Borðeyri is a small village located by Hrútafjörður’s west side, in the southern part of Strandir. The village stands on a small sandbank, and it’s one of the smallest villages in the country with a population of only 20. Borðeyri was once known as a lively commercial centre with merchants coming in their ships from all across the world.

According to Vatnsdælasaga, Borðeyri was named by the one of Iceland’s early settlers, Ingimundur the Old. He was searching for new territories when he came there and saw a big piece of driftwood lying on the shore, so he named the spit Borðeyri, literally, “Borð” means the big driftwood. During the 18th century, Borðeyri was also known for being a point for extensive sheep export. It was also one of the main ports in the remarkable history of emigration from Iceland to North America late in the 1800’s.

Today, Borðeyri is a service centre for the west side of Hrútafjörður. The local supermarket Lækjargarður is one of the main centrepoints in the village, which also has a small bank, a school and a garage. A nice camping site can be found in Borðeyri and also a guesthouse at Tangahús. The oldest building in Borðeyri (and one of the oldest by Húnaflói) is Riis-house, home of the famous local merchant Richard P. Riis who lived in Borðeyri at the beginning of the 1900’s.