Djúpalónssandur
- Einar Páll Svavarsson
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
Admission to Djúpalónssandur is free
Visitors to Djúpalónssandur are not required to make any payment for entry. Despite the parking area's limited capacity, it accommodates the number of visitors adequately without reaching full capacity.
Djúpalónssandur, also known as Deep Lagoon sand beach, is an intriguing destination for several reasons. The name dates back to the first settlers in Iceland, approximately twelve hundred years ago. It was the landing site of Bárður Snæfellsás, along with his family and crew. As you may know from my previous articles about the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Bárður Snæfellsás is a well-known figure in this region of Iceland.
For centuries, the beach has served as a fishing station for farmers and residents of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Additionally, Djúpalónssandur boasts breathtaking landforms that resemble those found in Arnarstapi, where visitors can see lava formations that have flowed out into the ocean.
Pebble beach, small lakes, and stunning lava formation
When you visit Djúpalónssandur, take care as the path to the beach is short, narrow, and rough. Once at the beach, you can see an interesting lava rock with a hole in the middle. You will also see many other interesting lava formations and rocks, some of which are connected to local stories and folklore.
On the shore, behind the lava, walking along the path, you can see a small pond on your right side. It is a beautiful sight, especially if you are at Djúpalónssandur on a clear, sunny day with the glacier in the background. It is a unique beach strewn with pebbles of various sizes. It is a great place for children; they can spend time playing with the small convex stones by the beach.
Take your time at Djúpalónssandur and Black Lagoon
This strange black sand cove on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula is curiously close to the Icelandic heart. It is covered with black pearly pebbles, constantly being brought in by the ocean waves. Still, picking them — or nicking them — is strictly forbidden. It's not that they keep a pebble police at Djúpalónssandur; the Icelanders just don't want their stones removed. Not even one of them. In the old days, like so many coves in this area, Djúpalónssandur also used to be a fishing station similar to the nearby DritvÃk.
The four stones that defied manhood
On this beach called the Temple of Stones in Iceland, you will find four large rocks significant to the cove's history. These are the four lifting stones where workers at the fishing stations would test their strength. The smallest one is the Amlóði (Bungler) weighing 23 kilos, followed by the Hálfdrættingur (Weak) at 54 kilos; then there is the Hálfsterkur (Half-Strength) at 100 kilos, and finally, the Fullsterkur (Full-Strength) weighing a hefty 154 kilos. Half-Strength marked the frontier of the wimpy, and those who couldn't lift it were deemed unsuitable for life at sea. You will also see rusted metal from the English trawler Eding, which was wrecked at the Djúpalón beach in 1948. At that time, it was not uncommon to find ships stranded on the shoreline due to bad weather.
Access to Djúpalónssandur Cove
To reach Djúpalónssandur, you need to drive across the Útnesvegur road on Snæfellsnes Peninsula nr. 574. Take a turn to the south when you reach the intersection nr. 572 onto the DritvÃkkurvegur road. There is a parking lot by Djúpalónssandur cove. There, you will find the hiking trails to the beach as well as to DritvÃk Cove.
If you're planning to tour Iceland in a rental car, make sure to read this article about the type of car that would be best for your trip.
Location of Djúpalónssandur on the map of Iceland