Dalvík

Dalvík, a quiet fishing village 42km north of Akureyri, sits snugly on the western shores of Eyjafjörður, overlooking the island of Hrísey. Despite its superbly sheltered location, Dalvík struggled to establish itself as a fishing hub until a new harbour was built in 1939, now the departure point for the ferry to Grímsey. Once a major centre for shipbuilding and fish curing in the early twentieth century, Dalvík has since lost its industrial buzz. Its harbour front, lined with modern homes along Hafnarbraut, stands as a reminder of the devastating 1934 earthquake that wiped out half the village’s buildings.

While most travellers on the Ring Road pass Dalvík by, it’s worth a detour for a taste of small-town Iceland and some of the best whale-watching in the north.

Hiking from Dalvík to Hólar

From Dalvík a long-distance hike, lasting three or four days, leads over the Heljardalsheiði plateau to the episcopal seat at Hólar í Hjaltadal. It threads up through Svarfaðardalsá valley, just south of town, passing the wedge-shaped Stóll, a mountain which divides the valley in two. Continuing southwest past a couple of farms, the route then passes through some of Iceland’s best mountain scenery, heading up over the flat-topped mountains of the Tröllskagi peninsula, which separates Eyjafjörður from its western neighbour, Skagafjörður, heading for Hólar. It should take two or three days to reach this point, but you’ll need another half-day to reach the main road, Route 76, itself reached along Route 767 from here.

From June to September, buses run daily except Saturday along Route 76 between Siglufjörður and Sauðárkrókur.

Byggðasafnið Hvoll

Most people only pitch up in Dalvík en route to Grímsey or to go whale watching, but should you find yourself with time to kill, take a quick look inside the folklore museum, Byggðasafnið Hvoll, one block back from the harbour. Of the four small sections, it’s the collection of photographs and personal belongings of Iceland’s tallest man, Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson, born in nearby Svarfaðardalur valley in 1913, that catches the eye. Measuring a whopping 2.34m in height (7ft 7in), Jóhann the Giant, as he was known locally, spent most of his life performing in circuses in Europe and America before retiring to Dalvík, where he died in 1984.

Top image: Staerri-Arskogskirkja on the road to Dalvik along Eyjafjordur, Iceland © Luigi Morbidelli/Shutterstock