Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1976 Kópasker suffered a severe earthquake; the small
earthquake centre
(Skjálfta
Setrið;Akurgerði; 1-5pm Jun-Aug)
at the school investigates the quake and other tectonics in
Iceland. South of the village, the
Byggðasafn
( 1-5pm Jun-Aug)
at Snartarstaðir farm
highlights local textile and handicraft traditions. Look for cute, fully dressed scarecrows in
the nearby fields.
There's a free campsite on your way into town. Your best bet for a bed is the homely
Kópasker HI Hostel
( 465 2314;
www.hostel.is
;
Akurgerði 7;dm/d without bathroom Ikr4100/
11,200; May-Oct; )
, run by Benni. Rooms are spread across a couple of houses -
everything is well maintained, and there's good birdwatching (and sometimes seal-watch-
ing) in the neighbourhood. HI members receive a discount of Ikr700 per person; linen
costs Ikr1250. (Note: cash only.)
The town has a small store and fuel pump.
Raufarhöfn
Pop 165
Like the setting of a Stephen King novel, distant Raufarhöfn (
roy
-ver-hup), Iceland's
northernmost township, is an eerily quiet place with a prominently positioned graveyard.
The port has functioned since the Saga Age, but the town's economic peak came early in
the 20th century during the herring boom, when it was second to Siglufjörður in volume.
Today, Raufarhöfn's rows of dull prefab housing give few clues to its illustrious past.
There are ambitious long-term plans underway to build a massive stone circle on the hill
will be 50m in diameter with four gates (to represent the seasons) up to 7m in height. The
plan is to use the stone henge as a finely tuned sundial to celebrate the solstices, view the
midnight sun, and explain the strong local beliefs in the mythology of the Edda poem
Voluspá
(Sibyl's Prophecy). Drop into Hótel Norðurljós to view a model of the henge.
To stay, there's a free campsite in the southern part of town, plus a new guesthouse,
The
with bright, appealing rooms and kitchen access.
braut 2;s/d Ikr12,600/21,000; )
seems to have been battered by one too many storms, but
