Kálfshamarsvík

About Kálfshamarsvík

Kálfshamarsvík is a small cove on the Skagi peninsula where columnar basalt runs right down into the sea. Some columns stand upright in the low cliffs, while others lie tilted along the shore like a tray of fallen pencils, and you can walk out across their hexagonal tops on calm days. They formed roughly two million years ago, according to North Iceland's tourism office.

Above the columns stands Kálfshamarsviti, a white Art Deco lighthouse built in 1940 that makes the cove easy to spot from the road. It outlived the village that once stood here. In the early 1900s about 100 people lived at Kálfshamarsvík and fished from the cove, but the settlement was deserted by around 1940, and only scattered ruins remain in the grass.

The cove sits on Road 745 about 20 to 25 km north of Skagaströnd, a drive of roughly 25 minutes, and about four hours from Reykjavík. It isn't an F-road, so any car can make the trip in summer, while snow and ice can make it slow in winter, so check umferdin.is before you go. A small parking lot with a picnic table sits right next to the lighthouse.

Plan on 30 minutes to an hour for a walk along the columns and out to the point. The rocks are slippery when wet and the waves can surge over the lower ledges, so stay back from the water in rough weather. Few travelers come this far out on Skagi, which means you will often have the place to yourself, especially in the evening light of June and July.