28/06 – 30/06: Lindesnes Fyr – Norway’s Southernmost Point
After spending the night at Flekkefjord, we slowly made our way down to Lindesnes Fyr (lighthouse), the southernmost point of Norway. This neatly completed our tour of Norway, as we had now visited the northernmost point in Europe (and mainland Norway), the westernmost point and the southernmost point of this large country.
We hoped we might be able to spend a lazy afternoon and overnight at Lindesnes Fyr and were not disappointed. Unlike the UK, where even if you paid, you could not overnight in the car park at John O’Groats, the car park for the lighthouse was large, flat and free and no there were no restrictions on overnight parking. Admission to the lighthouse and related attractions did require a ticket – 50Nkr each at the time of our visit (June 2011).
Lindesnes is a major navigational point for maritime traffic heading from the North Sea to the Baltic. The Lindesnes Fyr was the first lighthouse in Norway and was first lit in 1656, when 30 candles were lit on top of a three storey tower. This proved inadequate, even when the candles were replaced by an open coal fire. As a result, permission to maintain the light was withdrawn by the King until 1725, when the light was reinstated.
Since then, it has gradually evolved through three buildings and several technologies – today’s lighthouse is an automated 1000W halogen lamp in a 16m cast iron tower, a material the Norwegians favour for lighthouses as it has proved surprisingly durable – the current lighthouse was built in 1915.
The site is a great place to relax and unwind if you are at the end of a Norway trip – as we were – en route to Kristiansand for our ferry back to Denmark and thence home. It’s also worth visiting in its own right – the rocky scenery is reminscent of a mountain plateau, even though it is only 50m or so above sea level.
Lindesnes is, however, very popular with motorhomes – don’t expect a peaceful, private place to park! Here’s a shot of the parking area in early evening – and it continued to fill up until late in the evening:
