Skrúður Botanical Garden

The way in is an arch of whale jawbones, and it is the thing everyone photographs. Past it the garden is small: flower beds, hardy trees and panels setting out how the place came about. Nothing here is staffed. There is no ticket desk, no guide and nobody to ask about the plants. In late July and mid-August the beds are in full flower, and it is quite possible to walk the paths with nobody else on them. The land around is open and largely bare, which is what makes the planting register at all. It is a garden that rewards a slow half-hour rather than a photograph from the car park.

• No staff: the garden is unmanned. There is no ticket desk, no guide and nobody to ask about the plants.
• Toilets: there are toilets at the garden.
• The road in: the last stretch narrows to a single lane with passing places. It is paved the whole way and fine in an ordinary car.
• Mobile signal: there is mobile coverage at the garden, in spite of the out-of-the-way setting.
• With children: the garden suits children, and it is small enough to walk at their pace.

Most people drive out from Ísafjörður, which is a short run, and the road is paved the whole way to the garden. The last stretch narrows to a single lane with laybys, but no special vehicle is needed. There is a car park at the entrance, and the garden starts at the gate. Skrúður also appears on cruise excursions calling in the Westfjords.

Best: late July to mid-August, when the beds are at their fullest.

Avoid: winter, when the planting is dormant and there is little to look at.

Crowds are not the issue here. Even in August the garden can be empty, and an hour after a cruise group has moved on it usually is.