Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SNÆFELLSNES
Breiðajörður
N
Akurtraðir
Melrakkaey
Eyrarfjall
Suður-Bár
Setberg
Látravik
Stöð
Lárvaðall
Kirkjufell
Hellissandur
Kolgrafarmúli
Rif
Búlandshöfði
Ingjaldshóll
Grundarjörður
Ólafsvík
Kverná
Skarðsvík
574
Gufuskálar
3
Enni
Fróðá
Neshraun
Saxhólar
Þorgeirsfell
Bláfeldarhraun
Mælifell
Lýsuhóll
Vatnsholtsvötn
Bervík
Hnausahraun
Snæfellsjökull
Miðhúsavatn
Búðir
Langaholt
Hagavatn
Hof
Búðahraun
Hólahólar
Breiðavík
Sönghellir
Bervíkurhraun
Arnarstapi
Dritvík
Stapafell
Purkhólar
Djúpalónssandur
Hellnahraun
Hellnar
Þrælavík
Þúfubjarg
Málarrif
Lóndrangar
Faxalói Bay
0
10
kilometres
a pass named after a female troll who, legend has it, was caught by the sun and turned
to stone while on her way home from a good night's fishing. Locals say she can still be
seen with a line of trout over her shoulder on a ridge of the Kerlingarfjall mountain.
Stories were also rife of drivers experiencing the eerie presence of an extra passenger in
their cars as they drove through the pass - not surprisingly perhaps, Route 56 was
shifted some years ago and now runs to the west of the pass.
Stykkishólmur
The first town of note on the north coast, whether you're approaching on Route 54
from Búðardalur or on Routes 55 or 56 from Borgarnes and the south, is picturesque
STYKKISHÓLMUR
, with its brightly coloured harbourside buildings. The largest and
most enjoyable town on Snæfellsnes, with a population of around 1100, it is renowned
today for its halibut and scallops landed from the waters of Breiðafjörður, which
borders the northern coast of the peninsula and is technically more a sea bay than a
fjord, full of skerries and rocky islets.
The Stykkishólmur region was actually one of the first to be settled in Iceland, and
the countryside here features in several tales, most notably the
Erbyggja Saga
. This
strange story, thick with evil spirits, bloody family vendettas and political intrigue,
follows the life of the morally ambivalent Snorri Þórgrímsson, a pagan priest and son of
a Viking who finally becomes a champion of Christianity. Easily accessible sites from
