Glorious Dýrafjörður

Barðastrandasýslur in beautiful weather

Between Two Cliffs

The history, the land and the calm

Going 100 Years Back in Time

Árneshreppur

Westfjords

Westernmost part of Europe

Westernmost part of Europe Patreksfjörður in the Westfjords is the westernmost town in Europe. From Reykjavík it's 400 km / 240 mi to Patreksfjörður. About 2...

Spooky houses

Spooky houses In the middle of the Cold War, in 1953, the Americans built a military base and radar station on Straumnesfjall, north of Aðalvík in Hornstrand...

A shallow pool in the deep

A shallow pool in the deep Hörgshlíðarlaug Pool in the eastern part of Mjóifjörður in Ísafjarðardjúp is a concrete swimming pool that is 6 meters long, 2 met...

The historical Arnarfjörður

The church in Hrafnseyri was built in 1886 and protected in 1990. The master-builder Árni Sveinsson designed and built this beautiful wooden church clad in cor...

The Musical Dynjandi

The Musical Dynjandi FThe waterfall Dynjandi is called by some Fjallfoss, which is probably a misnomer. The small waterfall below Dynjandi in the picture is c...

Into the Wild Westfjods

Discover Iceland “the Westfjords Way” The Westfjords are an unmissable region of Iceland. Here, you will find steep cliffs with millions of nesting birds, w...

Wild Westfjords

Into the Wild WestfjodsDiscover Iceland „the Westfjords Way“ In Reykjarfjordur a full-size swimming pool is visible from the main road. The water is war...
Breiðafjörður

Birds in Breiðafjörður

Breiðafjörður is an expansive and shallow bay located on the west coast of Iceland. The bay is the largest area of shallow waters and beaches in the country, ...
Icelandic Seaweed

Seaweed Mecca of Iceland

Reaping the Health Benefits of Seaweed and Kelp "I have sometimes said that Reykhólar is the seaweed mecca of Iceland," says Tryggvi Harðarson, district ma...
Hólmavík

Visit Stunning Strandabyggð

Strandir is the east coastline of Westfjords. The only town on the coast is Hólmavík. A picturesque village, the gate to the wondrous wilderness of the norther...
Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage “… to get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives and not out of the country.” By Hrútafjörður – Fjord of Rams – in the North-west of Iceland is the tiny village Borðeyri which literally means Plank at Sea. Borðeyri with sixteen inhabitants in 2018 is rich in history as it was one of Iceland’s busiest anchorage that dates back to the Settlement of Iceland in the 8th century. It was Ingimundur gamli – Old Ingimundur – the Viking settler at Hof in nearby Vatnsdalur who named the Fjord as he saw two Rams running down the hills as well as a huge plank by the sea-side. Hrútafjördur is a long fjord south of Húnaflói – Bay of Bears. Ingimundur gamli fought along with Norwegian king Harald Fairhair in the historical battle at Hafangursfjord 872. The story goes that Ingimundur gamli later gave the King two Polar Bears cubs captured in Iceland. The gift was well appreciated as Polar Bears had never before been seen in Norway. Ingimundur gamli was held in high esteem in the country of his ancestors. Tale of mixed fortunes During Iceland’s Commonwealth era 930-1262, Bordeyri was a quite busy anchorage but as Iceland came under Norse rule 1262 and later Danish rule in the late 1300’s during the Kalmar Union as Norway collapsed, Bordeyri gradually declined. During the dark Monopoly Trade Period 1602-1787 there are no recorded ship arrivals as it was forbidden to trade at Borðeyri with Iceland being a colony sold to highest trading bidders. However Borðeyri got township by law from Althing in 1846 as Iceland started its road to freedom and the tiny village was quite busy well into the 20th century. The first ship to sail to Borðeyri arrived in June 1848. Slowly but surely traffic increased and hundreds of farmers and their spouses gathered in the busy village to trade aboard the ships. Pétur Eggerz (1831-1892) educated in Great Britain is recognized as Borðeyri’s founding father. He was the first merchant to move to Borðeyri. Eggerz built a turf farm in 1858 and two years later warehouse and in 1860’s Eggerz built the faktorshouse. His son Sigurður Eggerz 1875-1945 was Iceland’s Prime Minister 1914-15 and 1922-24. In 1870 Pétur Eggerz along with his brother-in-law Páll Vídalín and farmers in the district established a Community Store at the Faktorshouse. Their vision was clear as to “… get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives and not out of the country.” Eggerz became store manager. The Faktorshouse later became known as the Riis-house named after merchant Richard Riis who later moved to Borðeyri. Quest for sovereignty Iceland’s quest for sovereignty started in the late 1900’s and in 1904 the country got home rule and Sovereignty in 1918 with a Danish King. Iceland declared Independence in 1944 when the Danes were occupied by nazi Germany in World War II while Borðeyri was occupied by the British 1940-1943. Borðeyri was by then well and alive with main actor being Kaupfélag Hrútfirðinga – Fjord of Ramsers Co-Op, member of Iceland’s Co-Operative Society by then far the largest company in Iceland. However the Co-Op crumbled in the early 1990’s when 20th century Iceland started to say farewell, as did Borðeyri. Plássið, in translation The Place, being the old Borðeyri of ten houses with 16 inhabitants, was in April 2019 declared protectorate by Iceland’s Cultural Ministry. The rebuilding is underway as Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage.

Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage

“… to get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives and not out of the country.” By Hrútafjörður – Fjord of Ra...

WEST TOURS for the Westfjords

WEST TOURS for the Westfjords The expert on travels in the entire Westfjords peninsula The Westfjords are an amazing peninsula characterized by steep, flat ...

Visit Spectacular Strandir

Visit Spectacular Strandir Hólmavík is a charming small town in the Strandir area, which makes up the most eastern tip of the Westfjords. It’s a popular stop ...

Culture and Nature in the Westfjords

Culture and Nature in the Westfjords Þingeyri is an ideal base in the Westfjords, with museums in town and nature nearby. Þingeyri is a tiny village in the sc...

Enjoy the Culture of the Westfjords

  Enjoy the Culture of the Westfjords Explore the region’s history at the Westfjords Heritage Museum while visiting the town. The Westfjords are simply ...
Árneshreppur beach

Beauty in Remoteness

Beauty in Remoteness History and Nature go hand-in-hand in Árneshreppur When heading to the magnificent Westfjords peninsula of North Western Iceland, approa...