Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bíldudalur
A thriving fishing port processing vast amounts of local shrimp, workaday
BÍLDUDALUR
sits at the foot of Bíldudalsfjall mountain on the southern shores of Arnarfjörður, and
is home to two hundred people. The main thing to do here is visit the town's two
museums, though Bíldudalur's nearby
airport
can be useful as a quick way in or out of
the West Fjords, avoiding a long and circuitous drive.
Skrímslasetrið
Strandgata 7 • June to mid-Sept daily 11am-6pm • 800kr •
W
skrimsli.is
Tales of sea monsters are always part of the folk culture in maritime nations, and
Iceland is no exception. It seems fitting, then, that
Skrímslasetrið
(Sea Monster
Museum) has opened in Bíldudalur, since it's of this part of the coast that most
sightings and reports of these elusive beasts are made. Inside, multimedia displays
double with first-hand accounts from eyewitnesses to recreate a picture of the
outlandish creatures that supposedly lurk in the depths offshore.
Tónlistarsafn
Tjarnarbraut 5 • June-Aug daily 2-6pm; at other times just knock on the door • 600kr
Cobbled together by Bíldudalur's most famous son, singer Jón Kristján Ólafsson (who
doesn't speak English), the curious
Tónlistarsafn
, or Memories of Melodies
music
museum
, holds a rambling collection of old vinyl records and other Icelandic music
memorabilia from the 1940s to the 1960s. While certainly a worthy tribute to Iceland's
past musical greats, it's unlikely to grab the attention of foreign visitors since the
featured singers and groups were, mercifully, never big abroad.
4
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BÍLDUDALUR
By plane
Bíldudalur's airport is 7km south of the village at
the mouth of Fossfjörður, and is a useful gateway to the
southeastern peninsula, with regular connections with
Reykjavík cutting out the need for the long and tiring
journey from Ísafjörður.
Destinations
Reykjavík (1 daily Mon-Fri & Sun; 50min).
By bus
Aside from the June-Aug service from Ísafjörður to
Látrabjarg (
W
bsi.is), year-round buses, departing from
outside the post o
ce and bank in the main street, run
daily except Sat between Bíldudalur, Tálknafjörður and
Patreksfjörður (times at
W
nat.is/travelguideeng/bus
_schedule_patro_bildud_talknafj.htm). There are also
services to the airport
to connect with flights to and from
Reykjavík, operated by Eagle Air (
W
ernir.is).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bjarkarholt
Stóra Krossholt, Mórudalur
T
456 2025,
W
bjarkarholt.is.
Handy for the southern end of the
Tungumúli hike (see box below), this little coastal
hideaway 15km west of Brjánslækur offers both double
rooms and sleeping-bag dorms,
or you
can even
rent an
entire cottage (17,500kr). Dorms
4000kr
; doubles
6000kr
Campsite
Hafnarbraut 3
T
894 0809.
Bíldudalur's
campsite is beside the sports field on the southern edge of
THE FOSSHEIÐI TRAIL
What Bíldudalur lacks in attractions it more than makes up for with stunning scenery, and there
are some lovely hikes in the area, such as the excellent 15km
Fossheiði trail
(4-5hr) up the
Fossdalur valley to the tiny settlement of Tungumúli on the Barðaströnd coast (Route 62). It
begins at
Foss
farm
, 6km south of the airport at the head of Fossfjörður, following the route
taken by local postmen in the late 1800s. From the western side of the farm, the track leads up
through Fossdalur towards the small lake, Mjósund, beyond which the route forks. Keep right
and take the path over the
Fossheiði plateau
, which has fantastic views over the surrounding
rocky countryside, until it descends through Arnbylisdalur valley on the western edge of
Tungumúlafjall mountain, to the coast and Route 62 at
Tungumúli
. The route is shown on the
Vestfirðir & Dalir
maps available from regional tourist o
ces. From Kross and Tungumúli, it's
possible to link up with the three weekly summer
buses
to Látrabjarg or Brjánslækur - check
the schedules first at Ísafjorður's information o
ce (see p.186) or online at
W
bsi.is.
