West IcElanD
Sagaland Hvalfjรถrรฐur akranes borgarfjรถrรฐur snรฆfellsnes
www.westiceland.is
dalir
www.visithvalfjordur.is
hvalfjORÐur
Glymur The highest waterfall in Iceland Hiking trails
Family friendly
Laxá River in Kjós
The pagan and Christian past and present
Sagaland
Hallgrímur Pétursson (16161674) was a priest at Saur bær by Hvalfjörður. One of Iceland’s most important poets, he is best known for his Passion Hymns.
Riding over the old Bláskeggsá River bridge
Experience the wonders of winter in West Iceland Taste
Smell
www.visitakranes.is
akranes
Akrafjall Mountain
History of sailing and fishing
Find your direction
Perfect for a swim
Sagaland
Irish or Scottish monks are said to have settled in Iceland in the 9th century, before the Norsemen arrived. Iceland’s Celtic herit age is still celebrated in Akranes with an annual Irish festival.
Breiðin
Living by the sea
Langisandur
Iceland’s sports capital
www.visitborgarnes.is
borgarfjOrður
Sagaland
Egill Skalla-Grímsson was the Nordic countries’ greatest preChristian poet. His father, SkallaGrímur (Bald Grímur), was the first settler in Borgarfjörður. Egill was wise, but also raving mad, a killer who committed his first murder at the age of seven.
Wool colored by nature
Folktales and trolls
Borgarnes
Find your muse at Húsafell
Sagaland Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241) is the best known Icelandic poet of any era. He was born in Dalir and lived at Borg and Reykholt. You can still see his outdoor bath (and the ancient tunnel leading to it) at Reykholt.
Skorradalur A forestry center
Cultural heritage at Reykholt
And more love
www.visitsnaefellsnes.is
snæfellsnes
Sagaland
Snæfellsjökull glacier A national park Orcas off Grundarfjörður
Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir was the first European woman to give birth to a child in America, just around the year 1000. One of the most widely-travelled woman of her times, she was born on Snæfells nes. Guðríður was a Christian and made a pilgrimage to Rome. Lava fields and West Iceland’s largest caves
Djúpalónssandur
Icelandic men lift heavy rocks to test their strength
The geology of Snæfellsnes is a microcosm of Iceland as a whole and it´s environmental policy is now certified by EarthCheck Volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson at the Volcano Museum
Sanctuary for sea eagles
See and taste shark
Catch of the day in Stykkishólmur
Sagaland
Leifsbúð in Búðardalur
dalir
www.visitdalir.is
Leifur Eiríksson (Leif the Lucky, 9701020) was the son of Eiríkur rauði (Erik the Red) from Haukadalur. Leifur founded the first colony in Greenland. This Nordic explorer is thought to have been the first European to reach North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
The bloom of youth
Rounding up sheep from the hills around Búðardalur
Guðrúnarlaug.
Krosshólaborg
Eiríksstaðir in Haukadalur West Iceland the (Aud Auður – Djúpúðga Minded) led a group cradle of the Sagaland.
the Deepthat sailed from Scotland to settle the Dalir region around 890 AD. Auður was a Christian. She put up crosses on her land and prayed regularly at the hill called Krosshólaborg, where there is now a monument to Auður. Eiríksstaðir in Haukadalur
Farm-fresh produce
Guðrúnarlaug A natural pool in Sælingsdalur
West Iceland is the cradle of Iceland’s sagas
Hraunfossar A lava field turned waterfall All senses awaken in West Iceland SMELL the fresh sea breeze TASTE freshly-caught scallops SEE colourful sunsets TOUCH the soft, ancient moss LISTEN to the sound of silence
Published by: West Iceland Marketing Office Design: Ólafur J. Engilbertsson / Sögumiðlun Editor and photography director: Rósa Björk Halldórsdóttir Photographers: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson, Snævarr Guðmundsson, Friðþjófur Helgason, Pálmi Einarsson, Þórdís Björnsdóttir, Brynjar Ágústsson, Þorkell Þorkelsson, Gígja Einarsdóttir, Björn Anton Einarsson, Olgeir Andrésson, Margrét Halldórsdóttir Saga paintings: Sigurjón Jóhannsson Printing: Litróf-Hagprent Proofreading: Olga Johannesson, Ian Watson
West Iceland Marketing Office www.westiceland.is