Snaefellsnes 3

Malarríf

The lighthouse at Malarrif was built in 1946, replacing an  earlier one which was built in 1917. A house was built at the same time for the lighthouse keeper. However it is no longer needed for this purpose as the light is now automated and controlled centrally. 





During Spring 2018 the old lighthouse keeper's house was used for training the new ICV trail team volunteers. We hope that this arrangement will become permanent in future: it is something I have wished for for years. Malarrif is stunningly beautiful; the house is neat and pleasant and there are useful outbuildings.

Trail team barbecue feast June 2018 outside the keeper's house.

As well as being the site of a lighthouse Malarrif was farmed until 1997. It must have been a hard life. In addition to being exposed to the wild weather of the North Atlantic, the area has no reliable water source. This may seem surprising in view of the high rainfall. But the volcanic rock is very porous so hardly any of that rain is held in or on the ground: instead it just goes right through. The keeper's house has a tank to collect rainwater from the roof. Such an arrangement works well enough on this small scale but would have been hardly adequate for a farm. These days a good road links Malarrif to the main highway 1.6km away. But until the 1980's neither of these existed. When the lighthouse was built in 1946 the materials had to be brought to the site by sea. I heard a story once that, in the 1930's, the farm was cut off from the outside world for three weeks after a heavy fall of snow.  

Some of the farm buildings have recently been remodeled to make an excellent new visitor centre for the Snæfellsjökull National Park, and mains water has been brought in.

The new visitor centre at Malarrif at around midnight in late June, with cloud pouring down the side of Snæfellsjökull behind.

This view looks from the lighthouse towards the keeper's house and outbuildings. In between can be seen the bizarrely shaped volcanic plug, Lóndrangar, and the distinctive shape of the mountain, Stapafell, at Arnastapi.

Another view of Lóndrangar and Snæfellsjökull.

Here a trail team work on the access path to Lóndrangar.

An old fish processing house has been renovated during the last few years and is now an education facility. Here volunteers are re-cladding the building.  

The completed education facility, surrounded by old whalebones. The bar which can be seen to the left, between the shingle and the rocks, was created when the lighthouse was built to make a safe haven for unloading building materials from boats.

See also my other posts, Snæfellsnes 1 and Snæfellsness 2.

ICV is the volunteer arm of the Icelandic Environment Agency. For more information see:

http://www.ust.is/the-environment-agency-of-iceland/volunteers/