A town within the landscape of Egils saga

Borgarnes developed centuries after the events described in Egils saga, yet the saga landscape remains unusually close to the present town. Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, father of the poet and warrior Egill Skallagrímsson, settled at Borg á Mýrum nearby. That farm deserves its own destination page, while Borgarnes provides the places where parts of the family story have become fixed within a modern settlement.

The Settlement Center interprets both Iceland’s settlement and the story of Egill through two separate exhibitions with audio guidance. It gives visitors the historical and narrative foundation needed before exploring the town itself. Nearby, Skallagrímsgarður contains the mound traditionally identified as Skalla-Grímur’s burial place. Whether approached through literature, history or landscape, the park makes the saga connection physical rather than leaving it confined to a museum display.

Brák’s story and the crossing to Brákarey

One of the most powerful episodes associated with Borgarnes is the story of Þorgerður Brák, Egill’s foster mother. According to Egils saga, Skalla-Grímur turned violently on his son after a ball game. Brák intervened and drew his anger away from Egill, but Skalla-Grímur pursued her to the water. She attempted to escape across the sound and was struck by a stone he threw, disappearing into the sea.

The names Brákarsund and Brákarey preserve her story in the town’s geography. The bridge from the old town to the island turns a brief walk into something more than a shoreline diversion: it follows the space across which the saga places Brák’s final escape. Brákarey also opens the view back towards the old settlement, coast and Hafnarfjall, allowing the town and its story to be read together.

Englendingavík and the old coastal town

The oldest part of Borgarnes lies close to the water around Englendingavík. Small buildings, the sheltered inlet and the irregular shoreline retain a scale quite different from the commercial development beside Route 1. This is not a preserved historic town detached from everyday life, but a coastal quarter through which the later service town gradually developed.

After visiting the Settlement Center, the most coherent way to experience Borgarnes is on foot along the shoreline and across to Brákarey. The route connects Englendingavík, the old centre, Brákarsund and changing views across Borgarfjörður without requiring a sequence of isolated attractions. Tides and weather continually alter the coast, while Hafnarfjall remains the dominant landform across the fjord.

Borgarfjarðarbrú and a change in travel

Borgarfjarðarbrú opened in 1981 and extends for approximately 520 metres across the inner fjord. Before its construction, road traffic followed a considerably longer route around Borgarfjörður. The bridge shortened the Ring Road itself by about 11 kilometres and reduced the journey between Borgarnes and Reykjavík by approximately 28 kilometres.

The bridge strengthened a role Borgarnes already held as a meeting point between routes. Route 1 passes through the town, while roads lead west towards Snæfellsnes and inland through Borgarfjörður. The structure is therefore more than a conspicuous element in the view: it changed the practical geography of West Iceland and helped consolidate Borgarnes as a regional service centre.

A service and industry town

Borgarnes is not primarily a fishing-port town. Its modern importance rests on services, industry and its relationship with the agricultural communities of Borgarfjörður and the wider west. Fuel, food, shopping and accommodation are available throughout the year, making the town useful both to residents and to travellers continuing north, west or inland.

That practical role becomes especially clear when roads farther north or west close and Borgarnes becomes a place to stop and wait. It can also serve as a restrained, practical base for exploring Borgarfjörður, including Reykholt, Deildartunguhver and the waterfalls farther inland. These functions matter, but they should not obscure the older town and coast that give Borgarnes its individual character.

Exploring Borgarnes

Half a day allows time for the Settlement Center, Skallagrímsgarður and an unhurried walk through the old town and across to Brákarey. The historic centre and coastal area are easily explored on foot. A car is useful for the more dispersed modern service districts and for continuing into the surrounding region, but it adds little to the central shoreline experience.

The town rewards a visit in different conditions rather than one prescribed season. Light that suits the old buildings may not be the light that best reveals the bridge, tidal coast or Hafnarfjall. Looking at these elements separately, and then finding the viewpoints where they connect, gives a more complete understanding of Borgarnes than treating it only as a convenient stop on Route 1.

• • Borgarnes stands on a low peninsula in Borgarfjörður and serves as a regional centre for services and industry.
  • The Settlement Center contains separate exhibitions about Iceland’s settlement and Egils saga.
  • Skallagrímsgarður contains a mound traditionally identified as the burial place of Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson.
  • Brákarsund and Brákarey are named for Þorgerður Brák, whose death is described in Egils saga.
  • Borgarfjarðarbrú opened in 1981 and is approximately 520 metres long.