A bright orange concrete structure stood out amidst the mist of the angry Atlantic Ocean on a grey and cold morning on the westernmost point of the Snæfellnes Peninsula. It is the Svörtuloft lighthouse in western Iceland, atop the dark black lava cliff that is approximately four kilometers in length from which the lighthouse was named.
Svörtuloft Lighthouse in Western Iceland
Also known as the Svörtuloftaviti lighthouse — which is 12.8 meters tall — the Svörtuloft lighthouse was opened for use in 1931. The views from the lighthouse can be spectacular when the weather is calm and the tide is low; and when the weather is cold and grey and the seas are rough, be prepared to be mesmerized by the crashing of the waves from the ocean against the cliff.
Final Boarding Call
Plan to spend up to 30 minutes to enjoy the view of Svörtuloft Lighthouse on the westernmost point of the Snæfellnes Peninsula in western Iceland.
No admission is charged to see Svörtuloft Lighthouse; and the viewpoint is never closed to anyone who wants to visit it. No facilities are available at the site itself; but free parking is available in a small parking lot.
Plan to spend at least three hours to drive the approximately 215 kilometers from Reykjavik — although the site is only a drive of 20 minutes west of Saxhóll Crater. Bring a jacket, coat, or other garments to keep you warm against what could potentially feel like brutally cold winds.
All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
