Photo: Peter Fiskerstrand·CC BY-SA 4.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Håøya
An island in the Vestfjord west of Nøtterøy, known for Håøya fort, which from around 1905 guarded the Navy's reserve harbour at Melsomvik. The Germans used the island for submarine experiments during the war. Later a holiday camp and a leave centre for the armed forces; put up for sale in 2019.
A wooded island in the Vestfjord west of Nøtterøy, north of Veierland. From inside the skerries on the mainland side you see an island with quays and old military buildings among the trees. From here the island watches the approach to Melsomvik, where the Navy kept its reserve harbour. (Not to be confused with the larger Håøya in the inner Oslofjord near Drøbak.)
Run by DNT, the Norwegian Trekking Association, rather than by Oslofjordens Friluftsråd. On the two schemes: the coastal trail cabins.
Private boat or kayak.
No scheduled boat comes here. You will have to find the nearest public quay yourself, and the rest is your own boat or a kayak. Check the wind and wave forecast before you set out; the open stretches in the outer fjord turn unpleasant in a fresh breeze.
Håøya fort was built around 1905 to defend the Navy's reserve harbour at Melsomvik against Sweden, equipped with guns and mines. The fort guarded Norwegian neutrality through the First World War.
On 12 April 1940 the island was surrendered to the Germans. Through the Second World War they used Håøya for submarine experiments.
After the war the island became a holiday place. Oslo municipality used the buildings for holiday stays, and the armed forces ran a leave centre for their personnel. Military sources say people from northern Norway were given priority and that places were allocated by lottery. From the 1970s until 2016 the centre took about 80 guests a week from May to August. In 2019 the armed forces decided to sell the island, with an expected price of 75 to 100 million kroner.
The island still carries traces of the fort and the leave centre. After the decision to sell in 2019, future use depends on who takes it over. Seen from the water, the draw is the military history and the forest.
Landing is by private boat or kayak. The nearest mainland quay is Tenvik on Nøtterøy, which has a boat connection to Veierland nearby. Ownership is changing after the 2019 decision to sell, so access and facilities may vary; check local information before planning to go ashore. No national park status is registered on the island itself. Check Naturbase, the Norwegian nature database, for access restrictions on the surrounding skerries.
The Germans used Håøya for submarine experiments throughout the Second World War, after the island was surrendered on 12 April 1940, two days after the invasion.
For more than forty years, from the 1970s until 2016, the military leave centre was a fixed summer address for around 80 guests a week. Places were drawn by lottery, with people from northern Norway given priority.
The fort from around 1905 faced Sweden. It was built to defend the reserve harbour at Melsomvik at a time when the break-up of the union had made the neighbouring country the presumed opponent.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Håøya on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Håøya på norsk.