Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Skagaströnd
SKAGASTRÖND
is a rather ugly place dominated by a hulking fish factory down by the
harbour and the brooding heights of the
Spákonufellsborg
(646m) mountain, which
bears down on the settlement from across the main road. Although trading began here
centuries ago, there's precious little to show for it, since most buildings date from a
tasteless expansion during the 1940s herring boom. Unless you're looking for fuel at
the
filling station
at the entrance to the village, there's no real reason to tarry, and it's a
much better idea to press on to the unspoilt peninsula beyond.
5
EATING
SKAGASTRÖND
Kántrýbær
Hólanesvegur 11
T
452 2829.
Housed in an
enormous log cabin, this most curious of Icelandic
establishments - a Country and Western-themed
restaurant - serves up steaks, burgers and fries (from
1290kr); from upstairs the in-house radio station, Útvarp
Kántrýbær, pumps out country hits on 96.7FM to
Skagaströnd and 102.1FM across Skagajörður.
Daily
11.30am-10pm.
Around the Skagi peninsula
From Skagaströnd, Route 745 follows the eastern shoreline of Húnaflói bay
as it heads north around the peninsula. Roughly 15km north of Skagaströnd,
the 10km-long cliffs
at
Króksbjarg
and the glittering
waterfall
where the Fossá
river tumbles down the cliff-face into the sea are an essential first stop. Beyond
Króksbjarg, the road passes several deserted farms before reaching the sweeping
bay of
Kaldranavík
, at the tip of the peninsula, which offers some truly magnificent
ocean vistas. Having weaved past the remote farm of Hraun, at Hraunsvík on the
northeastern extremity of the peninsula, the road finally veers south following the
coastline of
Skagajörður
fjord for the rugged sheer sea cliff (signed from the road)
Ketubjörg
, actually the remains of an old volcano, and the accompanying rock pillar,
Kerling
, just off the shore to the northeast. From here it's an uneventful and easy
drive on towards Sauðárkrókur.
Varmahlíð and around
East from Blönduós along the Ringroad, it's 25km to where Route 732 heads south to
join the
Kjölur
Route
(Route 35) across the Interior to Gullfoss (see p.106). About the
same distance again along the Ringroad, the minuscule settlement of
VARMAHLÍÐ
is of
interest only as the junction with Route 75 heading north up to Sauðárkrókur via
Glaumbær farm
, and for one of Iceland's best activity centres
specializing in
whitewater
rafting
. Established in 1983 and located at Hafgrímsstaðir, 15km south of Varmahlíð
along Route 752, Arctic Rafting (
T
571 2200,
W
rafting.is) operates rafting tours
(May-Sept 2-3 daily) of varying degrees of difficulty on the nearby rivers, Vestari
Jökulsá and Austari Jökulsá. Trips range from four hours of relatively easy rafting
(9900kr) to three days of serious rapids-shooting (69,900kr); pickups from Reykjavík
and Akureyri are available for certain tours for an extra fee.
Glaumbær
June to early Sept daily 9am-6pm • 800kr •
W
glaumbaer.is • Buses between Varmahlíð and Sauðárkrókur stop outside Glaumbær
About 14km from Varmahlíð up Route 75 is the immaculately preserved historical
farm,
Glaumbær
. Though founded in Settlement times, Glaumbær's current row of
wood-fronted turf-walled and turf-roofed dwellings date from 1750 to 1879, and were
inhabited up until 1947. With their lop-sided, hobbit-like construction (such as
wooden-frame windows set into the grassy walls), the buildings are both charmingly
rustic and a powerful reminder of the impoverished lifestyle many people led in Iceland
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
