Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Petra Steinasafn
May-Sept daily 9am-6pm • 1200kr •
W
steinapetra.is
Petra Steinasafn
is an extraordinary private collection of thousands of rocks and
mineral samples from all over the place, accumulated over a lifetime of fossicking by
elderly Petra Sveinsdóttir, who doesn't speak any English. They're arranged around a
terrace and “stone garden”, planted with ferns and colourful blooms, and look best on a
sunny day. The house is near the western exit to town.
Hafnarnes
Some 8km north of Stöðvarfjörður along Route 96,
Hafnarnes
comprises a lighthouse
and remains of a nineteenth-century fishing village which was deserted after WWII.
The outlines of foundations and bits and pieces from buildings are all that's left; it
makes you wonder about the future of many East Fjord settlements that are no bigger
today than Hafnarnes was.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
STÖÐVARFJÖRÐUR
7
By bus
The East Iceland Bus Company (
T
477 1713,
W
austjardaleid.is) runs a Mon-Fri Egilsstaðir-
Fáskrúðsfjörður-Stöðvarfjörður-Breiðdalsvík service. The
bus stop is on Fjarðabraut.
Destinations
Breiðdalsvík (5 weekly; 20min); Egilsstaðir
(5 weekly; 1hr 40min); Fáskrúðsfjörður (5 weekly;
30min).
Services
There's an N1 fuel pump but no supermarket in
town, though the
Brekkan
café has a tiny store selling basic
provisions.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Brekkan
Fjarðarbraut 44
T
475 8939.
The township's
only place to eat, this no-nonsense diner serves
sandwiches, soup, fry-ups and fish dishes from 500kr
upwards.
Daily 10am-9pm.
Campsite
T
470 9040.
On the main road east of
town, and not much more than flat ground, picnic tables
and a
toilet;
a screen of hedges cuts the wind down a
little.
1000kr
Kirkjubær
Fjarðarbraut 37A
T
892 3319,
W
simnet.is
/birgiral.
Up on a small hill, this blue-painted wooden
church was moved to its current location in 1925 and has
now been converted into a comfortable, self-catering
lodge capable of sleeping ten, though you pay by the bed.
They al
so hire out fis
hing gea
r and boats. Sleeping bag
4000kr
; made-up bed
5000kr
Breiðdalsvík
Just off the main coastal road and overlooking the sea,
BREIÐDALSVÍK
marks where
Route 96 from Egilsstaðir joins the Ringroad. The town sits on a border of sorts
between the tighter, steeper, more dramatic fjord scenery to the north; and the flatter,
broader landscapes to the south. Breiðdalsvík itself barely comprises two streets and
there's not much reason to stop here unless you need to change buses.
Gamla Kaupfélagið
Daily 10.30am-6pm • Free
Breiðdalsvík's oldest building,
Gamla Kaupfélagið
started life in 1906 as a co-operative
storehouse; today this two-storey timber structure houses an art gallery and a photo-
exhibition on the life of
George Walker
, an English scientist who first mapped out the
East Fjord's complex geology.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
BREIÐDALSVÍK
By bus
The East Iceland Bus Company (
T
477 1713,
W
austjardaleid.is) operates a Mon-Fri Egilsstaðir-
Fáskrúðsfjörður-Stöðvarfjörður-Breiðdalsvík service.
Sterna (
W
sterna.is) runs daily services (June-Sept only)
along the Ringroad between Höfn and Egilsstaðir.
Destinations
Djúpivogur (1 daily; 1hr); Egilsstaðir (2 daily;
2hr); Fáskrúðsfjörður (1 daily; 50min); Höfn (1 daily; 2hr
15min); Stöðvarfjörður (1 daily; 20min).
Services
The little N1 fuel station has a small range of
meat, vegetables and canned food.
