Svarfaðardalur valley in North Iceland is one such valley, which is well worth a visit, as here you will find beautiful little churches, one of the turf houses left in Iceland, Laug Bakkabræðra - the Pool of the Brothers at Bakki, the Svarfaðardalur Nature Reserve, and much more.
Top photo: An Icelandic horse on a bright summer night in Svarfaðardalur
The Svarfaðardalur Nature Reserve
Tjarnartjörn pond
We stayed at the Húsabakki guesthouse for the night.
My husband had performed at the Hríseyjarhátíð festival on Hrísey island, the Pearl of Eyjafjörður, and we wanted to extend our stay in this beautiful area.
You can book a room at Húsabakki here: Húsabakki guesthouse.
And I was eager to check out Friðland Svarfdæla - the Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary of Svarfaðardalur on this bright summer night when Icelandic flora and fauna become alive.
The Nature Reserve is right outside Húsabakki, and there used to be a bird exhibition at the hotel, which is closed now.
A phalarope (óðinshani) in the nature reserve
The Svarfaðardalur Nature Reserve covers approximately. 8 sq. km. on both sides of the Svarfaðardalur valley from Húsabakki and extends the whole way to the sea in Dalvík town.
The Nature Reserve is Iceland's oldest wetland protection area, established in 1972 by some of the landowners in Svarfaðardalur and the Nature Conservation Council.
They wanted to protect the valley's unique ecosystem, and I am grateful for their foresight, as it is ever so lovely visiting the bird sanctuary.
A godwit (jaðrakan) in the Nature Reserve
At the bird sanctuary, you will find a myriad of migratory birds, and more than 30 bird species nest in this area.
They arrive in Iceland in April and nest here, raise their chicks, and leave in late August.
We Icelanders always get sentimental when the migratory birds start arriving, and we hear them singing after a long, dark winter. It is truly music to our ears, and many an Icelandic poet has written beautiful poems about the migratory birds.
Information signs on the educational trail
I followed a trail from Húsabakki to the Nature Reserve, passed the campsite, and in 2 minutes I was in this beautiful area, with birds singing and horses playing.
Along the educational path, you can read up on different bird species that nest in the Nature Reserve.
The bird-watching hide by Tjarnartjörn pond
I visited the bird-watching hide, but the birds were not at ease with me being there and started shrieking.
A beautiful godwit followed me and sat on top of the bird-watching hide.
The godwit is especially loud in this respect, and it won't stop shrieking until you leave. Cute as it is, it is impossible to be around it during the nesting season.
The loud godwit in the nature reserve
I didn't want to scare it, so I ventured out on the floating bridge where the path floated on barrels on the reed pond.
I soon realized it was a mistake, as the bridge vibrated while I was walking on the pond, and in some places I was literally walking on and in the water.
When the Arctic tern started attacking me in the middle of the path, I returned rather than falling into the pond with my two cameras.
The floating bridge
The Arctic tern seems to have it in for me and attacks me even when I am nowhere close to its nest.
This cranky bird has attacked me all over Iceland, which is why I always carry an umbrella to fend it off and protect my head.
It always attacks the highest point, so holding an umbrella or a stick above your head will protect you.
This time around, I forgot the umbrella and the wellies in the trunk of the car. So I turned back from the floating bridge.
A phalarope (óðinshani) in the nature reserve
I wanted to see the whole area, but it was not necessary. Just being in one place and taking in the beauty was enough.
The weather was completely still, and the surrounding snow-filled mountains reflected in the water, creating a beautiful sight.
When the midnight sun was about to set, it cast a pink hue on the mountains, which reflected in the still ponds.
The snowy mountains reflected in the ponds
I spent a couple of hours outside with the birds and the horses, which were happily playing on this bright summer night.
When I am travelling in Iceland during the summertime, I get very little sleep as I don't want to miss out on this magical time in my country.
We never get used to the bright nights; they always bring magic into our lives after the dark winter.
Horses were playing in the nature reserve
While standing there, I thought to myself that this was perfection, that nothing could beat the beauty of this moment.
I wanted to stay outside all night, but had to return to Húsabakki, where my husband was waiting.
Mt. Stóllinn in Svarfaðardalur
Svarfaðardalur Valley, as lovely and serene as it is today with its friendly farms and beautiful little churches, has not always been this peaceful, though.
Here, Svarfdæla saga - the Saga of the people of Svarfaðardalur Valley, took place with endless fights between the Vikings who settled on one bank of the Svarfaðardalsá river, and the settlers on the opposite bank of the river.
Returning to Húsabakki only took a couple of minutes
Svarfdæla is an amazing saga that is well worth reading before you visit this valley, as you will see it in a totally different light afterward.
Húsabakki guesthouse
Húsabakki
Húsabakki is an old boarding school that operated from 1955 to 2004. From 1997 to 2009, a drama school was held at Húsabakki in the summertime.
Now it is a guesthouse, and there is a camping site next to it.
Boarding schools often change their role, serving as hotels in the summertime.
I love staying in boarding schools as they remind me of the time I was travelling with my parents around Iceland :)
Our room in Húsabakki
I found them on Booking and booked a room the night before our stay. Now you can book a room at Húsabakki guesthouse here on Guide to Iceland.
When we arrived at Húsabakki, we saw a note in the front door window saying the proprietors had popped over to Akureyri and that the key was in an envelope inside.
New proprietors had just taken over the business and reopened after renovation. And it seemed that we were the only guests at the whole Húsabakki hotel after it reopened.
So we just wandered around and took a look at all the available rooms.
The view from our room at Húsabakki was of the nature reserve
We were given a room with two beds, but since we were the only people staying there, I asked for an upgrade to a bigger room with a twin bed.
The view from our window of the nature reserve was heavenly.
The proprietors were very helpful and invited us to prepare our dinner in the breakfast area with them on the ground floor. And they asked us to have breakfast with them the morning after our stay.
Having breakfast with the proprietors of Húsabakki
They also showed us the way to Fótlaug Bakkabræðra, the Footbath of the brothers at Bakki, which is a warm footbath in the mountain above Húsabakki.
We had been searching for the path to that footbath on the previous day, but couldn't find it. I show you our hike up to that warm footpath in my next travel blog: The Warm Footbath of the Bakkabræður brothers in Svarfaðardalur Valley.
From the warm footbath, there is a fantastic view of the valley.
The view from the footbath
After visiting the footbath, we visited the beautiful churches in the Svarfaðardalur valley, about which I have also written another travel blog.
We had such a wonderful stay in this historic valley. Here is the location of Húsabakki and the Nature Reserve of Svarfaðardalur on Google Maps.
Have a lovely time in Svarfaðardalur valley :)
