Vopnafjörður is a broad bay between Bakkaflóa and Héraðsflóa. In mid-fjord is a peninsula, Kolbeinstangi, where the village of Vopnafjörður stands. North of Kolbeinstangi is a small inner fjord, Nýpsfjörður and inland lies Nýpslón. Vopnafjörður’s nature is especially varied and alternates between the rich, fertile lowlands and the rocky cliffs along the coastline.
A formidable mountain range rises across the fjord from “Tangi”. The Krossavík mountains are the most conspicuous, and to the south rises Smjörfjöll, or Butter Mountains which are the highest mountains in the fjord.
Inland from Vopnafjörður are three main valleys and wide-spread lowlands. Hofsárdalur is southernmost, next is Vesturárdalur and Selárdalur is northernmost. Well-known salmon rivers flow through the valleys. Inland are vast highlands with many farms which were occupied from the early 19th into the 20th centuries.
Vopnafjörður’s coastlines are characterised by small skerries, seacliffs, rock pillars and steep cliffs. Inmost in the fjord lies a long, sandy beach – Sandvík.
In many places around Vopnafjörður one may see how the glacier which formed the fjord has abraded, carried other materials and scraped marks in the land on its way to the sea.
Photos: River by Julia Fritzdottir (CC BY-SA)