Skemman Café

Church built in 1957 as a tribute to the 17th-century hymn writer Hallgrimur Petursson, one of Iceland's best-loved poets.

Hallgrimur Petursson served at Saurbaer 1651-1669, a poor leprous pastor who composed Iceland's most widely known religious work, 50 Passion Hymns. Reykjavik's Hallgrimskirkja church is also named after him.

Hallgrimur was married to a woman who had been abducted from the Westman Islands by Algerian pirates and bought free again.

The church contains beautiful stained glass work by one of the first widely known Icelandic woman artist Gerdur Helgadóttir.

Stálpastaðir, the farm is abandoned but there are many birch-bushes. Haukur Thors gave the land to the Forestry Service in 1951, since when it has been protected and used for the rather successful cultivation of evergreens.

In the heart of Borgarnes is Skallagrímsgarður, a small public park which is ideal for a picnic. The park plays an important role in Egil's Saga, as the burial mound of Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, Egil's father, is situated there. It is a good idea to relax in Skallagrímsgarður after a visit to Borgarnes swimming pool which is next to the park.

Originally the home of Skalla-Grimur, father of Egill, hero of Egil´s Saga. Its full name means "rock in the marshes".

The farmstead was defined by Kveld-Ulfur, Egill Skalla-Grimsson's grandfather, who got on the wrong side of King Harald Fairhair of Norway and fled to Iceland.

As they approached Iceland on their way from Norway, Kveld-Ulfur became ill and knew he would die. He instructed his son to make a coffin for him, place his body in it and throw it overboard. The son was to select the site for the family farm where the coffin washed ashore. This happened to be at Borg, where Egill's father settled and raised his family.

Today you can see a small church, the large rock that gave the place its name and an interesting sculpture at Borg by Asmundur Sveinsson commemorating Egil´s poem, Loss of a Son. A thoughtful reflection on the emptiness he felt after his son's death.

One of the men of saga hero Egill Skallagrímsson founded the rich farm of Hvanneyri at the time of settlement.

In today's village you may find the Agricultural University of Iceland which is very engaged in the protection of the environment.

Hvanneyri is also the siege of the Icelandic museum for Agriculture and Ullarselið, a wool shop.

In the springtime and autumn a lot of White-fronted Goose stay around the village, they are under protection in the area.

The Glanni Waterfall on the Norðurá River is said to be the dwelling place of elves and trolls. However, during our visit, we noticed that this waterfall was situated near a golf course nearby an old lava flow (called the Grábrókarhraun lava field) and the hamlet of Bifröst. The falls was one of those wide river-type waterfalls that we saw quite a few of in the country, but this one segmented into at least three side-by-side drops as well as each one having multiple tiers.

Skessu­horn (967 m) is a particularly impressive and outstanding peak when the range is viewed from the north. Skessu­horn is located in Borgarfjörður it takes 5-6 hours to hike the mountain and you will need good equipment.

The mountain Hafnarfjall near Borgarnes is part of the same extinguished central volcano as Skardsheidi and is also about 4 million years old.

The mountain is 844 m in height and its sides are rather eroded. Most of the mountain consists of basalt, but on the north side there is a small crag, which is made of granofyr. The name "flatfish" indicates its form. Let the children discover it!

On the foot of the mountain is a small forest of birch trees where the authorities of Iceland practice reforestation. It is possible to hike up the mountain beginning near the bridge over the fjord at Borgarnes.

The Troll Waterfalls of the Grimsa river. There is a clear formation in the form of a troll face in the cliff by the river bank.

Take the troll walk and learn about trolls, folk tales and places that connect to the nature and scenery at Fossatun.

An extraordinary view and good spot to see the Skessuhorn mountain peak. Excellent for witnessing jumping salmon in the summer.

Paradise Hollow is a beautiful small oasis near the impressive waterfall Glanni.

There is a walking path from the car park to Paradise Hollow and the waterfall. A viewing deck offers a good view of the Glanni waterfall.

A coffee shop is open during the summer months.

In the sports stadium, you will find both an outside and an inside swimming pool, hot tubs, a steam bath which is fed with steam straight from the Deildartunguhver hot spring, a children's pool and water slides. All in all, an excellent health spa.

Deildartunguhver highest flow hot spring in Europe !
Deildartunguhver is Europe's most powerful hot spring. It provides 180 l/sec of 100°C hot water.
Most of the water used for central heating in the towns of Borgarnes and Akranes is taken from Deildartunguhver. The hot water pipeline to Akranes is 64 km long, the longest in Iceland and the water is about 78 - 80 degrees when it reaches Akranes. If you take a shower anywhere within a 65 km radius of the spring, you have already bathed in the hot water from this powerful spring!

Brakarey is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island was named after Egill's nanny and Skalla-Grimur´s slave Thorgerdur brak, after Skalla-Grimur killed her and she drowned in the sea near it. From the island is a great view over Borgarfjord.

During the Sturlung Age 1220 - 1264, a company of men led by Svarthofdi Dufguson, a follower of Sturla Sighvatsson used the island Geirsholmi as a base for raiding the surrounding countryside.

The tourist service at Bjarteyjarsandur nearby offers storytelling trips about Geirsholmi.

Einkunnir is a 270 ha country park, protected for recreational use and the preservation of the typical landscape of the area. The areas' main characteristics are its rocky islands or bluffs that rise from the areas' vast flat wetlands.

Please follow the marked trails whenever possible. Do not drive off-road, damage geological formations or vegetation. Do not disturb the wildlife or light fires in vegetated areas. Please take your litter with you when you leave.

A goblet-shaped rock and popular resting place for tourists. Close to Hvammsvik on the old national road around Whale Fjord.

An elf by the name of Staupa-Steinn has his home in this rock. Not everyone can see him. He is described as having long hair, a beard and being a kind, gentle man who loves to play ball with children who are picnicking in the area.

Beautiful view. Protected since 1974.

The Troll Books and the Troll and Folktale Walks

When the host in Fossatún, Steinar Berg, first arrived Fossatún, he found a rock with the shape of a troll's face by the Troll Waterfalls. This inspired him to write folk stories about trolls. His books have been well received and successful in Iceland. The book Tryggdatröll (The Last Troll) is available in 6 languages apart from Icelandic: English, French, German, Norwegian, Japanese and Spanish. The book is illustrated by Brian Pilkington.

The Troll Walk and the Folktale Walk.

The walks are connected with the books. The Troll walk is a short walk viewing The Troll Waterfalls and the scenery and background of The Last Troll story - and you learn about trolls on the way. The Folktale Walk is a new walk, extension of the Troll Walk, that will be set up in April/May 2018. It is based on the Trunt, Trunt book and you learn about folktales and locations in the West Region of Iceland. In addition you enjoy a wonderful panorama view of the Borgarfjördur area and mountain circle.

Bjossarolo is a playground for children in Borgarnes, not far from Edduveröld or the Settlement Centre .

It was constructed by Bjorn Gudmundsson, a man who was ahead of his time and thought about recycling. He used exclusively things that had been thrown away to build up this special place. At the playground there are for example swings, slides, an old boat, a castle and a lot more in a hollow enclosed by rocks not far from the sea.

And on going there you could look for shells or nice stones on the beach. The small, but very pretty park Skallagrimsgardur is not far away. There you can even find the grave of a saga hero!

Whale Fjord (Hvalfjord) is 30km long and 84m deep.

Whale Fjord was the site of much British and US military activity during World War II. Some ruins from this period can still be seen in the fjord.