Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [157]
There are two other sections of the museum along the Strandir coast – a turf-roofed ‘sorcerer’s cottage’ in Bjarnarfjörður and a monument/cinema at Árnes, which was, at the time of research, in the early stages of construction.
If you’re heading northwest it’s worth stopping off at the wooden church at Staður, 14km from Hólmavík, to see the 18th-century pulpit there.
Sleeping & Eating
Campsite ( 451 3560; sites per person Ikr800) The municipal campsite, beside the community centre, has toilets, showers and a laundry.
Gistiheimilið Borgarbraut ( 451 3136; www.borgarbraut4.is; Borgarbraut 4; sb/d Ikr3000/6000; ) Set on the hill near the church, this welcoming guest house has well-kept rooms with great views. The smell of freshly baked bread often wafts through the air. There’s also a guest kitchen and a TV lounge on each of the three floors, and free laundry facilities for all.
Steinhúsið ( 856 1911; www.steinhusid.is; Höfðagata 1; mid-May–mid-Sep s/d/apt Ikr6000/9000/15,000, mid-Sep–mid-May Ikr4500/7000/11,000; ) A pleasant option across from the witch museum, Steinhúsið has a small collection of prim rooms and basement apartments. Breakfast is Ikr1400.
Galður ( 451 3525; Höfðagata 8-10; lunch Ikr900; 8am-6pm) A great place for a quick and cheap lunch, the witch museum’s cafe serves up the usual soup lunches and an assortment of other light dishes. Be sure to stick around on Saturday afternoons – the museum’s curator casts a few spells to keep the spirits at bay!
Café Riis ( 451 3567; Hafnarbraut 39; mains Ikr130-2990; 11.30am-9pm) The town’s pub and restaurant is a popular place set in a historic wooden building with stripped floors and carved magic symbols on the bar. Roasted chicken breast, puffin and trout are the menu’s biggest hits.
As always, there’s a small grocery and cheap eats at the petrol station.
Shopping
Handverkshús Hafþórs ( 865 3713; Höfðgata 12; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Jun-Aug) Located in the red house beside the witchcraft museum is this immensely popular woodcarving studio and veritable sawdust blizzard. Hafþór, a local artisan, crafts adorable little birds (Ikr2000) by hand – they make great souvenirs.
Getting There & Away
From June to August, buses run between Staðarskáli and Hólmavík (two hours) on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday only. The same service continues from Hólmavík on to Drangsnes (30 minutes) on Friday. Buses from Ísafjörður to Hólmavík (Ikr4000 or Ikr5000, Sunday, Tuesday and Friday from June to August, four hours) are timed to connect with the service to Staðarskáli. You can connect to services to Reykjavík and Akureyri from Staðarskáli. During winter there is one bus a week (on Friday) from Reykjavík to Hólmavík via Staðarskáli.
Note that a concreted road connecting Hólmavík to Króksfjarðarnes (in the Dalir region) was being completed at the time of research. Public transport may start running here in the future.
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DRANGSNES
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Across the fjord from Hólmavík, Drangsnes (pronounced drowngs-ness) is a remote little village with views across to north Iceland and the small uninhabited island of Grímsey. Guarding the shoreline is ominous rocky stack Kerling, the supposed remains of a petrified troll. Uxi, her bull, is the formation out at sea near Grímsey (see the boxed text, opposite).
As haunting as the bizarre sea stacks may be, a favourite attraction is the secreted set of free geothermal hot pots built into the sea wall along the main road. Even eagle eyes will have a hard time spotting these geometric Jacuzzis, so keep an eye out for the town’s modern church instead – the little pools are directly across the