The Snaefellsnes peninsula reaches out into the Atlantic from the west coast of Iceland. The 1,446m high volcano Snaefellsjökull and its outpourings form the rounded end-piece of the peninsula, edged with a spectacularly beautiful coastline. Much of it falls within the Snaefellsjökull National Park.
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| Snaefellsjökull in evening sunshine. |
In fact the name of the mountain/volcano is actually Snaefell - 'Snowy Mountain'. The name Snaefellsjökull refers to the glacier that sits on top of it - 'Snowy Mountain Glacier'. There are at least two other Snaefells in Iceland (and Manx readers will know of another one outside Iceland) so the whole thing gets called Snaefellsjökull to distinguish it from them.
In these photos you can see solidified lava flows. The volcano is still active and last erupted around 1900 years ago.
The glacier is retreating, and in August 2012, a year or so after these photos were taken, the summit was ice-free for the first time in recorded history.
However last year, 2015, summer came late, the mountain stayed covered in snow, and looked a lot better for it.
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| Snaefellsjökull, midsummer night 2015 |
Snaefellsjökull is also famous for being the entrance you must go through if you wish to visit the centre of the Earth. At least according to Jules Verne in his novel A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
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| Snaefellsjökull from the coastal lava field |
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| Edge of the glacier |
You can get onto the glacier if you know what you are doing and avoid the crevasses, but it might be better to go on one of the guided walks now on offer. For the less energetic there are snowmobile trips. For more on these see
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| No problem getting water |
There's more to Snaefellsjökull than the glacier on top though. The next four pictures were taken on midsummer night in 2015 during a guided walk to a very pleasant subsidiary peak.
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| Looking westward out to sea. One of the many small craters in the area can be seen to the left of the figure. |
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| Driving down from the glacier, midsummer night 2015 |
Hellnar and Arnastapi
Being a peninsular, Snaefellsnes has northern, western and southern coastlines and, on the rounded tip, some which face eastwards towards the mainland. The communities of Hellnar and Arnastapi do this, in the south. As I write, there is a National Park visitor centre at Hellnar but I believe (2015) there are plans to relocate it quite soon.
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| The old harbour at Hellnar |
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ICV Volunteers building steps up from the harbour at Hellnar cove. That's a very nice little coffee shop at the top.
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| Coastal Scene, Arnastapi |
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| Coastal Scene, Arnastapi |
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| Some flowers, a nice house and Snaefellsjökull |
This guy, at Arnastapi, is Bàrðr, saga hero.
Bàrðr's father was part troll and part giant. His mother was human. He came to Snaefellsnes a thousand or so years ago and settled down, fathering nine daughters with two wives.
As you might imagine, with his background, he had formidable powers. He could move at high speed across the unforgiving lava fields and could survive on the glacier. After a series of great trials starting when his daughter was set adrift on an ice floe, he abandoned his farm and hid away in the glacier. He was said to come down and help people in need, and became known as Bàrður Snaefellsàss, meaning 'Guardian spirit of Snaefell'.
The Municipality, with ICV volunteers, have provided wheelchair friendly access to his statue and to the coastal cliffs nearby. This material also prevents erosion caused by foot traffic and allows grass to grow through.
Don't worry - by the time you are reading this, the viewing platform will be in place at the end.
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| Arnastapi |
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| The harbour at Arnastapi is nowadays used mostly by part time fishing boats or for leisure boating |
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The church at Hellnar, with Snaefellsjökull in the background
AND, there'll be more on Snaefellsnes soon. Meanwhile, for the official lowdown on the National Park go to:
ICV - Iceland Conservation Volunteers - is the volunteer arm of the Icelandic Environment Agency. For more information visit:
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The Snaefellsnes peninsula reaches out into the Atlantic from the west coast of Iceland. The 1,446m high volcano Snaefellsjökull and its outpourings form the rounded end-piece of the peninsula, edged with a spectacularly beautiful coastline. Much of it falls within the Snaefellsjökull National Park. 
As you might imagine, with his background, he had formidable powers. He could move at high speed across the unforgiving lava fields and could survive on the glacier. After a series of great trials starting when his daughter was set adrift on an ice floe, he abandoned his farm and hid away in the glacier. He was said to come down and help people in need, and became known as Bàrður Snaefellsàss, meaning 'Guardian spirit of Snaefell'.
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