Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [224]
Sleeping & Eating
Reyðarfjörður HI Hostel (Hjá Marlín; 474 1220, 892 0336; www.bakkagerdi.net; VallagerðI 9; sb s/d Ikr3500/6800, d Ikr9000; ) Budgetarians will love this hostel set in a lovely older home with green and grey aluminium siding. There’s a fantastic bedroom-to-bathroom ratio, and you’ll find a cosy restaurant (mains Ikr1000 to Ikr3200) on the 2nd floor, with imaginative pieces of modern art across the walls. In a second house down the street (not as attractive as the first, but still very comfy), there are simple rooms and a sauna (Ikr1000 per evening). HI members get a Ikr500 discount.
Fjarðahótel ( 474 1600; www.fjardarhotel.is; Búðareyri 6; s/d Ikr15,600/19,500; ) The only hotel in Reyðarfjörður, this has comfortable business-style rooms (some with facilities for the disabled). An on-site ‘steakhouse’ (mains Ikr1100 to Ikr3500) gets good reviews.
There are burgers, pizzas and snacks at the Shell or Olís petrol stations, and a Krónan supermarket ( 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) lives inside the Molinn shopping centre.
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ESKIFJÖRÐUR
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This friendly little town is stretched out along a dimple in the main fjord of Reyðarfjörður. Its setting is superb: it looks directly onto the mighty mountain Hólmatindur (985m), rising sheer from the shining blue water.
The surrounding hills are beautiful places for walking, particularly in autumn when their green sides are splattered with bright fungi and huge bog bilberries.
Orientation & Information
If you didn’t buy walking maps in Egilsstaðir you can try stopping by Ferðaþjónustan Mjóeyri (opposite), located all the way at the very end of town on a charming little spit. The Landsbanki Íslands ( 410 4166; Strandgata 47) has an ATM and is located at the turn-off leading up to Neskaupstaður. Make a left when you arrive from Reyðarfjörður if you’re looking for the brand new swimming pool ( 6.30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun); the free campsite is straight ahead. For a bit of old-world charm, stop by Bókabúðin Eskja ( 476 1160; Útkaupstaðarbraut 1), the local bookstore.
Sights & Activities
MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES
The East Iceland Maritime Museum (Sjóminjasafn Austurlands; 470 9063, 470 9000; peturs@fjardabyggd.is; Strandgata 39b; adult/under 18yr Ikr500/free; 1-5pm Jun-Aug), in the black timber warehouse ‘Gamla Buð’ (dating from 1816), illustrates two centuries of the east coast’s historic herring, shark, and whaling industry. More interesting is the Old Boathouse ( 477 1247, 698 6980; Strandgata; admission Ikr500; by appointment) down the street, which was largely abandoned until the owners of Mjóeyri took it over in 2009. When they entered the building they found that not a soul had been inside for the last 80 years. And they decided to leave it that way – when you enter the boathouse you’re literally stepping back in time.
The remains of the world’s largest spar quarry, Helgustaðanáma, can be found east of Eskifjörður, past Mjóeyri. Iceland spar (silfurberg in Icelandic) is a type of calcite crystal that is completely transparent and can split light into two parallel beams. It was a vital component in early microscopes, and large quantities were exported to some of Europe’s top scientists starting from the 17th century until 1924, when the quarry closed. The largest specimen taken from Helgustaðanáma weighs 230kg and is displayed in the British Museum. Science aside, you can still see calcite sparkling in rocks around the quarry – very pretty – but you’ll need a headlamp if venturing in on your own. The area is a national preserve, though, so you can’t poke out pieces of crystal or take them away. Follow the rough dirt road 9km along the coastline until you get to an information panel; the quarry is then a 400m walk uphill.
Beyond the mine are the ruins at Útstekkur, which was once a bustling trade centre during Danish rule. In its heyday, more than 2400