Private Island News investigates the raft of rumours suggesting that Iceland’s government has awarded a private island to Björk as a thank-you for her cultural contribution to the country.
Ellidaey Island, – Photo courtesy of www.amazingplacesonearth.com
Love her or hate her, there’s no question that pop-pixie Björk has done more than most to put Iceland on the map than most. Her cultural contributions have already been recognized at the likes of the Grammys, the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, and now it seems that the “It’s So Quiet” singer has been rewarded by her homeland too – in the form of an incredible private island!
Located within the Vestmannaejar Archipelago, just off the coast of southern Iceland, Ellidaey Island forms quite the artist’s hideaway. Home to nothing but a quaint cottage, a few lonesome cattle and thousands of nesting birds, with its dramatic views and lack of distractions, the island would certainly form the perfect playground for the eccentric singer-songwriter.
However, having looked a little closer into the matter, Private Island News can confirm that the popular private island rumour is precisely that – just a rumour. Yet whilst you’re more likely to find a puffin than a pop-star on this breath-taking island, Ellidaey Island actually has an incredibly interesting story of its own…
Some three-hundred years ago, the island was once inhabited by just five families, who survived by hunting avian life, raising cattle and living in primitive huts for over two centuries. Lured away by the prospect of better economic conditions, the original inhabitants had abandoned their island home by the 1930s, swapping their desolate domicile for the bright lights of the mainland.
The island didn’t stand empty for long, however, and was soon snapped up by the Ellidaey Hunting Association in 1953, which proceeded to construct the island’s trademark cottage. Free of many of the modern luxuries we take for granted, the house may well rely on a generator for its electricity and lack an internet connection, but – in true Icelandic fashion – it does boast a sensational sauna.
Whilst it is possible to arrange a trip to visit the island – when the Ellidaey Hunting Association aren’t busy controlling the unruly puffin population, that is – you’ll have to be of a sporty disposition to explore the island’s 0.45 km² entirety. Accessible via a rope on the eastern side or by boat from the mainland, you’ll need powerful leg muscles to scale Ellidaey’s steep slopes and rugged coastline.
Have your say: If you had the power to present a private island to a pop-star, who would it be? Drop us a line on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus and get involved with the debate.
