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Outdoor Life to the FullAnyone who loves the outdoors will find all they can wish for in FjallabyggðYou would think that, as you get closerto the North Pole, all you would see issnow and desolation. In winter, possibly—only that just makes the snow sports all themore exciting with awesome ski slopes, skatingand snowmobiles and fishing through the ice.Fjallabyggð is almost as far north as youcan go. You feel like you’re at the end of theworld. Yet here, above Akureyri, the townsof Ólafsfjörður and Sigulfjörður are alivewith activity year round. They merged as onecounty in 2006 and, with the completionof the tunnel linking them that opened in2010, travel became much easier.Lively activities and long daysWith the Spring, everything is completelydifferent. The birds know it and fly in bydroves—followed by the experienced birdwatchers and photographers. The beautifulnature opens up to the hiking community,with a multitude of different hikes marked,with various degrees of difficulty. There is anexcellent map produced by the University ofHólar. The countryside is breathtaking in itsbeauty and is so easily accessible from thetwo towns. It’s a landscape of mountainsand valleys, streams, waterfalls and hiddenmeadows, lakes and black sand beaches,with picturesque vistas at every turn.The longer days make other activities bothpossible and really enjoyable—like takingmidnight sailing trips across the Arctic Circleor whalewatching from Ólafsfjörður. Fishing–whether from the harbour piers, on the lakes, inthe rivers and streams or out on the sea—is alsovery popular. Many visitors like to combinehiking, sailing, fishing or boating trips together,getting the most out of their days.There are two 9-hole golf courses, whereyou can play under the midnight sun andtwo swimming pools, with jacuzzis to relaxin after a day’s hike.There are plenty of different types ofaccomodation and restaurants, fast-food andcafés with live music in both towns to suitevery taste as the people here love to enjoy life.Centre of CultureFjallabyggð has made up for their relativeisolation by investing in cultural activities.There is a rich heritage of award-winningmuseums like the Herring Museum, the FolkSummer Festivals in the Tröllaskagi areaBlue North Music Festival in Ólafsfjörður..........26–30. JuneFolk Music Festival in Siglufjörður............................4–8. JulyHerring Adventure in Siglufjörður........................2–6. AugustBerry Picking Days in Ólafsfjörður .................. 17–19. AugustMusic Centre (with many activities for allages and tastes), the Poetry Museum (whereyou can buy poetry old and new), NaturalHistory Museum (specialising in the birdlifeof the area), Art Museum (with probablythe best private collection in the country)and festivals such as the Music festival inSiglufjörður in the first week of July.Fjallabyggð is a vibrantcommunity in which you willfind a warm welcome.Fjallabyggð–asfGránugata 24 • 580 Siglufjörður+354 464 9100nonewww.fjallabyggd.isAt the Top of the WorldExperience Siglufjörður’s beauty from Hvanneyri GuesthouseMany visitors looking for the realessence of Iceland find it whenvisiting the northerly town of Siglufjörður,the former herring capital of Iceland.The fishing boom eventually ended, butthe people stayed, including the family inHvanneyri Guesthouse. The family patriarchhad, in fact, worked in Siglufjörður’s fishingindustry since he was six years old until thelast fish processing plant closed this year.Hear the SingingThe Guesthouse is located on the mainstreet and is thus within arms’ reach ofthe town’s restaurants, shops and bakery,making it an ideal place to set up baseduring a stay in Tröllaskagi.Accommodation ranges from dorms tolavish suites, something of which Katrín andher family are especially proud–offering eachcustomer a room to fit their taste and budget.Returning FriendsA family-run business, GuesthouseHvanneyri puts special emphasis on friendlyservice. “We feel our customers appreciateAll that breaks the stillness is the song of the birdsIn the early Spring, birds arrive from allparts of the world. They are dressing inthe finery of their summer colours for themating season while the days are growinglonger as summer approaches. The lake is asclear as glass in the stillness of the eveningtwilight, broken only by the birdsong.We are high in the North, on theTröllaskagi Peninsula at the Brimnes Hoteland Bungalows, located on the banks ofthis and many of them keepreturning. In fact, I just received baby giftsfor my newborn from one of our customers.I guess it doesn’t get any more personal thanthat,” says Katrín.A Trip into Icelandic CultureThe town has a lot to offer in itself. The peopleof Siglufjörður are particularly proud of theirmuseums: The Herring Era Museum and theFolk Music Centre, where you can delve intoIceland’s folk music heritage, thanks to Rev.Bjarni Þorsteinsson,a former resident ofSiglufjörður, whodiligently collectedand documentedhundreds of folk songsfrom the year 1880onwards. That’s not tomention the beauty ofthe Tröllaskagi area.Hvanneyri Guesthouse–ASFSuðurgata Adalgata 10 86 • 580 Siglufirði+354 +354 467 1506 1506order@hvanneyri.comhvanneyri@simnet.iswww.hvanneyri.comÓlafsfjörður. It offers 11 double roomswith bath, and 8 Finnish-style log cabins,accommodating 5–6 people each. The selfcontainedholiday cottages are perfect forfamilies or groups and include a lounge,kitchenette, bath, ground-floor bedroom andsleeping loft for the kids, as well as a cosy,private hot-tub on each veranda, where youcan relax over a bottle of wine from the hotel’sextensive wine list. Whether you are relaxingor involved in the exertions of an active sport,the hotel’s restaurant offers everything fromquick snacks to full course meals.Hotel manager, Axel Pétur Ásgeirsson,is always on hand to advise and organisesightseeing and activities in the region:boat trips, trout fishing on the lake, whalewatching,mountain hiking, kayaking,diving, skiing, horse riding, golf, riverrafting, snowmobiling, art exhibitions,museums historical places of interest and,of course, bird watching and more.Brimnes hótel–asfBylgjubyggð 2 • 625 Ólafsfirði+354 466 240092 www.icelandictimes.com www.icelandictimes.com 93hotel@brimnes.iswww.brimnes.is