Eyjafjörður is a fjord in North Iceland, over 70 kilometres (47 miles) in length from the mouth to the bottom of the fjord.
Features of Eyjafjörður
There are high mountains on both sides, the highest being Kerling at 1538 metres (5046 feet).
The capital of the North, Akureyri (ca. 18,000 inhabitants), lies at the bottom of the fjord. There is a wealth of culture in the town, with many museums, galleries, and the world’s northernmost botanical gardens.
Five smaller fishing villages scatter the shores, and there are many farms inland. Agriculture, fisheries and tourism are the driving industries of the fjord’s economy.
Wildlife in Eyjafjörður
Eyjafjörður has a wealth of wildlife due to its fertile waters. As such, it is one of the best places in the country for whale watching and puffin watching.
Throughout summer, whale-watching tour operators often boast one hundred percent sightseeing rates. The most common species are Humpbacks, White Beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises, but Orcas, Blue and Fin Whales are often spotted too.
Puffins nest on the islands of Eyjafjörður throughout the summer months, and many boat tours go out to see them shuffling on the rocks, flying overhead and fishing in the waters.
Wikimedia, Creative Commons, Photo by Smiley.toerist
Hrísey is an island in the fjord Eyjafjörður of north Iceland of around 200 people.
Widely hailed as 'The Pearl of Eyjafjörður', the beauty and tranquility of Hrísey, along with its interesting history and culture, the hospitality of the locals, its rich birdlife and its fantastic views, have made the island an essential stop for travellers.
History & Culture
Hrísey has been inhabited since the age of settlement and is mentioned as early as in Landnámabók and the Saga of Víga-Glúms.
From early on, fishing and trade from the island was the lifeblood of the economy, and in the 19th century, Norwegians and Swedes set up a herring salting factory here, providing more work. The locals soon followed suit and developed their own herring industry, reaching its greatest heights between 1930 and 1950.
Overfishing in Icelandic waters led to a steep decline in the fishing industry in the 1960s, and the last fish freezing plant on Hrísey, owned by the Eyjafjörður Co-operative Society, closed in 1999. Today, the locals have diversified their economy and make their living through fishing and tourism.
Among the many beautiful houses in Hrísey is the house of Shark-Jorundur, built in 1885-6, which features an exhibition on shark hunting in Iceland, which reached its peak in the 19th century. This was an industry that was extremely hazardous and claimed many lives but could be highly profitable, as shark liver oil was used for street lighting until petrol took over.
At the house of Alda Halldórsdóttir, built in 1913, there is a regional museum. An old fishing station has been turned into a handworks gallery, showcasing handicrafts such as knitting products, handmade candles, paintings, artefacts made from seashells, souvenirs and more.
Nature lovers should also check out the birdhouse and the lighthouse, which offers a fantastic view of the area.
Nature
Wikimedia, Creative Commons, Photo by Dreizung
The island itself is around seven kilometres (four miles) long and 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) wide, and rather flat, only 110 meters (361 feet) above sea level at its highest. The island is comprised of basalt and its upper lair of moraine (which is glacier debris, soil and rock) and it is well vegetated. Among the many plants found on the island are wooly willow, tea-leaved willow, common juniper and dwarf birch.
There is a geothermal heat and hot water supply on the island, and at the seashore there’s a pool with a heat of 60°C. It becomes submerged with sea water during flood.
As noted, the island is a haven for birds and more than 40 species may be found here. Most abundant are ptarmigans, but Hrísey also has the largest breeding colony of arctic terns in Europe and many types of moorland birds live on the island as well.
Transport & Services
To reach the island, you‘ll need to take the ferry Sævar from the village Árskógssandur, on the west coast of Eyjafjörður. The ferry goes hourly in summertime and the journey takes around 20 minutes. A bus goes from Akureyri to the village. The drive takes around 30 minutes.
Hrísey offers good services, and along with the museums, gallery and lighthouse, it has a bank, a restaurant, a shop and a post office. There are also several options for accommodation on the island.
There are also great walking trails around the island, where you can enjoy the peace and beauty of the Pearl of Eyjafjörður.
Lore
According to legend, it was here in the 18th century that a sorcerer conjured one of a horrible and monstrous ghost. It‘s said that the ghost was created by flaying a calf so it dragged its hide by its tail, and was given the elements of man, cat, dog, air, bird, mouse and two sea creatures so that it was being able to take on all these forms.
Other accounts claim that the monster came to be as the sorcerer placed a dog‘s leg inside the head of a flayed calf and recited evil poetry over it.
The ghost was first conjured to haunt a woman who had spurned the sorcerer in love. It would then grow ever stronger and harder to contain, until the sorcerer could no longer control it.
It is said to have followed its creator’s family for long after, and some claim it haunts the descendants to this day.
Hjalteyri is a community of around 40 people, located on the western shores of Eyjafjordur in North Iceland. Until the early 20th century it was one of the centers for the herring industry in Iceland.
History & economy
Norwegians started salting herring in the area around 1880 and the village became was confirmed by law as a trading post in 1897. Swedes, Scots and Germans would fish there in the following years but all foreigners had left by 1914.
The Icelandic fishing company Kveldulfur was active there from 1914 and in 1937 built the largest herring factory in Europe at Hjalteyri, which ran until 1966. The company also built many of the beautiful residential buildings that still stand in the village, such as the house of Thor Jensen, the founder of the company, and Asgardur, where the head of the factory lived.
The herring disappeared from the fishing grounds in the 1960s and Kveldulfur thus left as well. Fishing from small boats increased.Today, Hjalteyri boasts a strong harbour and fishing, the drying of fishheads and aquaculture are the mainstay of the economy.
Sights, services & accomodation
Along with the beautiful buildings at Hjalteyri, we recommend visiting the old herring factory, which now functions as a culture center for the community, with an active art and culture program and regular art exhibitions during the early summer months. Also make sure to visit the cozy Café Lisa, which also offers accommodation and opportunites for sea angling.
Last, but not least, it only takes about 5-10 minutes to sail from Hjalteyri to the Strytur underwater geothermal cones, and the Strytan Divecenter indeed operates a base at Hjalteyri, at the old herring factory. At the Strytur you may experience nothing less than one of the greatest dives in the world!
