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North west Iceland is just waiting to be discovered. Slightly off the main route, this area beckons with its away-from-it-all feel. If you are looking for a mix of tranquillity and beauty, then take this detour. North-west is an area of soft contours and fertile farmland. The Vatnsnes peninsula has the biggest seal colony in Iceland celebrated in the Icelandic Seal Centre in Hvammstangi. Trolls are evident in the rocks and landscape of north west Iceland. Hvítserkur is the troll of the north west rising majestically from the ocean. Kolugljúfur is an impressive gorge and waterfall named after the troll called Kola. Despite its solitude, North-west Iceland has its brutal history of love and revenge. Agnes and Friðrik, lovers involved in the most famous murder case in Icelandic history, committed their crime in this quiet part of Iceland. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, is an historical novel written about this hapless couple. The flat island of Drangey can be seen from the seaside hot tub at Grettislaug situated on a remote farm called Reykir. The Icelandic saga of Grettir-The-Strong is also set in North west Iceland. If you want to lie in a hot tub with mountains and ocean for a view, then go to the swimming pool on the cliff at Hofsós. The herring history of the area is realized in the beautiful colourful village of Siglufjörður on the north coast.

If you want to get away, but not too far, the North-west is a good destination. This is a place where silence is disturbed only by the sound of the ocean reaching the shore.