Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [185]
Grímsey can also be reached on one of North Sailing’s three-day, two-night sailing expeditions (usually three or four trips per summer) – Click here for details.
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EASTERN EYJAFJÖRÐUR
Eyjafjörður’s eastern shore is much quieter than its western counterpart, offering a few interesting places to pause among the long grassy vistas.
The Icelandic Folk Art Museum (Safnasafnið; 461 4066; www.safnasafnid.is; adult/under 16yr Ikr500/free; 1-5pm Jun-Aug, 2-5pm Sep-May), across the fjord from Akureyri, is a collector’s dream. In Icelandic, the museum’s name literally means ‘the museum museum’, a name coined because the curators display just about anything, as long as it was made with an earnest heart.
Further north, around 19km from Akureyri, you’ll happen upon the turf roofs at Laufás ( 463 3196; adult/under 16yr Ikr500/free; 9am-6pm mid- May–mid-Sep), a preserved manor farm and vicarage giving wonderful insights into rural living in times past. Stop in the sun-filled restaurant and sample the homemade mountain-grass bread with smoked trout.
Pólar Hestar ( 463 3179; www.polarhestar.is; Grýtubakki 2), one of the best-known stables in northern Iceland, offers a great introduction to riding for the uninitiated, as well as acclaimed six- to eight-day horse-riding tours (five or six days in the saddle). The farm has over 100 horses and the owners’ little boy has memorised all of their names. Complimentary pastries are served during breaks. Figure around Ikr4000/6000 for two-/four-hour tours and Ikr9000 for the day. Multiday trips range from €900 to €1500 and include accommodation and meals.
The road ends in Grenivík where you can link up with Fjorðungar, a local hiking operator, for multiday trips into Í Fjörðum further north. Visit JónsabúÐ, Grenivík’s shop (there’s only one) to organise your adventure. Try the campsite near the pool if you want to stay the night.
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UPPER EYJAFJÖRÐUR
Heading south from Akureyri, Rte 821 follows Eyjafjörður to its head, passing several sites of historical importance. If you’re touring around in a private vehicle and have already explored eastern and western Eyjafjörður, then why not spend one more afternoon away from the Ring Road traffic? Hikers should pick up the handy Útivist & afþreying #2 map, which details the network of trails between the Eyjafjarðará river delta and the rugged highlands.
About 10km south of Akureyri, Kristnes was the site of Helgi the Lean’s original settlement. His high-seat temple pillars washed up at Pollurinn, near the head of the fjord, and Helgi decided to settle here.
If you can handle the Christmas cheer out of season, then the nearby Christmas Garden (Jólagarðurinn; 463 1433; 10am-10pm Jun-Aug, 2-10pm Sep-Dec, 2-6pm Jan-May) has a lovely selection of locally made decorations, cards, sweets and traditional Icelandic Christmas foods. They also serve excellent lamb.
Another 2km south is Hrafnagil, which was the historic home of Bishop Jón Arason of Hólar. The odd little onion-domed church at Grund, about 5km past Hrafnagil, was built by the farmer Magnús Sigurðsson in 1905. Its neo-Romanesque style seems anomalous in Iceland, but early in the 20th century it was one of the country’s most impressive churches. Ask for a key at the farmhouse.
Saurbær farm, 28km south of Akureyri on Rte 821, has an interesting turf-and-stone church dating from 1838, now under national protection. It was constructed on the site of a church that