March 29, 2024

Driving Through The Icelandic Town Borgarnes And Down Memory Lane

Every traveller driving from Reykjavik to the west and north of Iceland or to  the Westfjords will have to drive through the village Borgarnes. And most will only drive through this beautiful village full of history and fond memories.

For many, Borgarnes is first and foremost a stopping place to eat, fill up the car with petrol or charge it with electricity, and then continue without exploring this incredibly beautiful town.

It takes a short time to drive along the main street and all the way over the bridge that crosses into Brákarey. The headland is rocky, but on low tide, mud appears around the headland.

The mud and rocks at Brakarey were often my playground in the old days when I was partly growing up in Borgarnes. Many times we spent under the bridge over to Brakarey to catch fish that no one was interested in eating, with a line and a reel. This could be dangerous as a large current formed under the bridge when it flooded. It was also dangerous to go far out on the mud when it started to flood.

Along the cliffs grew heimula (njóli) that some kids used to practice smoking and my sister was one of those who was a very promising heimula smoker.

I have many good and some bad memories from Borgarnes but I choose to only remember the good and fun times and this beautiful town with the beautiful landscape that is everywhere you look.

I think it’s time for me to visit Borgarnes again soon without just driving through.

Here are some pictures of Borgarnes and Brakarey and the oldest is taken from the water tank in Borgarnes in the year 2006. Enjoy and experience Borgarnes with us!