Following the Arctic Coast Way around the coastline of northern Iceland will lead to some wild and wonderful country. The western section from Dalvík has three very diverse peninsulas.
THE TRÖLLASKAGI PENINSULA
Heading north from Akureyri, Dalvík is the obvious first port of call, a pleasant town with good accommodation options and a well equipped campsite.
It is the stepping off point for trips to the island of Grimsey which has the Arctic circle running through it as well as thousands of puffins.
Just 13 km to the south, a 15 minute ferry from Árskógssandur will whisk you away to the charming island of Hrísey.
Gisli Eirikur Helgi is a characterful cafe on a corner with great coffee, cakes or fish soup. The name supposedly comes from three brothers who were so stupid they could not remember each other’s name so they called themselves the three names together.
We drove north from Dalvík, initially along the edge of the fjord before the road disappeared into a 3 km long tunnel leading to the tidy little village of Ólafafjördur.
The next tunnel emerged at Héðinsfjørður before the last finally took us to Siglufjördur. The tunnels are an Icelandic driving experience: quite dark and narrow single lane affairs with frequent passing places.
Siglufjörður
Simon and I both enjoyed Siglufjördur which has some colourful old houses and a central pleasure boat harbour overlooked by a couple of cafes. It seemed a bit more vibrant than the average Icelandic town, although it sprawls under some very unstable mountainsides and has a history of avalanches.
It is a popular winter skiing destination, having good snowfall, and there is also a very good museum on the history of the herring industry, set in three original buildings.
We also discovered an old slipway as we wandered around the harbourside with the Daniel, a wooden fishing boat, suspended in dry dock.
The bakery/cafe on Aðalgata was a good lunch option with a nice inside seating area and free wifi.
The road on to Hofsós led past lazy rivers and a tall volcanic promentary just offshore but reachable via a sandbank.
Hofsós
Hofsós is becoming increasingly well known for it’s swimming pool, supposedly the result of a donation from two local yummy mummys who were lacking a place to swim.
The pool has a lovely location overlooking the fjord and is close to being an infinity pool. The hot tub is set back a bit unfortunately so it hasn’t the same view but for 1,175 kr it is a bargain.
Just below the pool, reached by wooden steps, there are some picturesque basalt formations along the ocean’s edge.
The lower town near the harbour is also worth a stroll with some jolly coloured houses and yet another Icelandic Emigration Museum.
4 km south of Hofsós keep an eye out on the left for the Grafarkirkja, a tiny wooden church with a turf coat that was built by the Bishop of Hólar in the late 17th century but deconsecrated in 1765.
It is neatly enclosed by a circular grassy bank with a gate. Unfortunately the church was locked but it was possible to admire the carved trim on the exterior and the intricately carved wooden flag/weather vane on top that swings in the wind.
Hólar
A little further on and set deep within a lovely horse bedecked valley, Hólar is well worth a small detour southwest of Hofsós.
A bishopric for northern Iceland since 1106 until its sale in 1824, it has a charming stone cathedral dating back to 1759 with an ornate German altar from 1500. The font is made from soapstone which floated in from Greenland.
Now an agricultural college, there is also an old turf roofed farmhouse to see and a Museum of the Icelandic Horse which was closed on our visit. There is good hiking in the area and a lovely, quiet, leafy campsite in the adjacent forest (1,500 kr). We really enjoyed staying there in total peaceful silence amongst the trees.
THE SKAGI PENINSULA
Saudárkrókur
Starting up the Skagi peninsula, we came to the modern fishing town of Saudárkrókur, which is worth a stop for the Saudárkróksbakarí with a great selection of fresh bread, pastries or soup of the day. Easy to spot on the main street (check out the old bread making machine repurposed as a plant pot), there is also a Red Cross shop opposite which has a selection of hand knitted socks and beanies at reasonable prices.
The town once had the only tannery in Iceland, but that has closed permanently.
From Saudárkrókur the road heads north to Hraun on a rock strewn peninsula, somewhat less mountainous than the previous ones but still strangely beautiful.
We had a superb view over to the sheer volcanic plug of Drangey, another birding destination – days trips leave from Saudárkrókur and involve a steep climb.
At Ketubjörg, dramatic 122 m high vertical sea cliffs gave us great views over the ocean and various rock arches and stacks after a short walk. It is easy to miss the Ketubjörg waterfall dropping over the edge directly onto the black sand beach.
Kálfshamarsvík Lighthouse & Ruins
Passing lonely moorland farms, some abandoned, we came to Kálfshamarsvík lighthouse on the western side of the peninsula. This is surrounded by basalt columns in the the most fantastical formations.
It sits on an isolated headland where there are many ruined houses – although as they were built largely of stone, turf and wood, they are gently becoming part of the earth again and only grass covered mounds still remain.
They date back to the early 1900s. At its peak in the 1920s 100 people lived in the village, but it was almost completely abandoned by the 1940s. As motorised fishing became more widespread, the limited harbour could not compete whilst the Spanish civil war bought an end to the salt fish exports.
We had a pleasant couple of hours bumbling around the headlands, over rocky beaches and the nearby moorland exploring the old ruins before driving on to camp at Skagaströnd.
Skagaströnd
Although there is little to detain you in Skagaströnd, it is a tidy little village and has a pleasant grassy campsite.
There are walks around the sea cliffs or, for the more energetic, the distinctive flat topped summit of Spákonufell at 639 m.
THE VATNSNES PENINSULA
Thrístapar
The following day we pulled in at Thrístapar where the last two public executions in Iceland were carried out in 1830. It was certainly a lonely spot to die, a desolate moorland of tussocks and hillocks, on one of which a rectangular execution platform was built which can still be seen today.
The exhibit was actually really well done: a trail of metal plaques which told the story of Agnes and Friðrik. Agnes and Sígriður were servants of a herbalist called Natan who would appear to have been a hard master.
Friðrik was an admirer of Sígriður and with Agnes, they decided to kill Natan and take his money. They also killed a farm worker who was unlucky enough to be there at the time, but spared Natan’s child.
They were quickly found out. Whilst Sígriður was found guilty, she ended up been jailed in Copenhagen where she died aged 29. However, it was determined that an example should be made of the other two and they were ultimatly beheaded by an axe wielded by Natan’s brother. 140 local farmers were ordered to attend the execution.
Buried on the spot, the pair were later reburied at Tjörn Church to the north of the peninsula. We later called in there but could find no trace of them so maybe they were in unmarked graves or wooden crosses were used.
There were several books written in Icelandic about the pair, and a film, but in 2014 Hannah Kent, an Australian author, wrote a book called Burial Rights, ensuring that the episode will not be forgotten.
Borgarvirki
The road turned to good gravel and curved around large inlets and lakes. The flat topped outcrop of Borgarvirki stands out over the surrounding moorland and once provided a perfect defensive position for a Viking fort. They didn’t actually have to build much, just fill in a few gaps with stone walling.
It’s a windy spot with all encompassing views over the headlands and tarns; the few farms and their improved fields stand out starkly. Every farm in Iceland frantically makes hay while the sun shines (or quite often doesn’t as the case may be) and the plastic wrapped balls stand in the fields, or are stacked up in huge piles beside the barns.
Hvítserkur
As the fjord opened out, we came to Hvítserkur. A troll turned to stone or a peculiar beastie drinking from the sea – either way the sea stack at Hvítserkur is quite striking. The name means ‘white shirt’ in Icelandic due to the amount of bird droppings on it – it is a popular gull nesting spot.
A little way south along the black sand beach, it is possible to look over to the opposite side of the inlet and see a basking seal colony – binoculars will be needed.
Sheep Corral
I misread the brochure on this one as ‘coral’ – I hadn’t realised a large modern corral constituted a tourist sight. It seems to be a wooden sheep corral of the pinwheel variety with 15 different enclosures off a central hub – maybe 15 different farmers combine the sheep run on the mountains.
Soon afterwards we reached Hvammstangi where the Icelandic Seal Centre is found.
In doing so, we had finished the Arctic Coast Way which stretches from Bakkafjørður on the east coast around nearly every northern peninsula to Hvammstangi, a distance of some 900 km. We hadn’t even realised we were on it until Dalvik, but there appears to be a name for everything these days!
