Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SKÁLAVÍK
From the western edge of Bolungarvík, Þjóðólfsvegur (Route 630) continues 12km
northwest through the uninhabited Hlíðardalur valley until it reaches the exposed
Skálavík
bay, which takes regular batterings from Atlantic storms as they sweep in mercilessly from
the northwest. Although Skálavík is uninhabited today bar a couple of summer houses
owned by brave souls who don't seem to mind the weather, at the end of the nineteenth
century around one hundred people were living here, ekeing out an existence from the
surrounding barren land. Given the village's vulnerable location between the Deild and
Öskubakur mountains, avalanches were always a particular hazard here and claimed several
lives; perhaps not surprisingly therefore, the last farmer gave up his struggle to keep the
village alive in 1964 and left.
There's no public transport to Skálavík, but it is possible to
walk
from Bolungarvík in around
two hours - simply follow Þjóðólfsvegur all the way. The bay offers a real chance to commune
with nature and a night spent camping here, battling against the weather, is certainly a
memorable experience; bring all the supplies you'll need. There's also some good
hiking
around here; one route (7km) begins at the western edge of the bay and leads west along the
shore round Öskubakar to the lonely lighthouse in Keflavík bay, before the Göltur headland.
From here, another track (5km) heads inland through the valleys of Norðdalur and Bakkadalur
back to Skálavík and the beginning of the track back to Bolungarvík. Details of these routes can
be found on the
Vestfirðir & Dalir
maps
, available from the tourist o
ce in Ísafjörður (see p.186).
just one village along a very lonely road stretching around 200km. Look across the
waters of the bay and, on the northern shoreline, you'll see the sheer, snowcapped
mountains of
Langadalsströnd
and
Snæfjallaströnd,
, themselves divided by the glacial
lagoon
Kaldalón
, which is fed by meltwater from the only glacier in the West Fjords,
Drangajökull
. Until just a couple of decades ago these coasts were dotted with isolated
farms making an uncertain living from sheep farming and the odd crop; today, most
have been deserted, reminders of how difficult life is up here. In addition to working
the land, many farmers also eked out an existence as fishermen on Ísafjarðardjúp, where
whitefish was once abundant. Nowadays, the bay is better known for the rich
shrimping grounds found at its mouth, as the whitefish have moved further out to sea.
4
Súðavík
Twenty kilometres southeast of Ísafjörður, Route 61 passes through sleepy
SÚÐAVÍK
.
This tiny fishing village, with a population of two hundred souls, is your last chance to
stock up with essentials before the start of the circuitous negotiation of fjords involved
in leaving Ísafjörður. There's not much of note in the village, which consists of little else
than a main road lined on each side by a few brightly coloured homes, and with a
simple wooden
church
(closed to the public) at the Ísafjörður end. Originally built in
the now-deserted settlement of Hesteyri (see p.192), across the water on Hornstrandir,
the church was dismantled when Hesteyri was abandoned in 1952 and brought to
Súðavík, where several families chose to begin their new lives.
Malrakkasetur Íslands
Eyrardalur 4 • June-Aug daily 10am-10pm; other times by appointment • 800kr •
T
456 4922,
W
arcticfoxcenter.com
The main reason to come to Súðavík is to visit the fascinating
Malrakkasetur Íslands
(Arctic Fox Centre). Don't come here, though, expecting to see dozens of foxes in pens
and runs; though you might see an abandoned cub or two during the summer months,
which the centre is preparing to release back into the wild, this thoughtful exhibition is
more somewhere to learn all about the creatures and their habitat. Over generations,
Icelanders have had a love-hate relationship with the Arctic fox and many are still killed
by farmers who see them as a pest. The centre aims to educate people about the animals
