Photo: Jan-Tore Egge·CC BY-SA 4.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Fredrikstad / Skjeløy
Skjeløy is joined to the mainland by a bridge at Engelsviken, in the old municipality of Onsøy in the west of Fredrikstad. It has permanent residents, cabins and swimming coves in the skerries facing the fjord.
Skjeløy lies by Engelsviken in the west of Fredrikstad, in what was once Onsøy, facing the fjord. Inside lies the fishing harbour at Engelsviken, with the shrimp trawlers at the quay. Skjeløy is joined to the mainland by a bridge just there, with cabins and swimming coves out towards the skerries.
Car over the bridge from Engelsviken (Onsøy).
The island is connected by road, so you need neither a boat nor a timetable.
Skjeløy belongs to Onsøy, a municipality in its own right from 1837 until it merged into Fredrikstad in 1994. Onsøy is a peninsula west of the Seutelva, and the name probably comes from Odins øy, Odin's island; it appears in the Old Norse Fagrskinna. This coast has long traditions of fishing and seafaring, and the neighbouring harbour at Engelsviken grew up around the fishing industry, with shrimp trawling as the mainstay. Detailed history for Skjeløy itself has not been verified in this round.
Skjeløy has permanent residents and a cabin life that multiplies the population in summer, in line with the rest of the Onsøy archipelago. A bridge ties the island to the mainland, and the swimming coves facing the fjord draw people in season. Engelsviken next door has a guest harbour, a fish shop and two places to eat, Engelsviken Brygge and Engelsviken Matbar, both living off seafood straight from the boats.
Skjeløy is reached by car over the bridge from Engelsviken in Onsøy. From the water, the nearest harbour with guest berths is Engelsviken. No general protection regulation is known for the island, but check the national nature database (Naturbase) for the islets and skerries around it before moving about in the nesting season. There is no known scheduled ferry.
Onsøy is said to be named after Odin, Odin's island, and it appears in the Old Norse kings' saga Fagrskinna. The god gave his name to the whole peninsula that Skjeløy sits on.
The shrimp you buy in Engelsviken next door may have been landed the same morning from the trawlers at the quay. This is one of the few working fishing harbours left on this stretch of coast.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Skjeløy on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Skjeløy på norsk.