Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.07.2015, Síða 38

38 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10 — 2015TRAVEL
How to get there: Fly to Egilsstaðir, find a car and explore Eastfjords
One place to experience such remote-
ness is the Eastfjords. We start our east-
ern Iceland road trip after a one-hour
plane hop from Reykjavík to the town of
Egilsstaðir, which acts as a local trans-
port hub. Heading south on the Route
One ring road, we’re soon whizzing away
from the airport through the verdant
farmland that lies along the banks of the
Lagarfljót river, set against a foggy back-
drop of waterfall-strewn, snow-capped
mountains.
Just 45 km south of Egilsstaðir is Öxi,
a scenic pass that cuts over the moun-
tains into Berufjörður. In the winter, this
20 km dirt track is often impassable
under heavy snow, but during the sum-
mer months it’s a spectacular drive. As
the road winds upwards, the character
of the eastern mountains comes into
sharper view—compared to the flat-
topped plateaus of the west, the old east
seems to be slumping seawards under
its own weight. As Öxi descends into
Berufjörður, the horizontal lines in the
sedimentary rock turn into breathtak-
ing diagonals as the mountains collapse
slowly into the ocean.
Home away from home
Our destination for the night is Berunes,
a family-run former farm on 100 hect-
ares of coastal land that became a dedi-
cated hostelry in 2008. Berunes often
hits its sixty-guest maximum during
the summer, housing visitors in several
buildings, including the well preserved
early-1900s “old house,” a recently com-
pleted barn conversion, and some small
private cabins.
Þórir Ólafsson grew up on Berunes
when it was a working farm. It’s still
run by his parents, now in their 70s—
in fact, his mother’s side of the family
have lived there since the 1800s. “We
are told Berunes was the first Icelandic
farm to become a hostel, in 1973,” he
says, between checking in new arriv-
als and helping guests with their travel
plans. “The story my father Ólafur told
me is that they were talking about build-
ing a new house for the family, and also
thinking about preserving the old house,
which is in great condition for its age.
Around that time, a senator dropped
by, and said: ‘In a few years, we’ll have
a complete ring road around Iceland,
so you’ll be getting backpackers in
this area. Maybe you could use the old
Words and Photos John Rogers
Without fail, a drive across Iceland delivers a sharp shift
in perspective from life in more populous places. In fact,
one of the oft remarked-upon characteristics of a road
trip through the Icelandic countryside is just how small it
makes the visitor feel. Small, sparse roads weave through
endless sweeping valleys, huge mountain ranges, mossy
lava plains, lush fields, snowy wasteland and barren des-
ert, changing regularly and without ceremony. Farms and
houses are tiny specks of colour in vast tracts of virtually
untouched nature. Far from the intensity of urban life, Ice-
land’s wilderness reaches a sensory crescendo that can
be overwhelming.
Go East!
Off the beaten track, the Eastfjords are home
to wild landscapes and wilder imaginations
ÞÓRSHÖFN
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
GRÍMSEY
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK