Vestkapp

Vestkapp, properly the mountain Kjerringa on the Stad peninsula, is a flat grassy plateau that ends abruptly in a cliff falling 496 metres straight into the sea, with nothing between it and Shetland but open water. A road climbs to the top, so the view costs no effort: on a clear day it takes in the Atlantic, the peninsula and the coastline running north and south. The weather here is the point as much as the view. Stad is one of the most exposed and dangerous stretches of the Norwegian coast, with storms recorded for a hundred days a year, and the plateau catches all of it. Standing near the edge in wind is genuinely hazardous, and there are no railings along most of the rim.

What you actually see

• The 496-metre cliff - a vertical drop from the plateau to the sea.
• The open Atlantic - unbroken ocean west with no land in sight.
• The exposed plateau - flat grass and rock swept bare by wind.
• The coastal panorama - the Stad peninsula and coastline north and south.

When to go

May to September for the best chance of clear weather and an open road; the plateau is frequently in cloud and the road can close in winter. Long summer evenings give late light over the ocean.

Honest expectations

Wind here is severe and can knock people over, and the cliff edge is largely unfenced, which makes it dangerous in gusts. Fog rolls in fast and often removes the view entirely. Facilities are limited to a seasonal cafe and toilets.

Nearby

Hoddevik and Ervik surf beaches are on the peninsula; Selje and its island monastery lie north.