Eastern and southeast Iceland - The Rough Guide to Iceland - page 282

ACCOMMODATION

Sólbrekka T 476 0020, E [e-mail]. Summer-
only cabin and guesthouse accommodation on a working
farm, with kitchen, dining room, laundry, bathroom and
hot tub at your disposal. They've marked out local hiking

trails and can supply maps. Brea kfast is by arrangement;
the re's also a small café. Doubles 12,000kr ; with sleeping
bag 3500kr

Fjarðabyggð
The East Fjords' middle reaches, known as Fjarðabyggð , comprise the three relatively
large fishing villages of Reyðarjörður , Eskifjörður and Neskaupstaður , linked by the
60km Route 92 from Egilsstaðir, which dead-ends at Neskaupstaður. There's a
scattering of museums, some hiking trails and the most attractive scenery in the East
Fjords; a regular bus link from Egilsstaðir runs through the summer.

GETTING AROUND FJARÐABYGGÐ

7

By bus The East Iceland Bus Company ( T 477 1713,
W austjardaleid.is) runs an Egilsstaðir-Reyðarfjörður-

Eskifjörður-Norðfjörður service; there are two buses in
each direction Mon-Fri, and one on Saturday.

Reyðarjörður
REYÐARFJÖRÐUR is a functional port surrounded by imposing mountains, their
tops ground flat by now-vanished glaciers. Around 4km east on the main road, the
kilometre-long Fjarðaal aluminium smelter - powered by the controversial hydro dam
at Kárahnjúkar (see p.280) - has brought employment, a huge new sports centre and
an upbeat air to town, previously crippled by the fishing industry's downturn.
Route 92 runs through Reyðarfjörður as the town's 700m main street; the west half is
called Búðareyri, and the eastern end Austurvegur. The church marks where short
Hafnargata runs to the sea.

Stríðárasafnið
June-Aug daily 1-5pm • 1000kr
At the top of Reyðarfjörður's uppermost street and overlooking the town from the
fellside, Stríðárasafnið (the Icelandic Wartime Museum) is housed in long, red
concrete huts built as a hospital by US forces in 1943. There are vintage jeeps and
trucks, a potted history of the site and a collection of photos and mannequins in
period clothes, but no explanation as to why such a remote location was chosen for a
medical installation.

Grænafell
Grænafell , the flattened mountain ridge north of Reyðarfjörður, isn't particularly high
at 581m, but is accessible along a two-hour track (marked from near the museum) that
climbs up through a narrow gorge to reveal a broad fjord panorama from the top. Try
also to track down the grave of Völva , which according to local tales was a supernatural
being who watches over the town - the name is applied throughout Nordic countries
to a range of benevolent female spirits.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION REYÐARFJÖRÐUR

By bus The bus stop is on the main street, Austurvegur.
Destinations Egilsstaðir (11 weekly; 30min); Eskifjörður
(11 weekly; 15min); Neskaupstaður (11 weekly; 35min).
By car Aside from the Egilsstaðirö-Neskaupstaður road,
there's also a tunnel through the mountains south of town

to Route 96 and Fáskrúðsjörður.
Services Most of the town's services are along Búðareyri,
including fuel stations, post o ce, supermarket and bank
(with ATM).