November 23, 2024

The Village Below The Icelandic Alps

The village of Thingeyri is 48 kilometers from Isafjordur and a part of the township of Isafjordur. Thingeyri is in Dyrafjordur, a fjord seen by many as one of the most beautiful fjords in the Westfjords. The mountains above the village are sometimes referred to as the “Icelandic Alps” due to their shape so unlike other mountains of the Westfjords that are usually flat on top. One of the mountains in the “Icelandic Alps” is Kaldbakur, the highest mountain in the Westfjords 995 m.

The economy of Thingeyri like most of the Westfjords is dependent on fishing and related industries. A project based on the history of the Vikings is ongoing in Thingeyri. The local people have designed an area where the Viking theme is prevalent. This project aims that in the future visitors will enjoy the sagas, music and food of the Vikings. 

About 20 years ago, one of the local men decided to build a road from Dyrafjordur to Arnarfjordur, called the road to Svalvogar. This road is one of the most terrifyingly beautiful places you can drive. It is only possible to drive the road when the tide is low. In some parts of the road, the mountain is literally above you, in other parts,  the road is simply the rocks on the shore.

Changes are in the air for Thingeyri as a new tunnel connecting the north and south part of the Westfjords will be built in the next few years. It will open for traffic in 2020. The tunnel along with road construction on Dynjandi pass will create an all year connection which has not been available. This will put Thingeyri in the middle of the Westfjords and who knows what opportunities that might bring.