Arnarstapi is a tiny settlement on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, perched above a shoreline of basalt cliffs that the sea has carved into arches, caves, columns and blowholes. A few houses, a harbour for small boats and a scattering of summer cottages sit on a green shelf below the slopes of Stapafell, with the white dome of Snæfellsjökull glacier above. The coast here is a geology lesson made beautiful: lava flows that cooled into hexagonal columns, then were cut back by the sea into the forms you see.
The most famous of them is Gatklettur, an arch of rock standing in the sea, and around it the cliffs are full of nesting seabirds in summer, especially kittiwakes and fulmars. A path runs along the cliffs from Arnarstapi to the neighbouring hamlet of Hellnar, about two and a half kilometres away, and it is one of the finest short coastal walks in Iceland. The Arctic terns nest near the path in summer and will dive at your head if you come too close; a raised hand or a stick helps.
Arnarstapi is also bound up with the legend of Bárður Snæfellsás, a half-troll, half-human figure from the sagas, who is said to have lived here and later vanished into the glacier, becoming its guardian spirit. A large stone statue of him stands above the harbour. The area has been a fishing and trading station for centuries, and in the old days it was an important place for the Danish trade monopoly.
The road here is Route 574, which circles the western end of the peninsula. It is mostly paved, with some gravel in places, gentle curves and fine views of the coast and the glacier. Traffic is moderate in summer, and the wind can be powerful, especially near the headlands. The weather changes quickly, and fog can roll in from the sea. In good weather the light here is spectacular, and the glacier shines in the evening sun.
There is a cafe and some accommodation in Arnarstapi in summer, but for fuel and supplies the larger villages on the north side of the peninsula, Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður, are the places to go. Make sure you have enough fuel before circling the western end.