Easy hikes and walks in Andakíll

Very beautiful place with typical Icelandic houses with turf roofs.

Nice church that towers over the town.

Colorful steps at the church and school.

Borgarnes is a nice little town with cafes and restaurants. Ideal starting point for the Silver Circle and the Snaefellsnes peninsula.

A breathtaking panorama, especially in the morning and when there is no wind

The construction of Borgarne Church began in May 1953. Halldór H. Jónsson designed the church and Sigurður Gíslason, a master builder, took care of its construction. The building committee was chaired by Halldór Sigurðsson, savings bank manager. Ásmundur Guðmundsson, bishop of Iceland, consecrated the church on Ascension Day, May 7, 1959. The church is made of concrete and seats 200 people. Among the notable items in the church are: altar cloth and cloth by Sigrúna Jónsdóttir, chalice and patina donated by Margréti and Thor Jenssen. A wooden cross is over the altar. The baptismal font is carved by the brothers Kristján and Hannes Vigfússon in Akureyri. The baptismal font is made of brass. The church has a pipe organ, 13 voices from Walker in Germany. It came to the church in 1967. There is also a grand piano in the church, and concerts in Borgarnes often take place there. (Source: Byggðir Borgarfjörður III, 337-338). Borgarneskirkja is a beautiful building designed by Halldór H. Jónsson. Construction on it began in 1953, but it was consecrated in 1959. Extensive renovations were made to the church in 1992-93. Source: www.islandihnotskurn.is

Jump to chapter Landnámssetrið - the Settlement Centre The Settlement Exhibition Granastaðir - Grani's Farm- Cairn no. 1 Skalla-Grímur and Brákarsund Strait - Cairn no. 2 Skalla-Gríms Burial Mound and Park - Cairn no. 3 Borg á Mýrum - Borg at Mýrar - Cairn no. 4 Rauðanes - Bog Iron Peninsula - Cairn no. 5 Ánabrekka - Áni Slopes - Cairn no. 6 Einkunnir - Cairn no. 7 Krumskelda - Cairn no. 8 Hvítárvellir - White River Plains- Cairn no. 9 My Viking Ancestry Book your trip now Guide to Iceland Connect with locals Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir Open Gallery The Saga of the Viking Egill Skallagrímsson & the 9 Cairns in West-Iceland By Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir Verified Local Have you visited the 9 cairns from the Saga of the Viking Egill Skallagrímsson? Borgarnes in West-Iceland (pop. approx. 1,880) was the home of one of the settlers in Iceland, Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson, and his rascal son Egill, who was raised at Borg at Mýrar, just outside of Borgarnes town. In Borgarnes town you will find the award-winning Settlement Centre in two of the oldest building in Borgarnes, with excellent exhibitions about the settlement of Iceland and the Saga of Egill, which is amongst the best-known Icelandic Sagas Top photo: Egill Skallagrímsson as depicted at the Settlement Centre in Borgarnes. By cairn no. 9 at Hvítárvellir And both in Borgarnes and in the surrounding areas you can go on a cairn-hunt, as the curators of the Settlement Centre, Kjartan Ragnarsson and Sigríður Margrét Guðmundsdóttir, have erected 9 cairns at important locations from the Saga of Egill. Landnámssetrið - the Settlement Centre At the Settlement Centre in Borgarnes There are two exhibitions at the Settlement Centre; one of them is on the settlement of Iceland in 874 (give or take a few years) until the establishment of Alþingi, the old Viking Parliament in 930 - and the other exhibition is about the life of the Viking Egill Skallagrímsson from the Saga of Egill, both of them equally interesting. Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson was one of the Norwegian settlers in Iceland, who sailed from Norway with his father Kveld-Úlfur. Kveld-Úlfur got ill on the way and died. Before he died he ordered his son, Skalla-Grímur, to take up habitation in Iceland where Kveld-Úlfur's coffin would land. The coffin landed in Borgarnes and there Skalla-Grímur made a home at Borg in Mýrar just outside of Borgarnes. At the Settlement Centre in Borgarnes His son was Egill Skallagrímsson (approx. 910-990), one of the best-known Vikings and poets at this time. His story is depicted in the Saga of Egill. I read the Saga of Egill in college, so visiting the Settlement Centre was a good revision. The exhibition is excellent and makes for a very interesting visit. At the Settlement Centre you can learn all about Egill Skallagrímsson and his story, but reading the Saga of Egill is strongly recommended as well to benefit the most from your visit. You can also download the app Locatify and listen to it before you arrive. The Settlement Exhibition The Settlement Exhibition depicts the settlement of Iceland from around 874 until the establishment of Alþingi, the old Parliament that the Vikings established back in 930. It tells the story of the Norwegian Vikings who settled in Iceland and why they left Norway. And why our Icelandic heritage is not only Norwegian but also Irish. It is a very interesting exhibition, which takes some 30 minutes to complete with an audio guide. I recommend that you visit both these exhibitions and grab something to eat at the restaurant at the Settlement Centre before you check out the locations of the cairns. Now let's go on a treasure hunt and look for all the 9 cairns! Granastaðir - Grani's Farm- Cairn no. 1 Cairn no. 1 at Granastaðir Cairn no. 1 is located at Granastaðir - Grani's Farm, above the camping area in Borgarnes, by ring-road 1. Grani was a crew member on Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson's ship and settled at Granastaðir. Egill Skallagrímsson was born at the close-by Borg, but his childhood playmate, Þórður Granason, grew up at Granastaðir farm. Here in Sandvík the ill-fated ball game between Egill and Þórður in one team, and Skalla-Grímur in another team, took place. You can read this account in the Saga of Egill, chapter 40. Below I have written a description of the game, which led to the death of both Þórður and the bond-maid of Skalla-Grímur. Cairn no. 1 is by the entrance to the camping area. Skalla-Grímur and Brákarsund Strait - Cairn no. 2 Cairn no. 2 at Brákarsund Cairn no. 2 is located at Brákarsund Strait and written on it in Icelandic is "Hér drekkti Skalla-Grímur Brák" meaning that Skalla-Grímur drowned Brák at this location. Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson had a bond-maid named Þorgerður Brák. She had been the nanny and foster mother to Egill, the son of Skalla-Grímur, and is described as big and strong as a man and skilled in magical arts. Cairn no 2 is easily accessible in Borgarnes town One day in the wintertime when Egill was 12 years old Skalla-Grímur was playing a ball game at Borg with Egill and his friend, Þórður Granason. At first, the boys were winning, but later on, in the evening Skalla-Grímur got really strong and grabbed Þórður and tossed him onto the ground with such force that Þórður died. He then went after his own son, Egill. Þorgerður Brák was watching the game and said: "Hamask þú nú, Skalla-Grímr, at syni þínum". It roughly translated means if Skalla-Grímur is now going to attack his own son. Cairn no. 2 at Brákarsund Skalla-Grímur got so angry that he let loose Egill and tried to grab Þorgerður Brák, but she ran. Skalla-Grímur chased her down to the sea where she jumped from a cliff into the sea and tried to reach the island outside of Borgarnes, now called Brákarey island. Skalla-Grímur threw a big rock at her with such great force that Þorgerður Brák didn't resurface. Since that time the strait where she drowned is called Brákarsund - Brákar strait. The monument Brákin stands tall on the hill above the Settlement Centre in remembrance of Þorgerður Brák and her ill fate. Brákarsund monument Brákarey island is off the shore of Borgarnes and is now connected to land by a bridge. The island was named after Þorgerður Brák and so is the street Brákarbraut where she ran while trying to escape from the mad Skalla-Grímur. You can visit cairn no. 2 and the monument by Brákarbraut just behind the Settlement Centre. Skalla-Gríms Burial Mound and Park - Cairn no. 3 By cairn no. 3 Skalla-Grímshaugur Cairn no. 3 is located by Skalla-Grímshaugur - Skalla-Grím's Burial-Mound. On it is written in Icelandic "Hér voru heygðir Skalla-Grímur og Böðvar" meaning that Skalla-Grímur and Böðvar were buried here. Here you will find what we'd like to believe is the burial-mound of Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson and his grandson Böðvar, the son of Egill Skallagrímsson. Egill had the burial-mound of his father reopened and buried Böðvar, who was only a teenager when he drowned in Hvítá river, in the burial-mound with his grandfather. Skalla-Grímur had died of an unknown disease and drawings by the mound show how he was buried with his horse and weapons and tools. An ornamental park is built around the mound, with a beautiful relief of grief-struck Egill Skallagrímsson carrying his drowned son Böðvar home on a horse, an astounding work by Anne-Marie Carl-Nielsen, which was donated to Iceland in 1963. Source: Local signage

A beautiful relief of grief-struck Egill Skallagrímsson carrying his drowned son Böðvar home on a horse, an astounding work by Anne-Marie Carl-Nielsen, which was donated to Iceland in 1963. Source: Local signage