The Mysterious House, Elliðaey Island

Elliðey is one of the Westman Islands, off the south coast of Iceland, and is part of a group of islands called 'veiðihúsið' (Vestmannaeyjar), which means 'night'. A small islet that protrudes from the cold North Atlantic Ocean that is exclusively populated by sea birds that use the island as a nesting site. What makes this small island interesting is a mysterious house on it.

Ellidaey Island off the Westman Islands.

The only house on the island of Elliðaey off the coast of Iceland. Some 300 years ago, this island was inhabited by five families living in huts and survived by fishing, raising cattle on the island, and hunting puffins nesting on the cliffs.

Elliðaey is the third-largest island of Iceland, with an area of 0.45 square kilometres. It's believed to have been formed in a rush 5-6 thousand years ago. The island is accessible by a string on the lower east side and by boat from the mainland side. There is some solitary company you can keep: cattle on the island, and thousands of seabirds use it as a nesting site. The island is uninhabited but has a large hunting lodge, constructed in 1953. The lodge is owned by the Elliðaey Hunting Association. Despite rumours to the contrary circulating on the internet, the island was not gifted to the pop singer Björk by the Icelandic government. It is still privately owned and operated by the Elliðaey Hunting Association.

First Image credit: Christopher Lynn