Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND DRINKING
Campsite
Jakobínutún, off Hólmavíkurvegur
T
451
3560.
Located at the entrance to the village next to the
swimming pool; showers an
d toilet
s are available in the
building adjacent to the pool.
900kr
Ì
Café Riis
Hafnarbraut 39
T
451 3567.
Accomplished
food is served up at this wood-beamed old place, whose
interior is full of black-and-white photographs of
Holmavík's fishing past: succulent trout (2890kr), roast
breast of chicken (2990kr) or pan-fried pu
n breast
(3100kr) are all winners.
June-Aug Mon-Fri & Sun
11.30am-10pm, Sat 11.30am-3am.
Finna Hótel
Borgabraut 4
T
451 3136,
W
finnahotel
.is.
A sound self-catering choice, overlooking the harbour
and the snow-covered mountains on the opposite side of
the fjord and offering modern if uninspiri
ng rooms
both
with and wit
hout priv
ate facilities. Doubles
10,600kr
; with
sleeping bag
4200kr
Ka
Galdur
Höfðagata 8-10.
This little café inside the
Sorcery and Witchcraft Museum, run by knowledgeable
curator Siggi, serves only local mussels from the fjord -
deliciously fresh and juicy. You can also get beer and wine.
Daily 9am-9pm.
Ì
Steinhúsið
Höfðagata 1
T
856 1911,
W
steinhusid
.is.
Hólmavík's first-ever concrete house, erected in 1911
down by the harbour, offers comfortable self-catering
rooms with creaking wooden floors, steep steps and period
furniture.
There's als
o an apartment for rent next door
(16,800kr).
10,600kr
Laugarhóll
Eleven kilometres north of Hólmavík,
Route 643
begins its journey along the Strandir
coast. After some 15km, it passes through the hamlet of
LAUGARHÓLL
, consisting of
little more than a couple of farms grouped around a source of geothermal water, which
feeds an
outdoor pool
and a natural
hot pot
. Even if you're just driving by, stop and
have a look at the unusual turf-roofed
Kotbýli Kuklarans
, or sorcerer's cottage (mid-June
to mid-Aug daily 10am-6pm; 600kr). Just to the left of the hotel, it's a simple peasant
dwelling, with stretched sheep's stomachs for windows, where it's believed witchcraft
was practised during the seventeenth century.
4
ACCOMMODATION
LAUGARHÓLL
Laugarhóll
Bjarnarjöður
T
451 3380,
W
laugarholl.is.
The main reason to stay at this country hotel is for easy
access to the natural hot pot and outdoor pool right
outside, though it does have inspiring views of the gentle
Hólsfjall mountains, which form a serene backdrop to the
tiny village. Rooms ca
n be a litt
le on the small side but are
comfortable enough.
15,000kr
Drangsnes
From Laugarhóll, it's 20km southeast on Route 645 to
DRANGSNES
, a tiny fishing
village at the mouth of Steingrímsfjörður overlooking the island of
Grímsey
, home to
the second-largest
pu
in colony
in the world; twice-daily boat trips out on to the island
operate between June and August (
T
451 3237 or 896 0337,
E
sundhani@simnet.is;
5700kr per person, minimum 4 people).
THE TROLLS OF GRÍMSEY
According to legend, Grímsey was formed when three
night trolls
tried to separate the
West Fjords from the rest of Iceland by digging a channel from Húnaflói bay all the way to
Breiðafjörður. As the sun rose, the trolls in the west ran east but were turned to stone in
Kollafjörður, whereas the troll in the north jumped over Streingrímsfjörður, landing on a
rocky peninsula where she had left her ox. In anger she threw down her shovel, breaking
off part of the cliff and creating Grímsey. Locals maintain she, too, was turned to stone, and
indeed, a tall rockstack known as
Kerling
(The Old Woman) stands down by the sea
between the swimming pool and
Malarhorn
cottage (see p.208), looking out at her island
and ox.
