You would think that, as you get closer to the North Pole, all you would see is snow and desolation. In winter, possibly – only that just makes the snow sports all the more exciting with awesome ski slopes, skating and snowmobiles and fishing through the ice.
Fjallabyggð is almost as far north as you can go. You feel like you’re at the end of the world. Yet here, above Akureyri, the towns of Ólafsfjörður and Sigulfjörður are alive with activity year round. They merged as one county in 2006 and, with the completion of the tunnel linking them that opened in 2010, travel became much easier.
Lively activities and long days
With the Spring, everything is completely different. The birds know it and fly in by droves – followed by the experienced bird watchers and photographers. The beautiful nature opens up to the hiking community, with a multitude of different hikes marked, with various degrees of difficulty. There is an excellent map produced by the University of Hólar. The countryside is breathtaking in its beauty and is so easily accessible from the two towns. It’s a landscape of mountains and valleys, streams, waterfalls and hidden meadows, lakes and black sand beaches, with picturesque vistas at every turn.
The longer days make other activities both possible and really enjoyable like taking midnight sailing trips across the Arctic Circle or whalewatching from Ólafsfjörður. Fishing – whether from the harbour piers, on the lakes, in the rivers and streams or out on the sea – is also very popular. Many visitors like to combine hiking, sailing, fishing or boating trips together, getting the most out of their days.
There are two 9-hole golf courses where you can play under the midnight sun and two swimming pools, with jacuzzis to relax in after a day’s hike.
There are plenty of different types of accomodation and restaurants, fast-food and cafés with live music in both towns to suit every taste as the people here love to enjoy life.
Centre of Culture
Fjallabyggð has made up for their relative isolation by investing in cultural activities. There is a rich heritage of award-winning museums like the Herring Museum, the Folk Music Centre (with many activities for all ages and tastes), the Poetry Museum (where you can buy poetry old and new), Natural History Museum (specialising in the birdlife of the area), Art Museum (with probably the best private collection in the country) and festivals such as the Music festival in Siglufjörður in the first week of July.
Fjallabyggð is a vibrant community in which you will find a warm welcome.
