Photo: Kurth Brekke·CC BY 3.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Færder / Mosteinane
A group of skerries in the Færder archipelago. Mostein is named among the islands that made up the former Ormø-Færder landscape protection area, now Færder national park.
Mosteinane is a group of low, ice-scoured skerries out in the Færder archipelago: Søndre and Nordre Mostein, with Leistein just alongside. The shipping lane runs close past here, and a larger vessel sliding through the sound shows what the place is. This is the outer edge, where the fjord meets open sea.
Færder national park; check Naturbase for seabird reserves (access prohibited 15 April to 15 July). The boundaries and the rules are in Naturbase, and they are worth checking before you land anywhere outside the marked areas.
own 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.
Mostein is named among the islands that made up the Ormø-Færder landscape protection area, established by royal decree on 30 June 2006 and superseded by Færder national park in 2013. The skerries have no known permanent settlement; these are skerries and smooth coastal rock rather than farm islands. The landscape was shaped by the ice sheet, leaving rounded polished rock, sparse vegetation, and heather and shore plants in the cracks.
Mosteinane is used for outdoor recreation: swimming, fishing and nights aboard. On an evening in season there will usually be several boats moored in the lee between the skerries.
Access is by private boat or kayak. Anchor or moor in the sheltered sounds between the skerries. Mosteinane lies within Færder national park (2013), and the ordinary protection rules apply: no open fires, take your rubbish with you, leave the vegetation alone. Several skerries in the park are seabird reserves closed to access from 15 April to 15 July. Check Naturbase, the national database of protected areas, before going ashore; the closures are legally binding.
The smooth rock was rounded off by the ice sheet and has lain like this for around 12,000 years.
The shipping lane runs close past Leistein. Large vessels pass near enough to be seen clearly from a small boat at anchor.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Mosteinane on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Mosteinane på norsk.