Trollaskagi Drive

Trollaskagi is the mountainous peninsula between Skagafjordur and Eyjafjordur, high enough and steep enough that its northern villages were effectively cut off for much of the year until tunnelling changed that - the Heidinsfjardargong, opened in 2010, joined Siglufjordur and Olafsfjordur through the mountain and through the abandoned valley of Heidinsfjordur in between. Driving the loop takes in Siglufjordur with its herring museum, Olafsfjordur, Dalvik, Hofsos with its cliff-edge pool, and a coastline of steep fjords under peaks. Ski touring in spring is a growing reason to come.

What you actually see

• Tunnels that ended isolation - Heidinsfjordur opened in 2010.
• Siglufjordur and the herring - the town the boom built and left.
• Hofsos and its pool - swimming on the edge of the fjord.
• Steep peaks over the coast - the ground that made the tunnels necessary.

When to go

June to September for easy driving; spring for ski touring. A full day.

Honest expectations

Winter driving here is genuinely demanding and roads close. Some tunnels are single lane with passing bays, which unsettles first-timers. Services in the smaller villages are seasonal. The loop is longer than the map suggests.

Nearby

Akureyri is at the eastern end; Saudarkrokur and Drangey are west.