Iceland review - 2015, Side 38

36 ICELAND REVIEW
PHOTOS BY ÁSLAUG SNORRADÓTTIR.
HERITAGE PRESERVED
I’m just making the finishing touches,”
says Hilmar Sölvason as he gives the
red wooden railing of the Staðarkirkja
church steps another coat of paint. The
white and red corrugated iron-clad build-
ing sits overlooking Staðarvatn lake, just
inland from Aðalvík bay in the remote
and long-abandoned West Fjords area of
Hornstrandir, in Iceland’s far northwest.
I’ve traveled to Aðalvík with photogra-
pher Áslaug Snorradóttir and Ingveldur
Ólafsdóttir, whose forefathers lived in
Aðalvík, to learn more about the history of
the region and meet the people who spend
their summers here.
Abandoned more than 60 years ago, the pristine Hornstrandir peninsula is today
home to several summerhouse communities. Zoë Robert travels to meet the
descendants of some of the people who once called the area home.
REMOTE OUTPOST
Hilmar and ten others of the roughly
500-member-strong Regional Society of
Slétta Rural District have been in Aðalvík
for the past week. They’ve come together
during the second week of July to paint
the church and nearby priest’s house, today
used as a community hall. Like everyone
else here, 79-year-old Hilmar has deep
roots in Hornstrandir. He was born in
the Aðalvík hamlet of Efri-Miðvík, further
north, where he lived until age nine. Since
then he’s been returning with his family in
the summer.
Located at the northernmost part of the
West Fjords and accessible only by boat or
by foot—several days’ walk from the closest
inhabited areas—Hornstrandir is one of the
most remote parts of Iceland. The terrain is
characterized by craggy mountains, reach-
ing just over 700 meters, and sea cliffs of up
to 534 meters, which are home to diverse
birdlife. Arctic foxes, whales and seals are
also found in and around the peninsula.
Angelica grows abundantly
in Hornstrandir.