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Interesting places

Places of interest in the Municipality of Ölfus

The municipality of Ölfus is the westernmost in Árnessýsla. Its total size is about 750 square kilometers and the population is about 2,000. The main industries are fishing / aquaculture and processing, tourism, trade and services, agriculture and industry. In Ölfus there are many good riding routes, as there is a lot of horse breeding and horse riding in the municipality.

The urban area of the municipality is Þorlákshöfn with over 1,600 inhabitants. The name is derived from Þorlákur Helga Skálholtsbiskupi (1133-1193) and tells two stories about the origin of the name. Another story says that the place got its name after Bishop Þorlákur landed there when he came from the episcopate in 1178. The other story says that the owner of the land called Þorlák to help him at sea and then gave Skálholt the land. It is believed that the land was previously called Elliðahöfn.

Exploration began early from Þorlákshöfn. While fishing on year-round ships, it was not uncommon for 20-30 ships to row from Þorlákshöfn, so the population has been around 3-400 during the season. The current urban area was formed around the middle of the last century following the development of a powerful fishing company under the auspices of Meitil hf. There was also a large increase in population in the 1980s after the eruption on Heimaey.

The municipality’s logo contains dolos, a stone that was used in the harbor as a sea defense. It was Eric Merrifield, a harbor engineer in East London, South Africa, who designed the dolos in 1963, as a good solution for use in sea defenses where the rocks bend together. The shape of the stone comes from the language of the Búans, but they call the poop in the leg of a dolos. Each stone weighs 9.3 tons. There are many interesting places in Ölfus and here you can find more information about them.

Hiking trails in Ölfus

The landscape in Ölfus is very diverse, which makes it ideal for outdoor activities. There are many hiking trails, whether it is in the mountains by the Hengill area, in the lava field, on the beach or the rock by the sea, everyone should be able to find a suitable route.
Below are some fun suggestions:

Reykjadalur and the Hengill area
The Reykjadalur and Hengill area is the most popular hiking and outdoor area in Ölfus.
There you can find about 125 km of hiking trails in different levels of difficulty.
Orkuveita Reykjavíkur has established hiking trails in the area .

Eldborgir by Lambafell
Eldborgir by Lambafell is a hiking trail that lies behind Lambafell to Bljáfjöll is often called Bláfjallaleið. Orkuveita Reykjavíkur has marked the route, which is 15.5 km long.

Litli Meitill and Stóri Meitill
Litli Meitill (467 m) and Stóri Meitill (521 m) are located in Þrengslan. The car park is located by the memory of Litla-Meitil and from there you can walk up Litla Meitil and over to Stóra Meitil.
You can also walk from Hveradölar to Stóra Meitil, go around the crater and the same way back. The route is about 9-10 km.

Eldborgir under Meitlar
We stop at Little Meitil’s memory and walk along the mountain into the valley to Eldborgir.

Geitafell
Geitafell (509 m) is opposite Litla Meitli in Þrengslan. We walk along Sandfell to Geitafell and from there walk up to the right side of the mountain. The ascent is 300m, is about 10 km and takes 4-5 hours.
It is also possible to walk the circle around Geitafell and the walk takes about 4 hours and is 11.5 km long.

Selvogur – Þorlákshöfn
The walking route from Selvogur to Þorlákshöfn is about 15 km. Unique cliffs and sea views characterize the trail. It is beautiful to walk on the rock along the sea, but take great care not to go too close.

Hafnarnes
Hafnarnes is an outdoor recreation area south of the settlement in Þorlákshöfn. Surfing champions come to spray themselves on the waves there, but many consider this the best area for surfing in Iceland. Utsýnisskífa is located right by Hafnarnesvita and from there there is a panoramic view of the mountains around such as Ingólfsfjall, Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull. On a good day you can also look over to the Westman Islands. Hafnarnesviti was built in 1951 and its light height is 11 meters above sea level. The lighthouse is not open to the public, but all around the lighthouse are magnificent cliffs that are fun to walk on and admire the waves.

Skötubót
The beach east of the settlement in Þorlákshöfn is commonly called Skötubót. Skötubótin is a fun place for outdoor activities, young and old enjoy walking and playing in this beautiful black sand beach that stretches from Þorlákshöfn to the mouths of Ölfusá.

Jósepsdalur
Jósepsdalur is a popular outdoor recreation area for extreme sports, but it is fun to walk into the valley. There are several rocks in the valley, both on the plains and on the slopes that are popular for rock climbing.

Ingólfsfjall
Ingólfsfjall (551 m) is located in Ölfus and is a popular outdoor recreation area. There are many hiking trails up the mountain and one of them is at Alviðra by Sogið. The car is parked at Alviðra and from there you walk up to Ingólfsfjall. The path is steep and a bit steep. Ferðamálafélag Ölfuss has organized hiking trails in the summer and further information can be found on the Ölfuss event calendar