Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Experience Norway
Ringholmen has played a key part in the Norwegian fishing industry since the 1900s. Photo: Leif Inge Jørgenvåg.
Breathing new life into an old fishing village After a casual encounter with Ringholmen Seahouse during a family fishing trip, 25-year-olds Christopher Larsen and Julie Fauskanger decided to leave their old lives in Kristiansand behind and jump into managing the island’s guest houses, restaurant and café.
with you. It’s a home rather than a hotel, which makes the atmosphere very different. We want people to feel like they can relax and properly unwind.”
By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Christopher Larsen
For the sea enthusiasts, Ringholmen boasts a list of activities, including kayaking, scuba diving and sea fishing, which can be experienced through guided tours with local captains who know the area well. Alternatively, for those who prefer land over sea, there are plenty of mountain walks to be experienced in Tustna and Stabblandet nearby.
Located a short boat ride away from Tustna in Møre og Romsdal, which is the northernmost part of western Norway, Ringholmen boasts a long history as a fishing village. It has been a central part of the fishing industry in the area since the beginning of the 1900s, starting up the Norwegian production of klipfish and stockfish. “There is a long tradition for stockfish and bacalao in Møre og Romsdal,” says Larsen. “Historically, Ringholmen was a meeting point for fishing boats when they came to deliver their fish, and the building they used to come to is the exact same building that you can now sit in and 76 | Issue 100 | May 2017
eat bacalao – the same walls and interior, just slightly modernised.” Visitors arriving on the island can expect to have dinner in the restaurant together with the new owners – followed by a night in one of the sea cottages, drifting off to sleep to the sound of waves and waking up seeing the sea straight ahead. “We want people to feel like we’re welcoming them into our home – which we are,” says Larsen. “It’s not a typical hotel where you’re greeted by a receptionist; the staff who come to greet you are lovely people who’ll sit down to have a chat
Young entrepreneurs Larsen had no prior experience of running a guest house. At 25, he had jumped back and forth between jobs until he started up his own company. “I hadn’t felt passionate about working before, but when I started my own company, I finally found something I enjoyed doing,” says Larsen.