is the name for
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...
lands on the west side of
Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland.
Location
Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...
,
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
between
Sæmundarhlíð
("Sæmundur's slope") is a district on the western side of Skagafjörður, Iceland and is located between mountain slopes off the south of Vatnsskarð near the base of Reynistaður. The eastern border runs along Sæmundará river, which flows ...
in the east and
Laxárdalsfjall mountain in the west. The main part of used to belong to
Reynistaður
Reynistaður, previously (“Site in Reynisnes”), is a town in Skagafjörður—a fjord in the north of Iceland. Reynistaður is the location of an old manor. Þorfinnur karlsefni (“the makings of a man”) was from Reynistaður and lived the ...
, which the area is named for,
and it is sometimes called ( mountains). It is now part of the plain and is owned by several municipalities in western .
Multiple valleys run through . valley is in the westernmost part of and it is around 15 kilometers long, running mostly from north to south.
Hryggjadalur valley is northeast of and its outermost part belongs to . , a mountainous area, is east of and around 10 kilometers long. East of are smaller valleys: Rangali and in the north, then Vatnadalur and Valbrandsdalur, and Þröngidalur in the south. To the east, there are the mountains
and north of those, there is , a mountain overlooking .
One of 's valleys is . It is a deserted valley on the border between
Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland.
Location
Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...
and
Austur-Húnavatnssýsla
Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...
counties.
The valley runs approximately north to south and is just over 15 kilometers long. For the most part, the valley is 250–320 meters above sea level and rather wide, and some areas of the valley floor have lots of vegetation.
was considerably settled in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and one of the farms there, , even had a church. There was no mention of in the historical record until a letter from the scholar
Björn Jónsson from Skarðsá from the middle of the 17th century. It is uncertain when became abandoned, which may have been the result of a wave of plague that afflicted the whole valley. The valley is now completely abandoned, likely because of the
Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
in 1402 or the second plague during 1495–1496. Afterwards, there were usually only one or two farms left in the area. The ridges, which are in Hryggjadalur valley, became abandoned in 1913.
, in the very north of the valley and—for the longest time—the only farm in Hryggjadalur, was abandoned in 1898.
There are
ruins
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
and hay fields of some of the farms still visible, including: , and possibly .
The Travel Association now has a lodge in in .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stadarfjoll
Valleys of Iceland
Skagafjörður
Farms in Iceland
Plateaus of Iceland