Around Iceland 2015: Sauðárkrókur

Iceland’s national newspaper Morgunblaðið is on a six-week 2015 tour of Iceland!

The paper’s journalists and photographers will be bringing us news and images of everyday life, culture, business, nature, education, services and more from the four corners of the land. Today’s destination: Sauðárkrókur.

Sauðárkrókur

Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in the North Iceland municipality of Skagafjörður and has a population of over 2,500. The economic mainstays of the area include fisheries, dairy, light industry and a range of service industries.

Skagafjörður was named Iceland Destination of Excellence for 2015 in recognition of its efforts to promote cooking and cuisine using local ingredients. One of the aims of the Matarkistan project is to attract more culinary tourism to the area.

Magnea Guðmundsdottir and Björn Jóhannsson organise horse shows twice a week throughout the summer at their farm Varmalækur, to introduce foreign visitors to the charms of the Icelandic horse. Guests are also treated to hearty Icelandic song from Björn.

Höfði, on the western shores of the fjord, was the childhood summer home of famous Icelandic film director, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. The opening scenes of his Oscar-nominated film Börn náttúrunnar/Children of Nature were filmed there.

Teenagers at Árskóli school in Sauðarkrókur have over the years developed the tradition of the ‘dance marathon’ to collect sponsorship money to fund the annual graduation trip to Denmark. The marathon is a 26-hour non-stop dance, much looked forward to as an event by students.

Check out Iceland Monitor for Morgunblaðið ’s next destination in Around Iceland 2015: Fjallabyggð.