Cape Hólmanes

The Hólmanes Cape is an excellent area for hiking and nature experiences for people of all ages. Although it may seem barren when viewed from the highway, its diversity, beauty, and tranquillity surprise most who walk there. Rising above the cape is Hólmatindur, a very impressive mountain. The best place to start a hike to Hólmanes is from the parking lot by the highway (route 92, Norðfjörður road) at Hólmaháls, but it is also possible to walk along the coast from the bottom of Eskifjörður. Trails guide the way at both locations. Hólmanes is protected as a nature reserve and conservation area.

The geology of Hólmanes is diverse, but it is mostly composed of basalt, dark basic rock that solidified as lava. The Hólmaborgir themselves and the islets south of the cape are intrusions of magma that pushed between the existing lava layers and solidified there. During the Ice Age, the lava layers weathered away from these magma intrusions, leaving behind the rock formations. At the outer end of the peninsula, the bedrock is different. There, it is rhyolite, light-colored acidic rock that breaks into flakes when weathered. This can be seen clearly north and east of the Ytri Hólmaborg and on the beach at Skeleyri. There is abundant birdlife in Hólmanes year-round, with seabirds being the most prominent. In summer, waders and moorland birds can be found in the tidal flats and moors. There is an eider duck colony on the islets, and eider ducks nest along the coast, with the occasional king eider among them. Shells are commonly found at Skeleyri, and barnacles and limpets cling to the stones and cliffs, such as in Básar. In the slopes, one can find lingonberries and black snails. Reindeer are sometimes seen in late winter, especially the bulls, and foxes are common, with dens occasionally found.

Hiking Trails and Points of Interest

Starting from the parking lot at Hólmaháls, the trail leads along a marked path on a steep and rocky slope down into Urðarskarð, which is just inside the inner Hólmaborg. From there, the view northwards over Eskifjörður and southwards over the islets and Reyðarfjörður is spectacular. A sign in the pass provides the names of the islets and information about the area. From Urðarskarð, various routes can be taken.

Urðarhvammur, south of Urðarskarð, is a special adventure land. The rockfall or landslide with moss-covered boulders creates crevices where horsetails and ferns can be found. Above the rockfall on the north side is a steep, sunny slope sheltered from the north wind, covered in a variety of flowers and heather. In the cliff face grow monkshood, marsh marigold, ferns, and saxifrage. It is important not to disturb the vegetation, especially the rare plant species in the area. From Urðarskarð, there is a clear view of the islets and Leiðarhöfði. The islets are lush with scurvy grass year-round, providing shelter for many birds, especially eiders and puffins, the latter of which only nest in Stórhólmi. Due to the eider colony, the islets and the headland are closed to visitors during the nesting season.

A path leads from Urðarskarð north around the inner Hólmaborg, then turns south into Borgahvammur, a cove with a sandy beach ideal for play. On this route, one might encounter starwort, one of East Iceland's characteristic plants, which adorns the vegetation with stars in mid-summer. Harebells, another characteristic species of East Iceland, are also common in Hólmanes. It is easy to walk up the inner Hólmaborg from Borgahvammur. The path continues from Borgahvammur south of the outer Hólmaborg all the way to the tip of the cape. Southwest of the outer Hólmaborg is a beautiful rockfall where foxes are sometimes seen peeking out from between the stones. A decent ascent route for the outer Hólmaborg is on its eastern side, offering a beautiful view that is well worth the effort to climb up.

Continuing along the coast north of Hólmanes, there are several small, cliff-enclosed coves called Básar before reaching Skeleyri. Near the end, between two coves, is Ögmundargat, named after the shepherd Ögmundur. Once, while grazing his sheep there, the tide came in, and with a rising storm, he faced imminent death. He used his staff to carve a hole through a narrow ledge extending into the sea, managing to escape with all his sheep. The hole, large enough to pass through in a small boat at low tide, was named after him. Although the storm has since broken part of the ledge, the story of the resourceful shepherd lives on. Skeleyri is unusually beautiful, composed of rhyolite gravel washed from the coves and built up at the tidal meeting point. In the sea below it, yellow-pink rhyolite flakes stand at an angle on the seabed, gleaming in the clear water. Skeleyri is well worth a visit, perfect for enjoying, examining shells, wading in the sea on warm days, and playing.

Above Skeleyri, north of the outer Hólmaborg, is Sauðahellir, a sizeable cave with stone walls in front. It is said that farmers used to shelter their sheep there in bad weather. The ruins of the farm Baulhús or Bauluhús are a bit inland from Skeleyri up the slope. The farm is named after a rock called Baula in the tidal zone just west of Skeleyri. People lived there intermittently from 1830 to 1917, and traces of the farmyard can still be seen. The view from Baulhús is beautiful, and it is ideal to sit on the remains of the walls and reflect on old farming practices or walk into the Baulhúsamýri wetland below the ruins to see wetland plants like sedges, horsetails, cottongrass, marsh marigold, and marsh valerian.

Hólmaháls and Hólmatindur

A seeress’ mound is on Hólmaháls and can be reached from the parking lot, or you can shorten the walk by driving the old road above the current highway. The seeress buried there is considered the guardian spirit of Reyðarfjörður. Legend has it that she requested to be buried where the view of Reyðarfjörður was best and that the fjord would never be plundered as long as any of her bones remained unbroken. Stories say that when the Turks approached East Fjords in 1627 intending to sail into Reyðarfjörður and raid the church and the village, a storm arose, causing sea spray to cover the mountains on both sides of the fjord, forcing them to turn back.

Hólmatindur watches over Hólmanes. It is 985 meters high, steep but shapely, towering over the fjord opposite the town of Eskifjörður. The hike up Hólmatindur is quite challenging, especially for those not accustomed to mountain hiking. The trail starts just outside Sómastaðir in Reyðarfjörður. The view from the top is magnificent, and hikers can sign the guestbook at the summit.