Fog in the midnight sun in Veidileysifjördur

The Eternal Battle

In all probability, very few tourists travelling around Iceland make it to Strandasýsla in the north. That is unfortunate. This area stretches from Hrútafjördur on the western side of Húnaflói in the south all the way north to the remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. The landscape is shaped by powerful ocean waves as well as Ice Age glaciers. Deep fjords, coves, and valleys with little lowland characterize the area. The shores are beautiful in their own way, rich in birdlife, and full of driftwood along picturesque beaches. Sheep farming and small-scale fishing from the two villages in Strandir, Hólmavík and Drangsnes, are the main sources of livelihood for the inhabitants, who number fewer than a thousand. The least populated district in the entire country, Árneshreppur, the northernmost on Strandir, has fewer than fifty residents. In winter, there is no road connection between Árneshreppur and the outside world. Supplies are flown in from Reykjavík to the airport at Gjögur twice a week. But Strandir in the north is a beautiful and unique location, if quite isolated. The weather is indeed turbulent—among the coldest in the country — but that means one just dresses warmly to counter the climate and takes joy in the fog and sun, which really are in an eternal battle up there.