Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flateyri
At the southwestern edge of Ísafjörður, Route 60 enters a tunnel to bypass Þverfjall
(752m). After 2km, the tunnel divides in two; the right-hand turn, Route 65, leads to the
dreary workaday fishing village of
Suðureyri
, while the main tunnel and Route 60 continue
for 4km before emerging into Önundarfjörður where there's a junction with Road 64 to
the small fishing village of
FLATEYRI
. Just 22km from Ísafjörður, Flateyri was founded as a
trading centre in 1792, and was formerly a base for shark and whale hunting. Today, it's
thanks to the
fish-processing factory
, one of the largest in Iceland, that the village has
finally shaken of its dependence on Ísafjörður - despite consisting of little more than one
main street, Flateyri prides itself on the fact that it has all the major services. However, it's
not a good idea to get stuck here, since there's very little to do other than marvel at the
avalanche defences and the open vistas of the surrounding fjord and mountains.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
FLATEYRI
By bus
Local buses run all year (three daily) from Ísafjörður,
stopping outside Flateyri's post o
ce in Ránargata. Long-
distance buses along Route 60 don't call at Flateyri, but can be
caught at the junction of Routes 64 and 60, 7km east of town.
Services
The swimming pool (Tues 4-9pm, Wed & Thurs
4-7pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm) is in Tjarnargata, north of
the church and close to the mountains, whilst the post
o
ce (Mon-Fri 12.30-4pm) is at Ránargata 1.
ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND DRINKING
Campsite
T
450 8460.
Located behind the N1 filling
station at the entrance to the village with toilets and
running water, Flateyri's campsite has great views of the
avalanche defences, w
hich also
provide shelter from the
wind. Closed Sept-May.
1500kr
Félagsbær
Hafnarstræti 11
T
456 7676.
Run by a couple
of local ladies, this simple little café has coffee, a few cakes
and sometimes wa
es.
June-Aug daily 1-4pm.
Grænhöfði
Ólafstún 7
T
456 7762,
W
www.kayaktravel
.net.
Four good-quality apartments of various sizes, sleeping
up to ten people, are available for rent by the day or week
here. All have a televi
sion, fridge
and microwave. Kayaks are
also available for rent.
16,000kr
Vagninn
Hafnarstræti 19
T
456 7751.
Back in business
again, this long-standing restaurant serves burgers with
fries and salad (1500kr), pizzas (1950kr) and fish of the
day (2500kr). Opening times are a little erratic, so ask
around if you find the door locked.
Usually open from
6pm Fri-Sun.
4
Önundarjörður
Flateyri sits on the eastern side of the 40km-long
Önundarjörður
, which has a couple
of scenic spots that are worth checking out. A gravel track opposite the Flateyri
turnoff from Route 60 leads southeast down to the
Korpudalur
valley
at the neck of
the fjord. Surrounded by mountains, it's a great place to hike, kayak or just kick back
for a couple of days.
FLATEYRI'S AVALANCHES
Flateyri is known across the country for its
avalanche
problems: the colossal
earth dams
separated by 15m walls on the lower slopes of the omnipresent mountains here are
man-made barriers against the snowfalls which occur every year. A memorial stone next to the
church, at the entrance to the village, bears the names of the twenty people who died in the
most recent devastating avalanche, in October 1995. The tragedy was a painful loss for this
closely knit community where the total population is barely over three hundred, not least
because the frozen ground and heavy snow prevented the bodies from being buried in the
village cemetery; instead, they had to be kept in the morgue in Ísafjörður until the ground
thawed and they could be buried in Reykjavík. Extensive rebuilding was necessary after the
avalanche, including the erection of the defences which now effectively channel all
snow-slides into the sea. From the filling station at the entrance to the village, a short path
(10min) leads up to a
viewpoint
on the mountainside giving a superb panorama, not only of
Flateyri and Önundarfjörður, but down into the lifesaving earth dams.
