HomeEuropeElliðaey Island – A Remote, Magical Island in the North Atlantic
Elliðaey Island – A Remote, Magical Island in the North Atlantic
1522
If you’re looking for an Icelandic gem, Elliðaey Island is the place for you! This small island is located off the coast of Vestmannaeyjar and is only accessible by boat. Today, Elliðaey Island is a popular tourist destination due to its natural beauty and secluded location. If you’re looking for an adventure in Iceland, visit Elliðaey Island!
Elliðaey Island has a variety of wildlife, including puffins, arctic terns, and seals. Moreover, this magical island was once inhabited by farmers and fishermen before becoming a tourist destination today. Elliðaey Island is home to many types of birds, such as Arctic terns or puffins! Elliðaey Islanders have their own language called ‘Elli’ which means “The White One”.
There are no inhabitants on the island anymore; however, there used to be some years ago when the fishing industry took over this place in past centuries. Now, it’s just tourists visiting Elliðaey Island during the summer months, looking for puffins nesting here and enjoying breathtaking views of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago.
Elliðaey is the third-largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, and it is located off the south coast of Iceland, between the islands of Heimaey and Surtsey. It has an area of ca. 0.45 km2 (110 acres; 45 hectares), which makes it larger than many other small islands around Iceland, for example, Drangey or Hrisey. A large island Heimaey is home to more than four thousand people. The island’s name means “Isle of Eldr,” as it was named after a settler called Þórir Guðmundsson, who lived there in the 18th century.
Elliðaey Hunting Association built a hunting lodge on the island back in 1953 that still stands today. The artist Björk has never lived on an island in Breiðafjorodur, which is also named Ellióey. The misconception came from a speech by the Prime Minister of Iceland, who proposed that he would be willing to allow her free housing on one such property available through his country’s program for artists (the other being Foss Faroes).
However, she does not own any real estate there and merely uses its namesake as part of her creative output, name-checks it when working titles into songs like “Bachelorette.” The house on the island is a simple empty home with a farrier’s marks and an arc stone exterior. It was built as a hunting base for Elliðaey Hunting Association to support their activities in this area, which includes fishing ways below it where they can hunt puffins that feast upon abundant supplies of fish!