The south and the north of the West Fjords region are separated by two steep mountain passes which are not snowplowed throughout the winter. French tourist Thomas Chretien made it over one but then found himself stuck. For five whole days.
Thomas drove over Dynjandisheiði on Saturday April 1 and into the spectacular Arnarfjörður fjord and nature reserve area. “I arrived here Saturday evening, it snowed all night and on Sunday morning I couldn’t get away,” he told RÚV.
He found himself stuck with his car in the 20-kilometer stretch of road past Arnarfjörður, between the Dynjandisheiði and Hrafnseyrarheiði passes, which are plowed only when the snowfall slows down near springtime.
Thomas slept in his car for five nights but says he wasn’t too worried—though he did miss his flight home. “I was prepared with food and drink for the whole trip, so that was alright. I waited, I read, I worked on my computer and let the time pass.”
“I waited for five days as I didn’t know what I should do. And in the end, I got a ride on a boat going to Bíldudalur, where I waited over the weekend so I could come here today,” Tomas said now that he has finally been able to return and collect his hire car—almost two weeks after getting stuck.
Thomas was lucky enough to hook a ride on the post boat which irregularly serves the isolated Mjókárvirkjun hydro power station.
Now both passes have been plowed and Thomas has been able to make his way back.
Thomas says that poor information was not to blame on this occasion. “The information was okay,” he said, “but it was up to me to actually read it.”
