Holmsberg Lighthouse

The tower is orange, and in dull weather that is the whole picture: a saffron column against grey sea and grey sky. In clear weather the pull is the edge itself — dark cliffs dropping to open Atlantic, with nothing built on them and nothing fenced. Aircraft on approach to Keflavík pass overhead, and the foot of the tower is a place to sit and watch them come in. It stays quiet. The lighthouse sits just west of Keflavík, which makes it an easy first or last stop on an Iceland trip, and people do get the clifftop to themselves.

• No rails: the cliff edges are unfenced. The ground has hills, soft patches and loose rock, and a fall here would be serious.
• No facilities: there are no toilets at the lighthouse, and no toilets, drinking water or information point within 5 km.
• The tower is shut: a board blocks the approach to the lighthouse itself, and nothing on site explains it.
• Exposed clifftop: there is no shelter from the wind. Bring a windproof layer.

This is a place you drive to. The last stretch in is dirt road, and no bus runs to the lighthouse. The car parks marked on the map are both more than a kilometre from the tower. On the clifftop itself there is no made path. Walking is over open ground with hills, soft patches and loose rock, and nothing separates you from the edge.

Best: an afternoon in clear weather, when the cliffs and the water carry colour and the aircraft coming in to land are easy to follow.

Avoid: strong wind. The edges are unfenced and the ground underfoot is uneven, which is a bad combination in a gale.

Overcast days are no write-off here. The orange tower stands out against grey sea and grey sky, and the site is quiet in any weather.