Tridrangar Lighthouse: The Best Place to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (6 photos)

The lonely Thridrangar Lighthouse off the coast of Iceland sits about forty meters above the raging Atlantic Ocean. It's hard to imagine a more secluded spot than this remnant of civilization at the edge of the world, perched on a rocky cliff with breathtaking views.







The lighthouse sits on the highest of three nearby cliffs. From a certain angle, this cliff, called Háidrangur, appears sharp, but in reality, it is quite flat and wide. And the only way to get there is by helicopter. One of the main conditions required for a flight to the island is clear, cloudless weather. And that's rare in Iceland.





The Thridrangar Lighthouse on Westman Island off the coast of Iceland was built back in 1939. Helicopters weren't yet in use back then, so construction on an inaccessible cliff in the middle of the ocean presented an incredibly challenging task.

"First, we had to clear a path to the top of the cliff. Experienced climbers from the Vestmannaeyjar Islands helped us with this. We brought them drills, hammers, chains, and clamps to secure the chains. Very close to the summit, there was no way to hold on, so one of the climbers knelt, the second stood on his back, and the third climbed on top of them both before reaching the summit. "It's hard to describe how I felt watching this incredibly dangerous procedure," recalled one of the workers who helped build the lighthouse in the 1930s.

Previously, this inaccessible rock island was home to lighthouse keepers who maintained the lighthouse on a rotating basis. For decades, workers reached the island by boat, only to then climb the dangerous heights up a difficult climb through the rocks.



Today, the lighthouse is fully automated. Workers sometimes fly here to check on the lighthouse and fix any problems. And the views from here are simply incredible.



Pilot Gisli Gislason posted a stunning video from a helicopter as he and his team approached the island.



The work team spent the night on the island and was delighted with the view. They inspected the equipment and the lighthouse, and performed maintenance on the solar panels and electrical system.



This unusual location inspired Icelandic suspense writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir to create her best-selling detective novel "Why Did You Lie?" The lighthouse also has its own Facebook page, though one might expect internet access on such an inaccessible cliff to be poor.