Accommodation
Six double rooms with private bathroom in a building close to the old farmhouse at Skipalækur.
Two apartments in another building closed by; 1 studio apartment with doublebed and sofa bed and 1 apartment with one bedroom (3 beds) and sofa bed in the living room.
A good campsite with toilet facilities.
Board
Cooking facilities for all guests. Bakery and grocery stores are in the area. Also an option to have breakfast in one of the hotels or cafés/restaurants in Egilsstaðir.
Services and recreation
Fishing permits also available on the farm. Arts and crafts on show. It only takes a few minutes to walk to the golf course at Ekkjufellsvöllur, a nine-hole, par 35 course (500 m / 0.3 mi). There is a multitude of possibilities in summer and winter for all kinds of recreation and outdoor activities in the area around Skipalækur. Egilsstaðir, with shops, a good swimming pool and all kinds of general services, is only 3 km / 1.9 mi away. There you will also find the East Iceland Tourist Information Centre, where you can get a good hiking map of the area. There are scheduled domestic flight services between Reykjavík and Egilsstaðir and town Seyðisfjörður, where ferry Norræna stops, is 30 km / 62 mi away.
Fljótsdalshérað – an enchanting world from shores to mountain tops
Skipalækur is located on the banks of lake Lagarfljót at the southern edge of village Fellabær, close to the bridge crossing the river (route 1) and Egilsstaðir airport, which is on the other bank. This is an ideal location for exploring all parts of Fljótsdalshérað region, which is beautiful, diverse and enjoys particularly mild climate in southerly winds. Nature lovers and hikers are spoilt with choice, e.g. Stórurð by Dyrfjöll mountains, Hengifoss waterfall (the second highest in Iceland) and Hallormsstaðaskógur forest, as well as Snæfellsstofa, the information centre for the east territory of Vatnajökull National Park.
Highland farms - Sænautasel
Rising up from Fljótsdalshérað are large highland heaths where settlement was quite widespread under difficult circumstances from the middle of the 19th century and into the former half of the 20th century. Highland farm Sænautasel (72 km / 44.7 mi) was settled in the years 1843-1943. Legend has it that this farm was the model for the turf house in Independent People, a novel by Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness. The house is in the old style, made of turf and rock, now renovated and on show for tourists. Refreshments available.
Charming fishing villages in the East fjords
It is ideal to take day trips from Skipalækur to the fjords south of Fljótsdalshérað region. Borgafjörður eystri (70 km / 43.5 mi) is famous for its natural beauty. Seyðisfjörður, for example, is a beautiful fishing village embraced by high mountains, and only about 30 km / 18.6 mi away via Fjarðarheiði heath. Through Fagridalur, the route goes to Reyðarfjörður (35 km / 21.7 mi) and then to Eskifjörður (15 km / 9.3 mi), both of which have curious museums that you can visit, amongst other things. From Reyðarfjörður the route goes through the tunnel to Fáskrúðsfjörður (17 km / 10.5 mi), a small village by a beautiful fjord with an interesting museum and various memorabilia about the French sailors, who were stationed there in the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
Hosts: Baldur and Katrín