Eastern and southeast Iceland - The Rough Guide to Iceland - page 279

HIKES FROM BORGARFJÖRÐUR EYSTRI
Borgarfjörður Eystri has become quite a hiking haven in recent years, with a good number of
marked trails heading up the valley from town. However, the possibility of dense fogs and
atrocious weather with heavy snow on higher ground make it essential to ensure you're
properly equipped, and to seek local advice before setting out.
Prominent behind Borgarfjörður Eystri, Dyrfjöll, , the “Door Mountain”, gets its name from
the gap in its sharp-peaked, 1136m-high basalt crest. This is another abode of local spirits,
mischievous imps that emerge around Christmas to tie cows' tails together. A round-trip from
town would be a major hike, though you could arrange a lift up to the top of the pass at
Geldingafjall on the Egilsstaðir road, from where there's a marked track around the
upper reaches of the mountain, and then down to the end of the valley south of town -
a full day's walk.
A good introduction to the area is to hike 4km or so west to the next bay of Brúnavík ,
whose steeply sloping valley was farmed until being abandoned in the 1940s. This is a
story typical of the northern East Fjords; as the herring industry fizzled out after World War
II, and roads and services began to bypass the region, farms founded in Viking times were
given up as people moved on. There's a small shelter shed here today, and a further rough
trail over loose-sided fells to Breiðavík , where there's a hiking hut and campground with
water and toilets (bookings T 868 5813, E [e-mail]; 2600kr) and a 7km
jeep track northwest back to town - the round-trip via Brúnavík and Breiðavík takes
about fourteen hours.
It's also possible to spend a few days hiking to Seyðisfjörður. , initially following another
jeep track south down the valley from Borgarfjörður Eystri. One of the highlights is about 10km
along where you cross a saddle below Hvítserkur , a pink rhyolite mountain, wonderfully
streaked with darker bands and stripes. There's another hut (same phone and facilities as
Breiðavík's) at the head of the next valley over, whose lush meadows once supported four
farms, and, on Húsavík bay here, the remains of a church. You then cross over a steep hillside
to the next jord, Lóðmundarjörður , most of whose population clung on into the 1970s.
A partly restored church remains, built in 1891, though there is little else. Lóðmundarfjörður
marks the end of the jeep track, but hikers can follow a rough trail through a pass over
Hjálmárdalsheiði and then down to Seyðisfjörður.

7

afternoon. Incidentally, it's worth checking at the harbour itself to see if any of the
bizarre-looking Greenland shark (source of the notorious speciality hákarl ; see p.36)
have been landed.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION BORGARFJÖRÐUR EYSTRI

By bus The Egilsstaðir-Borgarfjörður Eystri mail van
( T 894 8305; 2000kr; 1hr) acts as the local bus service; it
departs Mon-Fri at 8am from Borgarfjörður Eystri, and at
noon from Egilsstaðir.
Tourist information There's online info at
W borgarjordureystri.is (click on the “English” tab at the
top right corner); local guesthouses and the hostel are also
a good bet.
Services In the centre of the village, there's a small

Samkaup/TRAX store (Mon-Fri 12.30-5.30pm) and a
card-operated fuel pump.
Tours Elf Tours at Álfheimar guesthouse ( W elftours.is)
offers guided hikes of the area, as well as four-wheel-drive
tours and farm visits. Not much English is spoken, but the
owner of Borg guesthouse can also arrange drop-off/pick
ups for hiking trails, and four-wheel-drive tours for 6000kr
an hour.

ACCOMMODATION
Álfheimar Guesthouse T 861 3677, W elftours.is.
Slightly bleak row of modern wooden cabins by the
roadside into town, but inside t he en su ite rooms are
comfortable if not overly spacious. 20,000kr
Ásbyrgi Youth Hostel T 472 9962, W hostel.is. Large,
warm hostel with sea views and dorms (but no bunk

beds); but the kitchen could do with more crockery and
pans, and the manager is only occasionally around to open
the place up, even if you phone ahead. To find it, turn left
(seaw ards) at the supermarket and it's 250m along on the
right. 3600kr
Ì Blábjörg Gusthouse T 861 1792, W blabjorg.is.