Hvanneyri

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.

Longufjorur is a light sandy beach on the south shore of Snaefellsnes peninsula. This beach is perfect for horseriding with a guide.

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.

An impressive wall of beautiful basalt columns, forming geometric patterns in the cliffs.

The largest of three craters in a short volcanic fissure.

Beautiful scenery over Borgarfjordur is from the top of the Grabrok crater. Mt. Grabrok can be ascended by a marked trail from the main Ring road no. 1.

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.

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.

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 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.

Baula is a volcanic mountain of a very special pyramidic form. It measures 934 m in height. The mountain is a 3 million years old intrusion, consisting of liparit stone.

For people in good shape, it is well possible to hike up on the mountain from Bjarnardalur, road number 60. But its sides are very steep and there are big and loose stones on the way. On the other hand, the view of the top is very rewarding and you can write into a guestbook there.

At the farm Olkelda, near Stadarstadur, in the south of Snaefellsnes, there is a mineral spring with carbonated water.

Mineral springs are said to have healing properties, so feel free to take a sip.

The farmhouse is named Olkelda which means mineral spring in Icelandic.

A beautifully-formed crater rising 60m above the surrounding lava.

The spatter cone is the largest crater along a short volcanic rift, 200 m in diameter and 50 m deep. Its last eruption was about 5000-6000 years ago. According to medieval chronics there was also one around the time of the colonisation of Iceland about 1000 years ago, but today it is known that it came from another of the many craters of the valley Hnappadalur which are part of the volcanic system Ljosufjoll, the mountains of the light.

It is easiest to approach Eldborg from Snorrastadir on its southern side, walking 2,5 km through the shrub-covered lava field. It is possible to walk all the way around the crater as well as up it.

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.