Stabben Lighthouse: A marvel

Precarious and precious, a Norwegian beacon offers the perfect combination of history, hostelry

I’ve had the pleasure of traveling in Norway multiple times, yet all previous visits paled in comparison to my most recent foray there: a 7-day northbound sailing up the country’s fjord-riddled coast from Bergen to Kirkenes with Hurtigruten. Apart from the ports called at along the way, natural attractions take precedence over man-made sights encountered en route — and how could they not, given the sheer splendor of Norway’s vistas — but one type of human construct to keep an eye out for while cruising the country’s coast is the ubiquitous lighthouse. In the region surrounding Florø — a port midway between Bergen and Alesund — eagle-eyed cruisers can spot three great lighthouses: those at Stabben, Kvanhovden and Ytterøyane.

Stabben Lighthouse (Norwegian: Stabben fyr) was established in 1867, automated in 1975 and listed as a protected site in 1999. The structure is 81 feet (15.6 meters) tall and stands 53 feet (16.2 meters) above the high-tide mark. The tower was built higher in 1905 and it was then equipped with a 4 order lens apparatus, which is still in use. The complex consists of the lighthouse proper, a boat and a landing, all which are  tightly clustered on a small island. Stabben, in fact, is one of the most unique lighthouses in Norway. The building covers almost the entire island, in the middle of a busy shipping lane. Towards the northwest, where the skerry is most exposed to the ocean through the Hellefjord, the foundation wall is built in the form of a ship’s bow, to minimize the effect of the breakers.

Treacherous waters with extremely strong currents made construction of this lighthouse a must. Its location is one of the most difficult navigational points along the Norwegian coastline; many ships have gone down or run aground there, even after the lighthouse became operational. Today, the lighthouse is under the supervision of the lighthouse keeper at Ytterøyane, farther to the west. The lighthouse is now listed in accordance with the Directorate for Cultural Heritage’s National Lighthouse Preservation Plan.

Stabben Lighthouse 101

• 6900 Florø
• 
Tel.: +47 41 60 10 70
• Contact the Tourist Information Office of Florø for information on guided excursions to Stabben Lighthouse or arranging an overnight stay.
• Email: mail@fjordkysten.no

Booking a “Lighthouse Safari” in Florø

• Kystrafting.no arranges high-speed RIB boat guided tours to the lighthouses around Florø.
• Duration is typically about 3 hours of which approximately 2 hours are in the boat and 1-1/2 hours on land and lunch.
• Prices: NOK 10,700 per boat, maximum 12 people
• Address: Strandgata 30, 6900 Florø
• Tel.: +47 57 74 30 90
• Email: post@kystrafting.no
• Website: www.kystrafting.no (site in Norwegian only)

A bit about Florø

• Florø is Sogn og Fjordane’s oldest, and Norway’s westernmost, city.
• Getting to Florø: Florø airport has 4 daily flights to Oslo and 5 per day to Bergen. Also, Hurtigruten calls daily at Florø
• Staying in Florø: Florø Rorbu has a wonderful site with great views at a marina just outside downtown Florø.
• Florø kommune has useful information for tourists.

For more on vacations to Norway, log onto www.visitnorway.com.

See larger map.