Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIRECTORY
5
Alcohol store
Hólabraut 16 (Mon-Thurs 11am-6pm, Fri
11am-7pm, Sat 11am-6pm).
Bookshops
Eymundsson, Hafnarstræti 91-93 (Mon-Fri
9am-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm, Sun noon-10pm), is good
for maps and guidebooks. For second hand English
paperbacks, try Fornbókabúðin Fróði, Kaupvangsstræti 19
(Mon-Fri 2-6pm).
Cinema
Nýja Bíó, Strandgata 2
T
461 4666.
Hospital
The hospital on Eyrarlandsvegur has a 24hr A&E
ward
T
463 0100.
Laundry
Þvottahúsið Höfði, Hafnarstræti 34
T
462 2580.
Library
Brekkugata 17
T
462 4141.
Pharmacy
Apótekarinn, Hafnarstræti 95 (Mon-Fri
9am-5.30pm).
Police
Þórunnarstræti 138
T
112.
Post o
ce
Strandgata 3 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm).
Supermarket
Bónus, Langholt 1 (Mon-Thurs
11am-6.30pm, Fri 10am-7.30pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun
noon-6pm), just off the Ringroad past the Youth Hostel,
heading towards Reykjavík.
Woollen goods
The Viking, Hafnarstræti 104
T
461 5551;
Fold-Anna, Hafnarstræti 100
T
461 4120.
Western Eyjajörður
Running up Eyjafjörður's western flank from Akureyri, Route 82 affords stunning
views over icy waters to the glacier-formed
mountains
which serve as a protective wall
all around the fjord. If you have time, it's well worth making the trip from Akureyri to
see not only the mountains but also the rich
farmland
hereabouts, which is heavily
grazed during the summer by cattle and sheep. The long hours of daylight in this part
of Iceland, coupled with mild temperatures, make excellent growing conditions for
various crops, and the small white dots you'll see in the fields are barrel-shaped bundles
of hay, neatly packaged in white plastic, to provide the animals with much needed food
during the long months of winter. Noted for its hundreds of wild
ptarmigan, the
highlight of any trip up the fjord is the island of
Hrísey
, near the mouth of Eyjafjörður
and overlooked by the fishing village of
Dalvík
, itself the starting point for some
excellent hiking and whale-watching tours. Beyond here, a dark tunnel slices through
the exposed headland, Ólafsfjarðarmúli, to reach the isolated village of
Ólafsfjörður,
,
another notable place from which to see whales. Two new tunnels now link the village
with Siglufjörður, now just 17km away, making it possible to continue your journey via
the north coast south to Varmahlíð and the Ringroad.
Dalvík
A nondescript fishing village 42km north of Akureyri with just 1400 inhabitants,
DALVÍK
enjoys a superbly sheltered location on the western shores of Eyjafjörður
overlooking the island of Hrísey. Paradoxically, though, its poor natural harbour
hampered the growth of the fishing industry here until a new harbour was built in
1939 to remedy matters, today used as the departure point for the
ferry to Grímsey
.
A major shipbuilding and fish-curing centre early in the twentieth century, today
HIKING FROM DALVÍK TO HÓLAR
From Dalvík a
long-distance hike
, lasting three or four days, leads over the Heljardalsheiði
plateau to the episcopal seat at
Hólar í Hjaltadal
(see p.223). It threads up through
Svarfaðardalsá valley, just south of town, passing the wedge-shaped
Stóll
, a mountain which
divides the valley in two. Continuing southwest past a couple of farms, the route then passes
through some of Iceland's best mountain scenery, heading up over the flat-topped mountains
of the Tröllskagi peninsula, which separates Eyjafjörður from its western neighbour,
Skagafjörður, heading for Hólar. It should take two or three days to reach this point, but you'll
need another half-day to reach the main road, Route 76, itself reached along Route 767 from
here. From June to September, buses (see p.226) run daily except Saturday along Route 76
between Siglufjörður and Sauðárkrókur.
