Kirkjufell

Kirkjufell is a nunatak. During the Ice Age it stood above the glaciers that ground down the ground around it, and what is left is a single steep cone on the coast. The rock is volcanic, but the mountain has never been a volcano. Its strata are alternating Pleistocene lava and sandstone, with tuff at the summit.

The shape is the draw: near-cylindrical, 463 metres, standing on its own against the sea. Across the road are the waterfalls of Kirkjufellsfoss and a walking path, and that is where the standard photograph comes from, water in front and the cone behind. Sheep graze loose over the ground beside the path.

• The climb takes about three hours and is done in summer and autumn.
• Not for a fear of heights — the summit route is exposed.
• The classic photograph is taken from across the road, on the path beside the waterfalls.
• This is one of the busiest photo stops in Iceland. Early morning clears it: at 4am in June the place can be empty.
• Sheep graze loose around the mountain, including beside the path.

Kirkjufell stands on the coast just outside Grundarfjörður, and you see it well before you stop. Cars pull in on the far side of the road from the mountain, where the waterfalls and the walking path are; that path, not the mountain itself, is where almost every photograph is taken. From Grundarfjörður it is also possible to reach the mountain on foot and walk right round it. Climbing to the summit is a separate undertaking, not a stroll from the roadside.

Better: early morning, and summer or autumn if you intend to climb.

Avoid: wet weather and bad weather on the mountain itself.

The path opposite the mountain is one of the most photographed spots in Iceland and fills up during the day; at 4am in June it can be deserted. The mountain is also a known place to watch the northern lights, which asks for dark, clear nights rather than a particular hour. On the climb, the steep sections stop being safe as soon as the rock is wet.