Støtt. Top of Helgeland

Can you start an overnight accommodation on an island in Northern Norway with no road access? In an old fishing village and fish processing plant that you can only reach by your own boat or a 90-minute speedboat ride from Bodø?

The answer is a resounding YES!

Eva Ann Andersen was born and raised on Støtt, where her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were running a shop and fish processing plant since 1897. Her father handed the place over to Eva and her brother Svenn in 2011. Until 2019, they continued to run both the shop and the fish processing plant. But as early as 2012, they had the wild idea of starting a gourmet restaurant in the old shop and post office.

From that day on, it’s been a focused, hard effort to restore the buildings to offer accommodations as well. They opened 8 bedrooms in the bakery in 2013 and then renovated the old fisherman’s cabin. There, they have a total of 7 bedrooms spread across 2 “apartments.”

Gourmet meals in the old shop

Eva thought she would “spruce up” the old shop, but luckily, she’s good at taking advice to leave it as it was. When you walk through the old, worn doors, you feel like you’re entering an old country store. There are advertising posters on the walls, and old merchandise still hangs from the ceiling. In one of the rooms, it looks like the shopkeeper just stepped away from his ledger on the desk by the window. In the next room, the postal shelves are still ready to receive sorted mail from the postmaster.

The counter is still there as it has been for many hundreds of years, now ready to serve breakfast and drinks over the well-worn wood. The restaurant is furnished with a mix of old city furniture and well-used, simple wooden tables adorned with old glass vases and brass candlesticks. Simple, yet effective. 

The food is conjured up in a new and even larger restaurant kitchen that they have “hidden away” at the end of the room. They’ve managed to do this without ruining the aesthetics of the old, original space. But the best part about the kitchen is, of course, the people who work there!

They whip up the most delicious dishes based on what the sea has to offer. Eva wants the food to be as locally sourced as possible and collaborates with local suppliers. For example, they are the only restaurant that makes their own stockfish, which the chefs transform into both new and traditional dishes. And there’s plenty of fish and seafood along the Helgeland coast, from local fish farmers to people who dive for scallops. The chefs have a lot of freedom and get to explore local ingredients to create new 3-course menus. 

On the first evening, we enjoyed a delicious salmon tartare with cucumber and smoked mayonnaise, followed by cod from Røst with potatoes and vegetables. Crème brûlée for dessert isn’t from the sea or very local, but it was very good.

Spend the night at Støtt

Støtt’s history stretches far back. We know that people were already living and settling here in the 17th century. Støtt was one of the last stops for fishermen before they crossed the Vestfjorden to Lofoten for the fishing season. Støtt is located in a natural harbor in the lee of the island of Svenningen, making it a good and natural place to dock.

The oldest house still standing on Støtt today is the storehouse. It’s from the 18th century and the only building that survived the fire of 1870. After the fire, several of the current houses were bought from Sandnessjøen, dismantled, and floated over the water before being reassembled on Støtt.

The storehouse was quickly converted from a place to store food to accommodation for workers. And you can actually stay in the storehouse now if you want. There’s a sleeping loft with a double bed and two single beds, and a living room on the first floor. The house doesn’t have a shower, but it does have a toilet, so it’s perfect for a family looking for simple and affordable accommodation. You can find a shower in one of the neighboring buildings.

In 1850, the telegraph station opened. It was the first between Sandnessjøen and Bodø. The building that housed the telegraph station is still standing and will be renovated soon to offer more accomodation.

Støtt is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. There’s nothing here to distract you from nature and the experiences. You can’t just pop home without the speedboat. But we never got bored. The first evening was filled with dinner and cozy chats with other guests.  

Nature

On the second day, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast before heading out for a walk on the island. We found homemade frisbee golf baskets and idyllic sandy beaches in Tjyvdalsleira that almost tempted us to go for a swim, even though it was only May. Many of these small, sheltered coves actually get nice water temperatures in the summer when the tide comes in over the warm sand.

After lunch, which consisted of a delicious fish soup, we were treated to a little history lesson from Svenn, Eva’s brother. Svenn runs the shop where you can drop in for a cup of coffee every Saturday and is also a co-host on Støtt.

We started in the loft above the restaurant. There was probably 100 years’ worth of trash and treasures mixed together when the siblings took over. They had help from curators to figure out what was valuable and what was junk, and they preserved a lot of important items that now make up a small museum. For example, you can find the entire sail system from the identical sister ship of the Gjøa, which Amundsen used in the Northwest Passage. That ship belonged to their great-grandfather. They also have a parachute from the second world war, barrels, tunks, and a lot more.

And not least, you’ll find art. They have borrowed the entire series “The Last Viking” by famous Norwegian artist Kåre Espolin Johnson from the artist’s son. The paintings surround a large table that can be used for courses, conferences, or wedding dinners and tells the story of the “Lofot fishing”.

War history

Svenn is a great guide. After the historical introduction in the loft, he took us on a fantastic tour over to the neighboring island of Svenningen. He showed us both the views and the well-preserved bunkers and cannon emplacements left by the Germans who were there during the war. The Germans wanted to control the Norwegian coast to secure the iron ore transport via the Ofoten Line, and for that, they needed a good overview of any enemy ships and planes that might be in the area.

We quickly understood why they chose Svenningen.

There were about 200 men here, many of them Polish and Russian prisoners of war who built a hospital inside the mountain and cannon emplacements where they had full control over the shipping lane. The hike up took about an hour with several stops where Svenn shared small historical tidbits. He told us, for example, that the Germans lived in peace and harmony with the local population and that no shots were ever fired here during the war. Several German soldiers wrote letters to the people of Støtt after the war, asking for forgiveness and hoping they could return as tourists. 

At the top of Svenningen, on the remains of some of the cannon emplacements, you can see all the way to Lofoten on a clear day. A very nice goal for the hike.  

After such a physical activity, it was lovely to relax with a good glass of wine in the sun on the terrace before dinner. Once again, we were treated to delicious food. Stockfish cream for the starter, whale steak for the main course, and a delicious dessert.  

Kayaking at sunset

What’s great about Northern Norway in the summer is that it never gets dark. Even before the midnight sun arrives, the long, light nights mean that, for example, after dinner, you can go out kayaking! We joined Kjell Arild Herstad on a tour of the archipelago.

I’ve been kayaking once before and capsized. This time, we got drysuits and excellent guidance from Kjell Arild. The water was perfectly still in the harbor, and it was a truly magical experience to glide along in a kayak. It got a bit choppier further out, but we landed on a skerry where Kjell Arild served up shrimp, bread, mayonnaise, and some bubbles. We sat on the rocks, enjoyed the sunset and a glass of sparkling wine, and wholeheartedly agreed that this type of experience beats the glitz and glamour of the big city any day. 

On the way back, I capsized again, but with Kjell Arild’s help, I got back into the kayak and was “towed” to shore! Note to self: I need to learn this properly; kayaking is such a cool thing to do. I would love to learn how to do this properly. You can actually do that on Støtt, get your kayaking certificate. And a tip: a drysuit needs to be closed in a special way to stay dry! We were never far from home, so it went just fine. I took a long, warm shower, and then it was straight to bed. After all, it was after 11 PM. 

Rib to the glacier Svartisen

On Sunday the weather was even nicer. Completely calm and almost no clouds in the sky. We enjoyed another great breakfast in the old shop for the last time.

We were heading home, but the boat didn’t leave until 5:15 PM, so we had plenty of time. After digesting the food, we were picked up in a RIB by Øystein Gjersvik from Meløy Adventure. We were heading to Svartisen, Norway’s second-largest glacier, located about an hour south of Støtt. A RIB is fun when there are some waves and action, but perfectly still seas, sun, and blue skies aren’t so bad either.

The landscape changes the whole way as we drive between islets, skerries, islands, and mountains. We saw waterfalls and sea eagles, small, colorful houses in green meadows, and idyllic beaches. 

Once we arrived at the pier at Svartisen, we hiked about a kilometer in to Brestua. For those who are fit, you can hike all the way up to the foot of the glacier, which takes about 3 hours even though it’s only about 5 kilometers. Here you can also hike up to Tåkeheimen, the Norwegian Trekking Association’s most inaccessible tourist cabin. Øystein is happy to guide you all the way up to and onto the ice. 

Meløy Adventure also manages the Kalsholmen Lighthouse southwest of Støtt. In order to go there, you can be picked up on Støtt in a RIB and taken out and back. You can do sauna and maybe even jump into the sea. Eventually, there will also be 5 bedrooms so you can enjoy a night there in complete solitude with good friends. I think that could be truly magical, both in good and not-so-good weather.

Back to Reality

Back on Støtt, we managed to enjoy some bacalao on the veranda in brilliant sunshine. Then it was time to say goodbye. You live in a bit of a bubble when you’re in a place like this. You talk to everyone you meet, and you feel at home and like part of the family. It’s sad to leave that and return to everyday life and “civilization.”

The speedboat back to Bodø goes quickly, and after a short taxi ride, you’re at the airport. Memories of (almost) midnight sun, gourmet food in the old shop, kayaking and RIB tours, guided history tours, and sleeping in soft beds will stay with us for a long time. 

A huge thank you to Eva for the invitation. It was truly a magical experience to be on Støtt, and maybe especially in such beautiful weather. Støtt is part of the Historic Hotels and Dining Places and is truly one of the best experiences Norway has to offer. I have visited many of them if you want to read about more.