Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
between the sheer walls for quite a distance. The gorge figures in a dramatic part of the
local saga of Bárður, described on a sign at the parking area.
Breiðavík
East of Rauðfeldsgjá, Rte 574 skirts the edges of an enormous sandy bay at Breiðavík. The
windswept coast, with its yellow expanse of sand, is wonderfully peaceful, though tricky
to access. The pasture-filled region running along the coastal mountains from here east to
Vegamót is considered one of the best places in Iceland for horse riding, and there are sev-
eral stables of international repute.
On the eastern edge of Breiðavík, look for the placard telling the grisly tale of Axlar-
Björn, Iceland's notorious 16th-century serial killer, who made his living in lean times by
murdering travellers here.
Tours
Stóri Kambur
HORSE RIDING
( 852 7028;
www.storikambur.is
)
Family-run operation offering 1½- to three-hour rides on the beach, with glacier views
when it's clear.
Búðir & Búðahraun
Búðir
has a lonely church and a hotel, but there is no sign of its former fishing village
along its craggy, mossy inlets. A walking trail leads across the elf-infested nature preserve,
Buðahraun
lava field. The ancient lava field is protected; if you look down into its hol-
lows and cracks you'll find flourishing flowers and ferns, many of them themselves protec-
ted native Icelandic species. The path also leads to the crater
Búðaklettur
. According to
local legend, a lava tube beneath Buðahraun, paved with gold and precious stones, leads
all the way to Surtshellir in upper Borgarfjörður. It takes about three hours to walk to the
crater and back.
Sleeping
