Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [147]
Sleeping & Eating
There is a free, fully equipped campsite ( 450 9000) behind the N1 petrol station.
Fisherman Hotel VEG ( 450 9000; www.fisherman.is; Aðalgata 14; s/d/apt Ikr3750/7500/20,000; ) Customer focused, thoroughly modern and really comfy, this friendly guest house has bright rooms, crisp linens, pine furniture and informative cards about the area’s fish.
Talisman (mains Ikr1900-2490; 8-10am & 6-10pm mid-May–mid-Sep) The Fisherman Hotel’s on-site restaurant is a swish, contemporary-styled place with moleskin chairs, large windows, and place mats and menu covers made from fish skins. The menu features a wonderful array of locally sourced food – from sea creatures to lamb. A flatscreen TV shows a video describing a fisherman’s life. If you don’t have time to visit Suðureyri, you can order packs of their flash-frozen fish online.
Shopping
If you’re thinking about buying any 66° North apparel, this is the place to do it. The founder was born in Suðureyri – conveniently located along the 66th parallel – and there’s a poster in the hotel, which details the company’s history.
Located across from the popular Talisman restaurant (above), Á Milli Fjalla ( 456 6163; Aðalgata; 1-6pm Mon-Fri, 1-4pm Sat & Sun) is an intriguing boutique selling a variety of locally crafted items like knits, ceramics, and unique trinkets made from horsehair. Apparently Björk likes to shop here.
Getting There & Away
From Monday to Friday there are three daily local buses between Ísafjörður and Suðureyri (20 minutes).
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ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
pop 2540
Hub of activity in the Westfjords and by far the area’s largest town, Ísafjörður is a pleasant and prosperous place and an excellent base for travellers. The town is set on a gravel spit that extends out into Skutulsfjörður, and is hemmed in on all sides by towering peaks and the eerily dark and still waters of the fjord.
The centre of Ísafjörður is littered with old timber and tin-clad buildings, many unchanged since the 18th century, when the harbour was full of tall ships and Norwegian whaling crews. Today it is a surprisingly cosmopolitan place, and after some time spent travelling in the Westfjords, it’ll feel like a bustling metropolis with its tempting cafes and fine choice of restaurants.
There’s good hiking in the hills around the town, skiing in winter and regular summer boats to ferry hikers across to the remote Hornstrandir Peninsula. In fact, Ísafjörður’s only downside is the long journey to get here. You’ll either have to wind in and out of numerous fjords on bumpy roads or take a hair-raising flight into the tiny airstrip. Then again, it’s the town’s remote location and surprisingly urbane attitude that really give it its wonderful character.
History
The region to the west of Ísafjörður is geologically the oldest in the country, dating back about 20 million years. However, it was not until Norwegian and Icelandic traders arrived in the 16th century that the gravel spit in Skutulsfjörður saw human inhabitation. At first the camps were temporary, but soon German and English trading firms set up shop and a permanent post was established. The first mention of trading in the area dates back to 1569, when records show a Hanseatic League trading post here, but by 1602 the Danish Trade Monopoly had taken over business and begun developing Ísafjörður as a fishing and trading centre.
In the following centuries Ísafjörður became a logistical centre for Norwegian whaling ships, although the local Icelanders only took up commercial whaling in the 1950s. In later years the town bore witness to some of the fierce battles between whalers and environmental campaigners that eventually led to the worldwide ban on commercial whaling in 1989.
In 1991 a tunnel was constructed to link Ísafjörður and the previously isolated communities of Suðureyri and Flateyri. The three towns and nearby Þingeyri were amalgamated into a single administrative unit called Ísafjarðarb