Herjolfsdalur

Herjólfsdalur is northwest of Heimaey, surrounded by mountains to the north and east sides. Þjóðhátíð, or The National Festival, is held there every year, the first weekend in August. The Vestmannaeyjar National Festival was first held in 1874, when a national festival was held in many parts of Iceland to celebrate the new constitution and commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the country's settlement, hence the name. This celebration has been held annually except in 1973 and 1974 and now in 2020 and 2021. 

It is believed that Heimaey's first farm was built here by the settler Herjólfur Bárðarson, for whom the valley is named. Excavations have revealed remains of a Norse house where a replica now stands. The island's campsite is also here.

From 1971-to 1981, extensive and detailed archaeological research was carried out on the ruins of a house in Herjólfsdalur, which had previously been little researched in 1924. These studies have conclusively shown that permanent settlements were established in the Westman Islands before the earlier settlement in Iceland in 874.

In Herjólfsdalur is Daltjörn. It is formed by drainage from Lindinn, one of the best springs on Heimaey.