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Kaldakinn
is the populated, rural area between the Pass Ljosavatnsskard and the
Bay Skjalfandafloi in the eastern valleys Bardardalur and Adaldalur at
the foot of the rugged Mt. Kinnarfjoll.
This mountain range is indented with shallow hanging valleys,
some of which are filled with eternal snow.
The northernmost part of the range is called Bakrangi (702m).
The
valley Kotadalur divides it and the Mt. Viknafjoll.
The precipice of Mt. Bakrangi was called Skuggabjorg in ancient
times.
At the foot of Mt. Viknafjoll are the Nattfari Coves.
According to The Book of Settlements a Swede, Gardar Svavarsson,
who was among the three discoverers of Iceland, lost a boat attached to
his vessel with two slaves, a male and a female.
Nattfari was the name of the male slave.
The two of them settled on the coves for a while, but soon moved
house to the
Reykjadalur Valley, where they remained until the Norwegian
settlers forced them bak to the coves.
The people of the Thingeyjar District consider them the first
settlers of the country.
The landscape of the coves is extremely rugged, but the lowest
lying, short hanging valleys are well vegetated.
Three farms were occupied there until the first half of the 20th
century, Vargsnes, Kotamyrar and Naustavik, which was the largest
fishing outfit of the district in the 17th century.
The
last farm to be abandoned was Naustavik (1941).
Nowadays the coves are only accessible by sea, but in the past it
was possible to get there on foot from Kaldakinn when the tide was out.
One of the concrete houses still standing there belongs to the
voluntary rescue corps Gardar at Husavik and is used as an emergency
hut. |