Hiking and knitting with the puffins, May 27 – June 3, 2025
€ 2.821,00
A breathtaking tour in the West fjords of Iceland: puffins, natural geothermal pools, beautiful sheep, sorcerers, traditional knitting from the Westfjords.
Departure: 2025, May 27 – June 3
This breathtaking tour in the Westfjords of Iceland will takes us to the largest sea-bird cliff in Europe and one of the western most parts of Europe. Home to birds in unfathomable numbers, we will hike by the dizzyingly edges and knit with the fearless puffins, frequenting the grassy, higher part of the cliffs. We will marvel at the enthralling Fjallfoss waterfall, the ever-changing colors of the red sand beach and deep ourselves in the many natural geothermal hot pools of the West fjords. Our journey will also take us to the Sheep Museum in the Strandir area with an exciting and tragic history of witchcraft and sorcery. All the way, Hélène will give us a special insight into the Icelandic knitting heritage and in particularly in the traditions specific to the Westfjords, for example the Skakki shawls and Leaves mittens, and we will learn new and old techniques such as the little-known Icelandic method to knit intarsia in the round. The whirling sensation will not fade, and neither will the memories.
This tour has a lot of driving punctuated by short hikes: the part of the Westfjords we visited are pretty far away and only accessible by car.
See pictures from our previous Puffin tour here.
Upon booking, you will receive a link to fill up the registration form.
Please read the detailed information below >
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Orders ship from France (VAT from your country, no Customs fees in Europe) / Commandes expédiées depuis la France (TVA de votre pays, pas de frais de douane en Europe)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Upon booking, and in order to make your trip enjoyable, please make sure you are familiar with the physical condition required, the day-to-day itinerary, the hikes, as well as the list of equipment. For any questions, please check our FAQ first (answers to frequently asked questions).
Departure: 2025, May 27th – June 3rd, 7 nights
Group size: 12
Price: 430000 ISK
Single room supplement (only in Reykjavik): 15.000 ISK
Not included in price: flights to and from Keflavík International airport
Not included in price: flights to and from Keflavík International airport
Included in price:
- 1 guide/knitting instructor.
- 2 nights at a guesthouse in Reykjavík, double room, dressed beds, shared facilities. Possibility of single room.
- 3 nights at a country guesthouse, double room, dressed beds, shared facilities.
- 2 nights at a guesthouse, double and triple rooms, dressed beds, shared facilities.
- Full board from day 2 till lunch day 7, breakfast on day 8.
- All transfers as per itinerary, knitting as per itinerary.
- Yarn for knitting little samples during the workshops.
- A yarn kit for knitting a traditional pair of mittens from the Westfjords
Because participants come from all over the world, the tours are operated mainly in English but Hélène is bilingual in French. A lexical of knitting terms in German/English/French/Icelandic is available during the tour.
Fitness et hiking level: easy. This tour has a lot of driving, punctuated by short hikes.
Accessible to all those in good health, who are doing some sport regularly. 2-4 hours walk per day, without carrying much weight. The trail along the bird cliffs may be challenging for people afraid of heights. Some ascents.
ITINERARY
Day 1 (2025, May 27): Knitters arrive to Iceland from all over the world at various time during the day. Night at a guesthouse in Reykjavík close to the Icelandic Handknitting Association of Iceland, full of lopi sweaters and wool.
Day 2 (2025, May 28): In the morning, we set up on a knitting adventure that will take us all the way to the western most parts of Europe in the Westfjord of Iceland. We will both drive and take the ferry if the weather allows. On the way, we will stop at some wool friendly places and take a dip in a hot geothermal pool. We will spend the late afternoon marveling at the puffins nesting in the dizzyingly cliffs, before we rejoin our country guesthouse nearby, where we will spend the next 3 nights. Picnic lunch enroute and traditional Icelandic dinner on the premises.
Day 3 (2025, May 29): The morning will be spent doing a knitting workshop, learning more about the knitting traditions specific to the Westfjords. In the afternoon, we will return to the puffins for a longer time and do a hike by the bird-cliffs. It is considered to be one of the most spectacular bird-cliffs in the world and the sea-bird life here is truly amazing. Delicious lunch and hearty dinner on the premises!
Hike: 2 – 3 hours. Distance: 3 – 5 km/ 12 – 3 miles. Can vary depending on the group’s level. Ascent/descent: 200 m / 650 ft. Trail on uneven terrain, along the cliffs (400 m /1312 ft high). May be challenging for people afraid of heights .
Day 4 (2025, May 30): Today we continue our knitting workshop, punctuated in the afternoon by the visit of a pittoresque little Museum and a hike by the awe-inspiring red sand beach and its wildlife, seals and seabirds. Lunch and dinner at our guesthouse.
Hike: 2 – 3 hours. Distance: 3 – 5 km/ 12 – 3 miles. Can vary depending on the group’s level. Uneven terrain, sand.
Day 5 (2025, May 31): Today, is a busy day continuing exploring the Westfjords and we will drive to the complete other side. On the way, we will do a little hike by a breathtaking waterfall, sometimes called the jewels of the Westfjords. We will visit the Sheep Museum, before heading to our peaceful and charming guesthouse where we will spend the next 2 nights. Picnic lunch en route and gourmet dinner on the premises.
Hike: Walking time 30 – 45 mn. Ascent/ descent: 100 m / 330 ft. Trail on rocky terrain.
Day 6 (2025, June 1): This is a relaxing day. We will continue our knitting and will get accounted with some darker history of the Wesfjords at the Sorcerers museum. We will also enjoy some free time in the little fishing village. Delicious tradtionnal lunch and dinner on the premises that we will prepare with Hélène.
Day 7 (2025, June 2): Now is time to say goodbye to the Westfjords and head back to Reykjavík. On the way, we will stop at a sheep farm with truly special and beautiful sheep, and at other places of interest to all knitters and wool lovers! Farewell gathering at Hélène’s inspiring workspace, full of her yarns and knitted samples, and free evening in the city. Picnic lunch enroute and a night at same guesthouse in Reykjavík.
Day 8 (2025, June 3): Departure.
KNITTING WORKSHOP
TRADITIONAL KNITTING FROM THE WESTFJORDS
A bit of history: Hélène will tell us about the rich Icelandic tradition from the moment it came to Iceland in the 16th century to our modern times. She will tell us especially about the traditional knitting from the Wesfjords og Iceland, such as the Skakki shawls or the Leaves Mittens, some of them decorated with a motif of rose in intarsia at the back of the hand.
Icelandic wool workshop: Hélène will tell us about the Icelandic wool, from the very fine handspun lace yarns made of thel to the highly breakable unspun lopi. She will tell us especially about the novelty Icelandic yarns she developed, such as Grýla and Katla, and that are particularly suitable for mittens. We will experience the feeling of knitting with such different yarns.
Traditional Leaves mittens workshop: Hélène will tell us about the many different types of mittens in Iceland and we will study more in-debts the Westfjords mittens (Vestfirskir vettlingar), also called Leaves mittens because of the leaf motif in stranded knitting in their cuffs. We will go through the main construction and characteristics. We will start a pair of mittens during the tour.
Icelandic intarsia knitting in the round workshop: Some of the Leaves mittens were decorated at the back of their hand with a motif of rose knitted in intarsia in the round. Intarsia is usually knitted back and forth and different techniques can be used to adapt it to knitting in the round: the Icelandic method is not well-known if any.
Traditional shawl from the Westfjords workshop: knitted from the top down, those easy everyday shawls called Skakki, will be a perfect travelling project during the tour for those who want. Participants will have the possibility to purchase some plant-dyed Icelandic yarns at the beginning of the tour. During the workshop itself, we will knit a little doll shawl.
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