The Rough Guide to Iceland (Travel Guide eBook) by Rough Guides

Author:Rough Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Iceland
Publisher: Apa Publications
Published: 2019-03-04T10:10:15+00:00

Við Hafið Ólafsbraut 55 436 1166, [email protected]. A good-value guesthouse, right above the vínbúð in the centre of Ólafsvík. The interior is decorated throughout in pine and there’s dorm accommodation in bunk beds as well as regular double rooms. Guests have access to a kitchen, too, for self-catering. Dorms 5400kr, doubles kr 16,300kr

Hellissandur

From Ólafsvík, Route 574 continues west past the dramatic Harðikambur black-sand beach on its way towards the minuscule fishing hamlet of Rif, really nothing more than a well-protected harbour and a few fish-processing plants. Some 2km further on, its marginally bigger neighbour, HELLISSANDUR, known locally as just Sandur, is the westernmost settlement on Snæfellsnes and home to most of the fishermen from nearby Rif. It’s also the terminus for buses from Reykjavík and the starting point and terminus of the clockwise summer service around the peninsula’s tip. There’s very little to do in Hellissandur other than to pay a quick visit to the Sjómannagarður museum, though the village makes a good base from which to tackle the various hikes around western Snæfellsnes.

Sjómannagarður

June–Sept daily 10am–5pm • 1300kr

Beside the main road, Útnesvegur, two old fishermen’s cottages, complete with turf roofs, make up the Sjómannagarður (Maritime Museum). The larger of the two buildings holds an assortment of elderly fishing equipment and the oldest rowing boat in Iceland, dating from 1826.

Western Europe’s tallest structure

Just two kilometres west of Hellisandur, at a spot known as Gufuskálar, you’ll come across a huge radio mast, anchored down at five levels by wire cables against the brute force of Atlantic storms. At 412m in height, the mast is the tallest structure in the whole of western Europe and is over 100m taller than both London’s Shard and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Originally built in 1963 as part of the now defunct LOPRAN navigation system for aircraft and shipping, the mast now transmits the booming 189kHz long-wave signal for Icelandic national radio, including detailed shipping forecasts which are a lifeline for the many fishing vessels off the Icelandic west coast. Indeed, such is the power radiated from the mast that a fluorescent light bulb will light up if held close to it, and radio reception in nearby Hellissandur is all but nonexistent due to the interference the mast produces. If you’re here in windy weather (likely), you’ll witness the top of the mast swaying by up to 7m – quite a sight.

Arrival and information Hellissandur

By bus Buses arrive at, and depart from, the car park at Hótel Hellissandur.

Destinations Arnarstapi (1 daily; 40min); Grundarfjörður (2 daily; 40min); Ólafsvík (2 daily; 15min); Stykkishólmur (2 daily; 1hr 15min).

Services Hellissandur’s skeletal facilities – most usefully an ATM and fuel station – are located along the main road, Klettsbúð.

Accommodation AND EATING

Campsite Sandahraun 433 6929. Hellissandur’s grassy campsite is beautifully located by an open meadow on the eastern edge of the village, and has a service building with hot water and showers. May to Sept. 1500kr

Freezer Hostel Hafnargata 16, Rif 833 8200 thefreezerhostel.com. Housed in a former fish factory in Rif, next to Hellissandur, this place is both hostel and theatre, admittedly a curious mix, but somehow it works.

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