Snæfellsnes Peninsula Family Friendly Tour

Borgarnes is a town of about 2,000 people on a small peninsula in West Iceland, and the first proper town most travellers reach heading north or west out of Reykjavík, just after the Ring Road crosses the Borgarfjarðarbrú bridge. It has fuel, shops and restaurants, and the Settlement Center has exhibitions on the settlement of Iceland and on Egil's Saga. A convenient rest stop with cafés and shops, about an hour from Reykjavík.

Gerðuberg is a row of hexagonal basalt columns running for about half a kilometre beside Route 54 on the south side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The columns are 1 to 1.5 metres wide and 7 to 14 metres tall, and they stand in such a regular pattern that the wall looks almost built.

A quiet farm beach where seals often rest on the rocks just offshore, along with plenty of seabirds. It is a short, flat walk to the shore.

Arnarstapi, also called Stapi, is a small fishing village and harbour on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, at the foot of Mt Stapafell. It is known for its basalt sea cliffs, the Gatklettur arch and a coastal path of about 2.5 kilometres to the neighbouring village of Hellnar. It is free to visit and open all year.

Lunch with local food at a local restaurant, included in the price, after the stop at Arnarstapi.

Djúpalónssandur is an arched bay of black pebbles at the foot of Snæfellsjökull, reached by a path of about 300 metres through black lava formations. The pebbles are lava, broken up and polished by the surf of the open Atlantic. Four lifting stones, weighing 23, 54, 100 and 154 kg, were once used to test the strength of fishermen, and the rusted iron on the beach is from the trawler Epine GY7, wrecked in 1948.

Kirkjufell, 'Church Mountain', is a 463-metre cone that rises straight from the shore just west of Grundarfjörður, next to the small waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss. Its shape, wide at the base and narrowing to a point, comes from layers of basalt and softer sedimentary rock that have eroded at different rates. The viewpoint by the falls is the classic place to see it. The climb itself is steep and dangerous, for experienced hikers only. A distinctive, steep-sided mountain near Grundarfjörður, with a small waterfall in front that makes it a favourite photo stop.