Bárður Snæfellsás Monument

The monument is not the whole visit. It stands at the top of the cliffs at Arnarstapi, and the walking path runs from it along the sea edge: arches cut through the rock by the surf, stacks with seabirds on them, and the mountains inland on the other side. Gatklettur, the ring-shaped arch, is along the same path.

The figure itself is built of stacked stone and reads as part of the lava from a distance. Close up it is clearly a man in a cloak, facing the sea. Bárður Snæfellsás is the half-troll guardian of the peninsula in the saga named after him, and the monument is set where he watches the coast. Most people photograph it head-on from the path; the stronger angle is from lower down the slope, with the cliffs and open water behind the head.

• Cliff edges. The path runs along the top of the sea cliffs above open water. Stay back from the edge and keep children in hand.
• Wind. The path is out in the open the whole way. Bring a windproof layer even in summer.
• Birds. Seabirds nest on the arches and stacks below the path, and they are loud.
• Food. There are restaurants at Arnarstapi.
• Winter. The ponds along the coastal path freeze over.

Arnarstapi sits on the south side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and is reached by road. Drivers park at the monument itself, and the figure is a short walk up from the car park. From there the coastal path carries on along the sea edge — rolling rather than flat, but easy underfoot.

Better: late spring and summer, when the seabirds are on the cliffs and the light holds into the evening.

Avoid: days of strong wind and driving rain. The path is fully exposed and the cliffs disappear into the weather.

The mountains inland only show on clear days. In winter the ponds beside the path freeze and the whole coast turns grey and white.