Stykkisholmur is the main town of the northern Snaefellsnes peninsula, home to about eleven hundred people and perched on a rocky headland that shelters a snug little harbour. It looks out on Breidafjordur, a broad bay scattered with hundreds of small islands, and the view over the water is its great asset. The town has a pleasing mixture of old wooden houses, painted in bright colours, and a modern church whose white concrete shape rises above the harbour like a great seashell.
One of the oldest buildings is the Norwegian House, built in the nineteenth century from timber imported from Norway, which now holds a museum of local history. The Library of Water, a quiet art installation filled with columns of glacier water, sits in a former library on the hill. A short walk from the harbour takes you up Sugandisey, a little basalt island joined to the town by a causeway, with a lighthouse and a view over the bay. Scallops are fished here, and you can often eat them at a local restaurant.
The ferry Baldur sails from the harbour across Breidafjordur to the Westfjords, calling at the island of Flatey on the way, and offers a useful shortcut if you are heading to that part of the country. Check the timetable in advance, and book a space for the motorcycle in summer.
Fuel is available in town, together with a supermarket, a swimming pool and a handful of cafes and restaurants, so this is the natural place to refuel before or after the peninsula loop. The roads into town, Routes 54 and 58, are good tarmac with some sweeping bends, long climbs and descents and wide views over the water. Look out for sheep, and take care in crosswinds, particularly along the coast.
If the weather is fine, spend an hour at the harbour or climb the little island for the view. Seabirds and seals are common, and the evening light on the bay is something you will remember for a long time.