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GARÐUR (Wall – could also take the meaning of Garden), ÞISTILFJÖRÐUR (Thistle Fjord district)

Current occupants: Soffía Björgvinsdóttir and Jónas Pétur Bóasson

The farm was listed amongst the highest rated farms in Iceland for the production year 2015 by Rannsóknamiðstöð landbúnaðarins (The Agricultural Research Centre).

The farmers at GARÐUR participate in the following national initiatives and projects:

• Quality managed sheep farming (Gæðastýrð sauðfjárræktun)

• Farmers cultivate the land (Bændur græða landið)

• A reforestation project (Skógræktarverkefni)

The curret farmers have pursued farming at GARÐUR (Wall / Garden) since 1997.

The secondary road to the farm turns from the district highway road 85 shortly west of the bridge crossing river SVALBARÐSÁ (Cool Ridge River). The secondary road then runs from GARÐUR (Wall / Garden) to the farm HAGALAND (Pasture Land).

The buildings in GARÐUR are situated on a level gravel bed a short distance from river TUNGUÁ (Spit River).  A relatively high gravel bed ridge is found approximately 300 meters from the farm buildings and stretching to the south. The residence building was situated on a low hillock south of the ridge´s end up until 1950 when a new residence house was built on the ridge. The new building burned down in 1962 and the farmer then gave up farming. The farmers in HAGALAND (Pasture Land) leased the farm at GARÐUR for some time and then bought it.  The farmers occupying HAGALAND, Björgvin Þóroddsson and Margrét Jónsdóttir, moved their residence and farming operation from HAGALAND to GARÐUR (Wall / Garden) in 1973 and built a new residence house, sheepsheds and other outhouses in GARÐUR in the following years. Extensive tracts of land belong to the farm GARÐUR, lieing between the two rivers, SVALBARÐSÁ (Cool Ridge River) and TUNGUÁ (Spit River), from there alongside the rivulet MERKILÆKUR (Boundary Rivulet) and through the valley of GARÐSDALUR (Wall Valley / Garden Valley) which is well grown with grass and provides ideal grazing grounds.

Previously, GARÐUR was situated such that traffic through the district went past the farm and the mailman and other travellers through the district commonly stayed there overnight, especially during the wintertime. Amongst the perquisites belonging to the farm are fishing rights in river SVALBARÐSÁ (Cool Ridge River).

Extensive hayfield lie alongside the district highway road 85 north-east of the farm buildings. The parish leased 49 hectars of land from GARÐUR and turned into hayfields that were harvested during 1967-1969.