Lighthouses

Ólafsviti lighthouse in Patreksfjörður is a lighthouse built in 1943 and taken into use in 1947. The lighthouse is a 14.4 m high concrete tower.  It was built according to plans by engineer Axel Sveinsson. Gaslight remained in the lighthouse until 1978, when it was electrified.

Æðeyjarviti in Ísafjarðardjúpi was built in 1944 but was not put into use until 1949. It is made of concrete and is 12.8 m high. The designer is engineer Axel Sveinsson. Old gaslights were installed in it to begin with, but new devices were installed in 1951. The lighthouse was electrified in 1988 and gaslights removed.

A lighthouse was first built on Látrabjargi in 1913, but in 1948 a new lighthouse was built. It had a gas light fixture until it was electrified with energy from light engines. In 1985, utility electricity was brought in, but an automatic lighting machine provides back-up power in the event of a power outage. An automatic weather observation station was commissioned in 1995. The lighthouse is 5.9 m high. The designers are Axel Sveinsson, an engineer, and Einar Stefánsson, a house designer.

In 1919, a 20 m high iron frame lighthouse was built on Straumnes, north of the mouth of Aðalvík, but the stranding of the ship Godafoss under Grænuhlíð in 1916 accelerated the construction of a lighthouse on Straumnes. By 1930, the iron frame had deteriorated and concrete was placed around it. In 1993 it was electrified with solar energy and in 1995 an automatic weather observatory was installed. The lighthouse is 23.3 m high. The designers are Thorvald Krabbe, Sigurður Thoroddsen, Benedikt Jónasson and Axel Sveinsson engineers.

The lighthouse was built in 1937 on Óshólur under Óshryna, at the far end of Óshlíð, inside Bolungarvík. It is 6.4 m high and made of concrete. The designer is engineer Benedikt Jónasson. The lighthouse was electrified in 1964, but gas was used as a backup until 1995, when the gas equipment was removed and replaced by batteries connected to a spare bulb.

Klofningi lighthouse is on the Klofningi ridge west of Flatey in Breiðafjörður. It was built in 1926. It was lit by gas lamps until it was electrified with solar energy in 1991. The lighthouse is 9.3 m high. The designer is engineer Benedikt Jónasson.

Svalvogar is a 49-kilometre circular route between the fjords of Dýrafjörður and Arnarfjörður. It usually starts and finishes in Þingeyri and takes the narrow exposed coastal track around the headland (not to be attempted at high tide) and comes back along the Kaldbakur route, past the Westfjords’ tallest mountain in the so-called Westfjords Alps. Sometimes called the Dream Road, Svalvogar is among the most beautiful routes in the country. It is not suitable for small cars and is best enjoyed by mountain bike. Be prepared for a workout, or consider taking a 4x4 vehicle. If passengers are afraid of heights, it's recommended to begin the route from Arnarfjörður and drive towards Dýrafjörður. This way, when passing another car, yours will be on the right side of the road, which is less intimidating than driving alongside the sea.