Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
HIKING AROUND SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
Several excellent day
hikes
can easily be undertaken from Siglufjörður. The trails described
below are shown on the hiking
map
of Siglufjörður available at the Síldarminjasafnið herring
museum (see p.225), and you can check out details in advance at
W
siglo.is/en.
The best of the shorter routes (5-7hr), forming a clockwise circle around the town, begins at
the southern edge of Siglufjörður, where the road veers left around the head of the fjord.
Follow the walking path up
Eyrafjall,
, heading towards the Dalaskarð pass, then over the
mountain tops and up
Hafnarfjall
, from where there's an excellent view over the fjord, the
surrounding peaks and even Grímsey. From here it's an easy climb up
Hafnarhyrna
(687m),
the highest point on Hafnarfjall and the starting point for the easy descent towards the
bowl-shaped hollow of
Hvanneyrarskál
, a well-known lovers' haunt during the herring
boom. From this hollow, a road leads back down into town.
A second, longer trail (10-14hr) begins beyond the disused airport on the eastern side of the
fjord (follow the main road through the village to get there) and leads southeast up the valley
of
Kálfsdalur
, which begins just above the lighthouse beyond the airport, past
Kálfsvatn
lake, over the
Kálfsskarð
pass (450m) before descending into Nesdalur valley on the other
side of the ridge. The trail then leads north through the valley to the coast and the deserted
farm,
Reyðará
. From the farm, the trail leads west along the steep slopes of Nesnúpur (595m)
passing a lighthouse and several abandoned huts, built by the American military during World
War II as a radar station. Once back on the eastern side of the fjord the path trail continues
along the shoreline, towards the airport and Siglufjörður.
it's also possible to take a direct bus to Akureyri: information
is available from Hópferðabílar Akureyrar (
T
867 3010).
Destinations
Akureyri (2 daily Mon-Fri; 1hr 20min);
Hofsós (3 weekly; 40min); Sauðárkrókur (3 weekly; 1hr
30min).
Services
There is a
vínbúð
(Mon-Thurs 2-6pm, Fri 1-7pm,
Sat 11am-2pm) at Eyrargata 25, and the supermarket
(Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 1-5pm) is at
Suðurgata 2-4. The library, Gránugata 24 (Tues-Fri
1.30-5pm), has internet access, and the post o
ce is at
Aðalgata 24 (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm). For the swimming pool
(Mon & Wed 6.30am-7.45pm, Tues & Thurs 6.30am-noon
& 3-7.45pm, Fri 6.30am-6.45pm, Sat & Sun 2-6pm) you'll
need to head up to Hvanneyrarbraut 52.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Campsite
Snorragata
T
464 9100.
Located right in the
centre of town between the harbour and the museum, the
town's cam
psite h
as a small service building with water
and toilets.
800kr
Gistiheimilið Hvanneyri
Aðalgata 1
T
467 1506,
W
hvanneyri.com.
Siglufjörður's youth hostel is a
monument to bad taste: plastic flowers, garish floral
drapes and multicoloured swirls of paint daubed over the
staircase. That said, rooms here, sharing facilities, are clean
and comfortable an
d there'
s a well-
equippe
d kitchen for
self-caterers. Dorms
3300kr
; doubles
8100kr
Hannes Boy
Gránugata 23
T
461 7730.
Named after a
characterful local fisherman, this is the place to come for
fine dining from a regularly updated menu: a three-course
fish supper costs 6190kr; with beef, it's 6790kr.
June-Aug
daily 6-10pm; Sept-May Fri & Sat 6-10pm.
Harbour House Café
Gránugata 5B
T
659 4809.
Enjoying an enviable position right by the harbourside, this
little café, decked out in maritime colours, is a great place
for fresh fish: Arctic char for 2950kr or a fantastic fish soup
for 1850kr.
June-Aug daily 10am-late.
Ka
Rauðka
Gránugata 19
T
461 7733.
At last,
Siglufjörður has a café-bar which is open all year, set in a
snug and solid timber structure down by the harbour and
serving excellent salads (1690kr), panini (1090kr) and
crêpes (1290kr).
Mon-Thurs & Sun 11am-8pm, Fri & Sat
11am-1am.
Torgið
Aðalgata 30
T
467 2323.
Serves up a range of
decent 12-inch pizzas from 1820kr plus a selection of fish
dishes for 2600kr and the usual choice of burgers, which go
for around 1600kr.
Daily noon-late.
Akureyri
AKUREYRI
sits on the Ringroad pretty much halfway along the country's northern
coastline, 385km from Reykjavík; 285km from Egilsstaðir and a whopping 555km from
Ísafjörður. The largest town in the country outside of Reykjavík, it has a population of
