Strandarkirkja

Strandarkirkja stands alone on the Selvogur shore with sand and lava around it and no village left nearby. Its reputation rests on a tradition of vows: crews in danger at sea promised money to the church if they made land, and the practice was widespread enough that donations from all over the country kept coming for centuries, making a church in an emptying district one of the better endowed in Iceland. Money is still sent. The present building dates from 1888 with later work, and a statue called Landsyn, land in sight, stands beside it representing the guiding figure of the founding story. The churchyard and the shore are the whole site.

What you actually see

• A church alone on the shore - the district around it long emptied.
• Vows made at sea - donations from crews who reached land.
• Still receiving money - the tradition has not stopped.
• The Landsyn statue - the guiding figure of the founding story.

When to go

Year round; the coast is bleakest and best in winter light. An hour.

Honest expectations

The interior is usually locked outside services and arranged visits. Nothing else stands here - no cafe, no shop, no village. The shore is exposed and the wind constant. The road along Selvogur is quiet and partly gravel.

Nearby

Thorlakshofn is west; Hveragerdi and the Golden Circle are inland.