Самое главное: Búðir (transliterated Búdir) is a small hamlet in Búðahraun lava fields in Staðarsveit, which is in the western region of Iceland, on the westernmost tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula where Hraunhafnará falls to the sea, the original old name of Búðir having been Hraunhöfn.
The village belongs to Snæfellsbær, a municipality that has its administrative centre in the town of Ólafsvík.
Just a cluster of old buildings, Búðir is the home of popular country inn and restaurant Hotel Búðir and a very old small church. The original old house of the restaurant and Hótel Búðir burned down on 21 February 2001, and had to be rebuilt completely, so as to resemble the original old inn house and to blend into the existing scenery of old buildings and natural surroundings.
It is believed that commercial ships and fishing vessels have been making their landing at Búðir all the way back to when Iceland's first inhabitants made their way there across the ocean, and commercial activity started there very early in recorded history. Originally the main function of Búðir was that to act as a commercial and trade hub for Snæfellsnes and the surrounding west coast region, during an extended period of Danish trade monopoly. Today the small hamlet of Búðir along with Hótel Búðir is a center of attraction in Snæfellsnes for tourists and various tourismactivities.
Grundarfjörður's beautiful landmark is the most photographed mountain in Iceland. Its isolated position jutting out into the sea makes it a focal point for tourists and seamen alike. Surrounded by beaches, Kirkjufell has a lovely walking trail around it as well as a more challenging climb up to the top where bird and fish fossils can be found.
SNAEFELLSJOKULL NATIONAL PARK
Snæfellsjökull National Park was established on June 28th, 2001.The Park's purpose is to protect and conserve the area's unique landscape, indigenous plants and animal life as well as the important historical relics. At the same time, the Park is meant to allow visitors easier access as well as an improved opportunities to get to know the area. National parks are amongst Iceland's finest assets and everyone is free to explore them.The Snæfellsjökull glacier lies within the national park, and the park is the only Icelandic national park that stretches to the sea. The geology of Snæfellsnes national park is diverse with formations from almost every era of Iceland’s past. The more prominent formations in and around the National Park mainly date from geologically “modern” times back to the last ice age. The hills to the north of the glacier, around Bárðarkista, are of volcanic palagonite tuff, formed during eruptions under the glacier or below the surface of the sea. Svalþúfa is most likely the eastern section of a crater that erupted under the sea, while Lóndrangar is a volcanic plug.
DJUPALONSSANDUR & DRITVIK
Djupalonssandur is a beautiful pebbled beach, with a series of rocks of mysterious form emerging from the ocean.
It is one of the few areas that lead down to the sea along this coast with its high dramatic cliffs. Watch out for the famous ghosts roaming the place!
The rests of a shipwreck can be seen on the beach. On the beach there are also big stones which people tried to lift and test their strength in the days of the fishing stations: Fully Strong 154 kg, Half-Strong 100 kg, Weakling 54 kg and Bungler 23 kg. Weakling marked the frontier of wimphood, any man who couldn't lift it was deemed unsuitable for a life as a fisherman.
LONDRANGAR BASALT CLIFFS
Uniquely-formed remnants of ancient basalt volcanic dikes sticking out from the sea.
Londrangar and the hill Svalthufa are the remains of a crater, which has been eroded to its present form by the sea.
The farmers in the area never made or make hay on the hill, because it is said to belong to the elves living in the area.
Younger lava fields surround this old crater ruin. The higher pillar (75m) was first climbed in 1735 and the lower (61 m) in 1938.
Below the hill you may find Thufubjarg cliff where according to a folktale the poet Kolbeinn Joklaskald had an encounter with the Devil.
On these cliffs, puffins and fulmars have their nests.
Berserkjahraun
The central western peninsula, Snaefellsnes, is one of the most Saga invested parts of the country, and this area is no exception. The rugged Berserk Lava Field covers most of the western part of the Helgafell County, and stretches between the mountain slopes and the sea. Its sources are four prominent, but differently sized scoria craters forming an east-west row from the Ogress Pass (Kerlingarskard). They probably erupted at short intervals approximately 3600-4000 years ago, the largest one first and the smallest last, almost damming the Lava Bay in the east, where the old main road crosses it. The lava flows created two lakes on their southern side and added to the serenity and beauty of the landscapes, but also represented a difficult obstacle as the area became inhabited during the Age of Settlement. In the beginning, people chose to walk or ride along the southern edge of the lava or travel past it by boat until bridle paths were opened. Nowadays three roads cross it.
All around the lava field are indentations with small oases and where it enters the sea are coves. The berserks probably built the sheep pen Krossrett, just below the home fields of the farm Berserkjaeyri. Where the brook Hraunslaekur runs along the lava edge, are ruins of fish huts to remind us of the fishing outfits of the past. A nearby depression in the lava field, fenced off with a wall of lava stones, is believed to be the grain field of Styr the Slayer. Near Lake Selvallavatn are flat pumice grounds, where regional sport festivities took place around 1940. This beautiful area is ideal for recreation, hiking, angling and mountain climbing. White tailed eagles nest in the rugged lava field and one of the protruding rocks in it to the northeast of the lake is called The Eagle’s Rock. The whole lava field, the inner part of the Lava Bay and the lakes Selvallavatn and Hraunsfjardarvatn have been declared inviolate.
The story about the most renowned road building accomplicement of the country is a part of the Eyrbyggja Saga, probably the most complex of the Icelandic Saga literature. Four constructions connected to this part of the Saga have been preserved, the bridle path, The Berserks’ Burial Mound, the boundary fence and the sheep den. The first two are national monuments.
The story tells us about two Swedish berserks, Halli and Leiknir, who Vermundur the Slim, farmer at Bjarnarhofn, brought to the country from Norway in 982. Vermundur’s brother, Styr the Slayer, was a powerful wretch, who he wanted to be able to stand up to. The problem, however, was that Vermundur could not keep the berserks busy enough to subdue their rage and he saw no other solution than to ask his brother to take them off his hands. Styr the Slayer obliged reluctantly and soon found himself in a dilemma in spite of continuous killings. Halli, one of the berserks, fell in love with his daughter and asked for her hand in marriage.
Styr the Slayer went to his friend, Snorri the chieftain, at Helgafell to seek advice. When he came back, he told the berserks that he would give Halli his blessing after they had finished the tasks of clearing a bridle path through the rugged lava field, building a boundary fence across it, and a sheep pen. They went berserk and finished the tasks in a remarkably short time. Before they did, Styr the Slayer prepared an underground sauna for them and covered it with thick boards with an opening to pour water down on a heated boulder in the hole to create hot steam. When they returned tired and sweaty, he invited them to relax in the sauna and they accepted. The hole was covered properly, big boulders put on the boards and excessive quantities of boiling hot water poured through the opening. It soon became unbearably hot in the hole and the berserks managed to break out, but much too weak to defend themselves against Styr the slayer. He had spread wet and slippery bull hides on the ground around the hole and managed to kill them both. Their bodies were taken into a depression in the lava field, where they were buried close to the bridle path as can be seen up to this date.
GRUNDARFJÖRÐUR
Home to Mt Kirkjufell
Though Grundarfjörður is not the most well-known town in Snæfellsnes, its mountain is certainly one of the most famous mountains in Iceland, if not the world. It is not unusual for photographers from all over the world to make their way to Grundarfjörður for the sole purpose of photographing this unique landmark which has even starred in a number of films, most recently The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Once the increasing number of visitors have had their fill of Kirkjufell, they quickly discover that there is a lot more on offer in Grundarfjörður than merely magnificent mountains. Nature abounds, with vibrant birdlife, spectacular waterfalls, great hiking trails and exciting marine visitors such as seals and whales putting in an appearance every now and then. During the long summer days, there are daily boat trips where visitors can go deep sea fishing, see puffins and other beautiful birds and perhaps even catch sight of a whale or two.
Grundarfjörður is conveniently located in the middle of Snæfellsnes and provides easy access to Stykkishólmur, Snæfellsbær and the Snæfellsnes National Park. There is a great selection of accommodation available, with a high quality hotel and hostel, two guesthouses, a farm holiday guesthouse and a campsite by the swimming pool.
The swimming pool with its hot tubs is just one of a number of exciting services around the town. There is also a golf course, a family restaurant, a hotel restaurant, a coffee shop in the culture and heritage centre (where the information centre is also located), horse rentals, a pharmacy, a liquor store, a dry cleaning and laundry service and a well-stocked grocery store.
Though most visitors to Grundarfjörður arrive by road, there are also thousands that come by sea. Grundarfjörður Harbour makes every effort to make a cruise ship's visit comfortable and memorable for passengers and crew alike and as a result the number of cruise ships visits have increased from 2 in 2001 to no fewer than 18 scheduled for this summer.
During summer the town truly comes alive in a number of different ways. The local Viking Association are building up a Viking "village" in the centre of town and Viking-age re-enactments are often the highlight of the day for cruise ship passengers.
During the town festival, Á góðri stund, which is held the last weekend in July, the town literally changes colour when inhabitants and their guests decorate their houses in red, blue, yellow and green and indulge in a range of activities for all the family, from art exhibitions to fighting Vikings to concerts on the pier.
From Mt Kirkjufell to the sea, Grundarfjörður welcomes all its visitors equally.
GATKLETTUR - ARCH ROCK
Gatklettur - Arch Rock - is a cliff with a circular arch. Rock Arch shows how distinctive wave action has eroded the rocks into arches and beautiful swirled patterns.
There is great birdlife around the cliffs and pretty flora surrounding the area.
Svörtuloft sea cliffs are at the west part of Snæfellsnes.
They were formed when lava poured into the sea, and then where broken of and reshaped by the sea.
Many boats and ships have stranded and sunken at this location.
Gardar BA 64 is an old whaling ship, which was rammed ashore in the Skápadalur valley in Patreksfjörður when it was deemed unfit for duty back in 1981. It’s fairly easy to find, yet as with everything in the Westfjords there’s a long way between everything.
The old rusty beached ship is in itself an interesting photography object with a lot of atmosphere and mood. It can also work as a foreground to some aurora photography. You can even climb on to the ship and explore it from the inside. As a photography location it doesn’t require any special equipment. In regard to the light the sun sets directly behind it in early May, which is the only time of year you can get the ship with a sunset, since the location is mainly surrounded with mountains.
RAUÐISANDUR
Rauðasandur (Red Sand) is precisely that: a beach with endless red sand. Well, not endless but 10 km is a lot. The magnificent hues of the sand differ with daylight and weather, and the beach is the biggest pearl in a string of coves with sand ranging in colours from white through yellow through red to black, and in coarseness from very fine to sole-hurting chips of seashells. Just pure sand enlivened by countless seabirds and seals, an oasis with unique tranquility. Forget everything, except maybe getting the perfect shot of the ever-changing hues of yellow, orange and red.
Here's just pure sand and unique tranquillity. You might want to step out of the car, get the camera out and start walking on the seemingly endless beach.
If no, why not enjoy a cup of coffee in the French café and look at the spectacular view were Snæfellsjökull glacier in Sæfellsnes peninsula imperiousl rivets your attention in the background.
LÁTRABJARG
One of Europes biggest bird cliffs, a home to birds in unfathomable numbers. This westernmost point of Iceland is really a line of several cliffs, 14 kilometres long and up to 441 m high. And it's as steep as it gets, dizzyingly so. Safe from foxes, the birds are fearless, and provide stunning photographic opportunities from close range. Bird photography for dummies, you might say. The puffins are particularly tame and are the ones frequenting the grassy, higher part of the cliffs. But look out, the edges are fragile and loose and the fall is high.
Látrabjarg is thus deservedly the most visited tourist attraction in the Westfjords. The cliffs are easily accessible by car and when you're there, a walk along the cliffs awaits. The whirling sensation will not fade, and neither will the memories.
The fjord is 30 km long and 5 to 10 km wide, and is oriented NW/SE. It branches into two main bays, both containing a few coves. They are Borgarfjörður to the east and Suðurfirðir to the south. The largest settlement on the fjord is the small village of Bíldudalur. Lowland strips along the bay are very limited, with mountain slopes falling steeply into the sea in most places.[1] The Westfjords' highest mountain, Kaldbakur, is also located between Arnarfjörður and the neighboring Dýrafjörður, a parallel fjord to the north-east.
The Ketildalir valleys are on the southern shore of the fjord Arnarfjordur. The best know of those valleys is probably Selardalur, a very popular destination because of the sculptures and buildings raised by the naivité artist Samuel Jonsson. Samuel is referred to as "the artist with the infantile heart". When he retired at the age of 72 in 1958, he pursued his dreams and became an artist. Mostly he created sculptures from concrete and carried the sand on his back from the shore to his farm Brautarholt. In his backyard, among other things, he has replicated the Lions Court in Alhambra.
DYNJANDI
Simply enthralling; The Westfjords' favourite front-page model for decades, and is never short of breathtaking. The biggest and widest part of the waterfall is the one that gets all the attention and the photos, even though there are impressive, albeit smaller, waterfalls further down the river.
Þingeyri is a small village situated on a spit of land in one of Iceland's most scenic fjords, Dýrafjörður. Like in most other seaside villages in Iceland, the culture and industry has been shaped by the sea throughout the centuries. Þingeyri provides various services to the surrounding countryside as well as to its visitors; a small shop, post office, bank and a swimming pool at the local sports hall .
Simbahöllin is a homely café, specializing in Belgian waffles, set in a beautifully renovated old Norwegian house from 1915. Another point of interest is the oldest functioning mechanic workshop in Iceland, established in the year 1913.
One of Iceland's most scenic golf courses is just a stone's throw from Þingeyri, with the Westfjords Alps as a backdrop, including the highest mountain of the peninsula, Kaldbakur (998 metres).
BOLAFJALL
The most popular visiting point in Bolungarvík is the top of Bolafjall Mountain. The place offers a staggering view over Ísafjarðardjúp, Jökulfirðir and some people say all the way to Greenland. To get to Bolafjall mountain you have to drive up the road from Bolungarvík the way to the radar station on the top. The station was built by the Americans but is now controlled by the Icelandic coast guard. The route is open from the middle of june until august september. After a visit to Bolafjall, or even before, We recommend a coffee break and a nice walk at the black sand beach in Skálavík.
Bolungarvík is the northernmost village in the Westfjords, situated on an eponymous cove.
The village has been a fishing port since settlement, so naturally the most popular tourist attraction in Bolungarvík is the Ósvör museum, a fascinating replica of an old fishing outpost. There, the museum curator greets visitors wearing a skin suit similar to the one Icelandic sailors wore in the 19th century. In addition there is a natural history museum in town that hosts an extensive bird and mammal collection, including a polar bear.
Another popular visiting point is the top of Bolafjall Mountain offering a staggering view. There is a road all the way to the top to service the radar station up there. It is open to tourists in the summer months only.
Amenities include a gas station, shops and different types of accommodation, as well as an indoor swimming pool and a sports centre. Just outside the village, there is a nine hole golf course.
DRANGAJOKULL
Drangajökull is the only glacier in the Westfjords. It is the only glacier inIcelandwhose altitude in entirely below 1,000 metres. In addition to this, it is the only glacier inIcelandwhich is not in retreat (i.e. getting smaller). Drangajökull lies north of the Strandir region and south of the Hornstrandir nature reserve. Kaldalón, meanwhile, is a short fjord into which the glacier calves. The name literally means 'cold lagoon' and it is totally magical. It could be thought of as the Jökulsárlón of the Westfjords - although it is starkly different and visiting is a much more personal experience.
Hólmavík is the largest town in the Strandir region, an area with an exciting and tragic history of witchcraft, witch-hunting and sorcery. Inhabitants in the countryside surrounding Hólmavík live mostly on sheep farming, while economic activity in town revolves around the fisheries and the service sector.
The Museum of Sorcery & Witchcraft takes visitors on a tour into the mystical world of the supernatural. The history of witch-hunting in 17th century Iceland is presented at the exhibition as well as various aspects of magic from more recent sources. A second part of the exhibition is in Bjarnarfjörður, 30 kilometres from Hólmavík. Next to Hólmavík there is also the Sheep Farming Museum, an entertaining exhibition dedicated to the Icelandic sheep and sheep farming.
Visitors will find all basic amenities, and more, in Hólmavík. Accommodation of various kind, a camping ground, restaurants, a newly built swimming pool and a good Tourist Information Center that serves the hole area. A golf course and a horse rental can be found just outside the town.
Drangsnes is a fishing village, pure and simple. Conveniently located near the fishing grounds, it thrives in its minimalistic ways. In fact, the entrepreneur who runs the local restaurant and one of the guesthouses is a fisherman. He also runs the boat tours to Grímsey. Grímsey island, supposedly formed by a giant trying to dig the Westfjords apart from the rest of Iceland, is the biggest attraction in Drangsnes. The boat ride is only 10 minutes across. Grímsey boasts a rich bird life of puffins, fulmars and an interesting side story of fox farming.
It does not come as a surprise that in this small hamlet, the camping place is just by the municipality's office building, as synergy is always important in small villages. Lastly: although the new swimming pool in town is of top notch quality, the blend-in-with-the-locals way of bathing would be to dip into the small hot pools at the shore.
