Photo: Bjoertvedt·CC BY-SA 3.0· Wikimedia Commons
Islands / Asker / Tofteholmen
Tofteholmen is an island in Breiangen south of Tofte in the former Hurum, now Asker. It was protected as a nature reserve as early as 1919, which makes it one of the oldest protected areas in Norway, and it is owned by Naturvernforbundet, the Norwegian conservation society. It is known for one of the warmest local climates in the country, a rich flora on gabbro bedrock, and a seabird colony with seals in the surrounding water.
Tofteholmen is an islet in Breiangen, south of Tofte in the old Hurum, now Asker. From the water you see lush deciduous vegetation on an islet that sits well exposed in the fjord. This is one of the very oldest protected areas in Norway, protected as early as 1919. Keep your distance in the nesting season. Seabirds breed here, and seals lie on the skerries around it.
Nature reserve (protected 1919); landing prohibited in the nesting season 15 April to 15 July, dogs leashed all year, camping and organised events prohibited. The boundaries and the rules are in Naturbase, and they are worth checking before you land anywhere outside the marked areas.
Private boat or kayak; landing prohibited in the nesting season, 15 April to 15 July.
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.
Tofteholmen was protected on 20 June 1919, as one of the earliest nature conservation areas in the country. The reserve covers 11.8 hectares (118 dekar) and is owned by Norges Naturvernforbund, the Norwegian conservation society. The grounds for protection are an unusual combination of gabbro and sedimentary bedrock, which supports one of the most varied occurrences of vascular plants, lichens and insects in Norway. The local climate is among the warmest in the country and lets heat-loving species thrive here.
The islet is a protected natural area with no buildings on it. It is an important breeding site for seabirds, and a colony of harbour seals shares the area with the neighbouring islets Ranvikholmen and Mølen. Use is governed by the protection: this is an islet to look at and respect from the boat rather than a destination for tents and campfires.
Access by private boat or kayak. Landing in the seabird breeding areas is prohibited from 15 April to 15 July. Dogs must be leashed all year. Camping and organised events are prohibited. All vegetation is protected, so no plant picking. These terms come from the protection order itself; read the regulation in force before going ashore.
Tofteholmen has been protected for more than a hundred years. The order came in 1919, when Norwegian nature conservation had barely started.
Naturvernforbundet owns the islet outright and holds the deed to it, on top of the public protection regulation.
The combination of gabbro bedrock and one of the warmest local climates in the country gives plants, lichens and insects a diversity few other places in Norway can match.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Tofteholmen on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Tofteholmen på norsk.