Around Iceland 2015: Hólmavík

Iceland’s national newspaper Morgunblaðið is on a six-week 2015 tour of Iceland!

The paper’s journalists and photographers will be bringing us news and images of everyday life, culture, business, nature, education, services and more from the four corners of the land. Today’s destination: Hólmavík.

Hólmavík

Hólmavík is a small town on the east coast of the West Fjords region. It is the largest settlement in the municipality of Strandbyggð and has around 400 inhabitants, many of whom work in fisheries, services and agriculture.

These ‘sorcerer’ cottages in Bjarnarfjörður are run by the popular Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft in Hólmavík and are open to all. This has been a very busy summer for the museum, with visitor numbers up 20% on last year.

Just off the peninsula of Drangsnes is the small island of Grímsey (one of several of that name around Iceland), described by some as the pearl of the area. Here it is seen beautifully framed by Icelandic sky, sea and lupine.

To the north of Hólmavík, in Stóra-Ávík, can be found a mysterious granite boulder, the only one of its type in Iceland. It found its way to Iceland at the end of the last Ice Age, i.e. 10,000 years ago, and is studded with crystals.

Gjögur Airport in nearby Árneshreppur is the area’s lifeline in the poor winter weather. It is used to supply the population with food and other goods when the access road is impassable. Icelandic domestic airline Eagle Air is the sole operator.

Check out Iceland Monitor for Morgunblaðið ’s next destination in Around Iceland 2015: Blönduós.