored out to and around Þórishólmi (Thorisholmi) Island. There’s a 12-foot tide here. Thorisholmi Island is shaped like a heart. Legend has it that a fisherman caught a mermaid named Thora here and they fell in love. He supposedly named the island after her.

Steini named his boat after Krisztina. The legend endures.