Hvitserkur Rock

Two holes at the base leave the stack standing on legs. The shape suggests a dragon bending to drink; from other angles, a rhino. Local tradition explains it differently. A troll set out to wreck the monastery at Þingeyrar, was caught by the rising sun and turned to stone.

The base is partly concrete. In the mid-20th century farmers, worried that the sea would undercut the troll and topple it, reinforced the foundations. A small waterfall runs into the sea nearby, and seals haul out on the gravelbanks along the shore.

• The road in is gravel. The surface is rough in places. Allow extra time and keep the speed down.
• No toilets at the rock. The nearest WC and cafe are back at the car park.
• The beach is reached by a steep, rocky path. It is short but unmarked, and the footing is loose.
• Keep off the gravelbanks. Birds nest there and seals haul out, and trampling by visitors is already damaging both.
• The tide decides the visit. At high tide you cannot get close to the stack; low tide opens up the beach.

The last stretch is unsurfaced gravel, rough in places but driveable. Cars stop at a gravel car park about 350 metres from the rock, with a second car park roughly a kilometre out. A track runs from the car park to a viewing platform above the shore, and most people see Hvitserkur from there. Going down to the black-sand beach means a short scramble over steep, rocky ground. It takes only a few minutes, but the path is unmarked and the footing is loose.

Best: low tide, and about two hours before low tide if you want to see seals.

Avoid: high tide, when you cannot get near the stack.

The tide matters more here than the season. At low water the beach opens up and you can walk closer to the rock. Seals haul out on the bank opposite the beach that the car park trail leads to, and they swim off as the water rises.