At the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, some interesting places are delightful to visit and explore. Apart from Skarðsvík bay, the road to visit all of the places is a gravel road and a bit difficult to drive. Not necessarily a 4X4 road but a narrow and bumpy gravel road. Svörtuloft is a lighthouse and a four-kilometer-long cliff that is worth visiting during summer, especially if the tide is low and the weather is calm. The formation of the cliff is quite spectacular as they are dark and black lava cliffs. An excellent viewing panel was put up by the cliffs not long ago for a better and more secure view of the most interesting part of the cliff. The natural arch by the lighthouse is a spectacular part of the cliff, and with the stack that stands up from the sea line, the sight and experience are great.
A place feared throughout centuries
Sailing in the Faxaflói bay and the Breiðafjörður bay in the western part of Iceland might be secure and calm, but traveling from one to the other can be quite tricky. Sailing by the tip of Snæfellsnes peninsula past Svörtuloft is still a serious business. Throughout the centuries, there have been drastic incidents and casualties. Ships have been stranded, and as anyone can imagine looking at the sharp and black lava cliffs, this is not a good place to strand a ship. Most of them are quickly blown to pieces by the shore. When you add the strong currents attacking the shore from the Atlantic Ocean, it is most likely a place impossible to survive. This is perhaps one of the reasons that a lighthouse was built on the cliffs.
Finding your way to Svörtuloft
From the main road at the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula called Útnesvegur in Icelandic, Nr. 574, the distance to Svörtuloft is about five and a half kilometers after you take a turn west of Öndverðarnesvegur Nr. 579. At the end of the road, you take a turn south to Svörtuloft and drive a few kilometers. Here you will find a small parking lot that gets overcrowded if there are more than eight vehicles. If you turn to the north, you will find another interesting part of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula tip, Faxi the well.
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.
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