Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eastern Skagajörður
From Sauðárkrókur, it's a 100km run along routes 75 and 76 up the eastern side of
Skagajörður to
Siglujörður
: between May and September three buses a week run
this way. It's worth making the short detour off Route 76 to
Hólar í Hjaltadal
, which
was northern Iceland's ecumenical and educational centre until the Reformation.
Today, this tranquil place in the foothills of Hjaltadalur valley consists solely of a
cathedral and an agricultural college, and is a remote and peaceful spot that's worth
seeking out - particularly if you fancy
hiking
, since a trail leads from here over to
Dalvík (see p.235). Beyond Hólar, Route 76 leads north to
Hofsós
, another
diminutive settlement, best known as a study centre for North Americans of
Icelandic origin keen to trace their roots, and beyond to
Lónkot
,
an ideal choice of
accommodation if you want to spend the night out in the wilds - and sample some
truly inspiring local cuisine.
5
Hólar í Hjaltadal
Lying 12km down Route 767, which runs east off Route 76 about thirty minutes from
Sauðárkrókur, the hamlet of
HÓLAR Í HJALTADAL
, or simply Hólar, was very much the
cultural capital of the north from the twelfth until the eighteenth century: monks
studied here, manuscripts were transcribed and Catholicism flourished until the
Reformation. Now home to just sixty-odd people, most of whom work at the
agricultural college - this and the cathedral are the only buildings remaining - it was
the site of the country's
first printing press
in 1530, set up by Iceland's last Catholic
bishop, Jón Arason (who was beheaded twenty years later at Skálholt for his resistance
to the spread of the Reformation from the south).
The cathedral
June-Aug daily 10am-6pm; if the door is locked, ask at the college next door
A church has stood on this spot since Arason's time, but the present
cathedral
was
built in 1759-63 in late Baroque style, using local red sandstone from the mountain
Hólabyrða, and is the second-oldest stone building in the country. Inside, the
fifteenth-century alabaster altarpiece over the cathedral's south door is similar in
design to that in the church at Þingeyrar, and was likewise made in Nottingham,
England. The main altarpiece, with its ornate carvings of Biblical figures, originated in
Germany around 1500 and was given to the cathedral by its most famous bishop.
Arason's memory is honoured in the adjacent bell tower: a mosaic of tiny tiles, by
Icelandic artist
Erró
, marks a small chapel and headstone, under which the bishop's
bones are buried.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
HÓLAR Í HJALTADAL
By bus
Though the Sauðárkrókur-Siglufjörður bus will
currently call in at Hólar on request, it doesn't stop long
enough to look around, meaning you're stranded here until
the next onwards bus, which may not be for two or three
days; however, you can hike back to Route 76 the following
morning to pick up a passing service.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hólaskóli Agricultural College
Hólar
T
455 6300,
W
holar.is.
During the summer, Hólar's agricultural
college offers a choice of studio apartments or cottages,
both with private bathrooms, or sleeping-bag
accommodation. There's a swimming pool, hot pot and a
campsite attached to the college. The onsite restaurant
(lunch and dinner only) serves a variety of dishes, often
including locally reared Arctic char, fo
r 2500kr
. Closed
Sept-May. Sl
eeping-ba
g double rooms
5,700kr
; studios
and cottages
16,900kr
