Description
Summary
Description
Stand on the Bolafjall Sky Walk high above the North Atlantic and crawl into an old lignite mine on this 4-hour tour from Isafjordur Town in the Westfjords.
From Isafjordur, it's a drive of about 16 miles (25 kilometers) to the top of Bolafjall Mountain, with views of the Westfjords along the way.
At the top, you walk to the edge of the Bolafjall Sky Walk, a steel platform suspended above the cliff, 2,060 feet (628 meters) above sea level. It looks out over Isafjardardjup Fjord, the long inlet that marks the border between inhabited land and the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, which has no roads at all. You see steep cliffs, the open North Atlantic Ocean, and Hornstrandir in the far distance.
A NATO radar station also stands at the summit, scanning the airspace over the Atlantic. It was built by the Americans and is now run by the Icelandic Coast Guard, and you learn about its role.
Next, you drive about 20 minutes to Sydridalur Valley in Bolungarvik and walk on a marked trail to the Gilsnama Lignite Mine. Lignite was mined here from 1917 to 1921, during and just after World War I, and mining stopped when coal from Europe became easier to get after the war.
To get into the mine, you almost have to crawl, but once you're inside, the ceiling gets higher and you can stand upright. Mining equipment, such as hammers and a scale, is still in the mine.
You can have a small lunch on the trail next to the waterfall by the mine. If you like cold-water swimming, the waterfall and river by the mine are good for a swim.
On the way back, you visit the Osvor Maritime Museum, a replica of a 19th-century Icelandic fishing station on the east side of Bolungarvik Town by the sea.
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