Gatklettur

The arch is what people stop for, but the whole stretch of cliff earns the walk. Gatklettur is a basalt arch standing in the sea, and the waves break straight through the opening. The rock on either side has been cut by the surf into columns, hollows and smaller holes. Seabirds nest along the ledges, and puffins are on the cliffs in summer. The path runs along the clifftop with several points to join or leave it, so the visit can be as brief or as long as you want it. It also draws fewer people than the better-known stops on this coast.

• Wind: this coast is exposed and windy, summer included. Bring a windproof jacket.
• Footwear: the path down to the beach is slippery when wet. Wear shoes with grip, or stay on the clifftop.
• Toilets: the nearest are about 480 m from the arch and charge a fee; a second set is for customers only.
• No drinking water: there is no water point in the area. Fill bottles before you arrive.
• Information boards: there are boards at the site, one of them on the birds of the Arnarstapi Nature Reserve.

Most visitors arrive by car. Two car parks lie within 400 m of the arch, and the clifftop path leads from them to the cliffs. The path is easy to walk and has several points to join or leave it, so the arch can be reached from more than one direction. The awkward stretch is the path down to the beach, which is slippery when wet. The arch is visible from the clifftop without going down.

Better: summer, when puffins nest on the cliffs and the ledges are full of seabirds.

Avoid: wet days, when the path down to the beach becomes slippery.

Crowds are less of a problem here than at the better-known stops nearby, so let the weather set your timing rather than the hour. Wind is the main variable: it blows hard on this coast even on sunny summer days.