Gressholmen Island

An Autumn Island Adventure

 The ferry backing away from the Island.

Island hopping is an easy day-time adventure in Oslo. At the harbor, several Ruter boats leave periodically throughout the day ferrying visitors between the islands in Oslofjord. It's very convenient, because the same ticket or pass for transportation on the bus, metro, etc., works on the Ruter ferries too.

 Detail of the rocky island surface & pathways.

During the summertime many islands are accessible by ferry, but as the seasons change, the shops and cafes close down, and the ferries no longer go to every island. Before it get's any colder, I wanted to get out and take advantage of the beautiful weather and the colorful changing leaves.

Plants on Gressholmen. 

So today, I decided to catch the ferry to an island. By chance when I was walking up, the ferry to Gressholmen was about to leave, so rather than waiting in line to catch a boat to a different island, I got aboard this one.  The ride took about 20 minutes, and there was one prior stop to a nearby island before arriving at Gressholmen. The ferry comes back every hour, and on the way back to Oslo harbor makes three other stops at different islands where people can get on/off to hike around.

Black rocks and mussel shells littering the beach.

Gressholmen translates directly to "Grass Islet." Today the island is connected to Rambergøya meaning ''Raven Rock Island," and Heggholmen or "Hagberry Islet" (named for a Hagberry flower). Together, the three joined islands make up a nature preserve, with a unique variety of plants, animals, and terrain. 

Along the shore of Gressholmen. 

The ferry drops visitors off at Gressholmen, where there is a short hike through the forests to get down to the shore. During the summertime, there is also a cafe that's open with snacks and refreshments.

The changing leaves make the hillside look aflame. 

 The other two islands which are now connected to Gressholmen can be easily reached by dirt/rock paths. Just a side note, some trails are accessible for wheelchairs, but the majority of the island is very rocky and hard to get around if you can't walk.

Looking through the fields on Rambergøya. 

There are dozens of little trails running up along the sides of the island and along the shore. Fortunately, it wasn't windy, nor very crowded so it was easy to wander and explore the majority of the island in a couple of hours.

The rocky sides of Rambergøya. 

I didn't see many animals on the island, maybe just one or two birds the entire time. Otherwise, everything was very quiet, calm, & peaceful.

Narrow & rocky pathway leading up the hillside. 

Looking back on Rambergøya Island. 

Opposite side of Rambergøya. 

Beach on Rambergøya.

The nature really was lovely and diverse. It's surprising how different one side of the same island can look compared to the other.

Thousands of tiny shells alone the beach.

Gressholmen beach was covered mainly with mussels. Yet, despite being just a short distance away on the opposite side of the island, Rambergøya was primarily covered in tiny orange shells.

Boating around towards Heggholmen.

The island is a poplar place to go fishing, and many go kayaking or boating around in Oslofjord and stop by the different islands to rest and have a picnic.

Looking out over Oslofjord. 

 Gressholmen harbor.

Heggholmen is directly next to Gressholmen before you get to Rambergøya. However, I didn't end up going over there till after I had explored the other part because I thought it was a more residential area. In general, there are several cabins spread along the shore near Rambergøya and Heggholme, but not really on Gressholmen. 

View of the Gressholmen harbor from Heggholmen. 

Gressholmen is home to a small boatyard which was once an airport for seaplanes from 1927-1939.

View of Oslofjord from Heggholmen.  

Heggholmen's chapel. 

Also on the edge of Heggholmen is a wooden chapel looking out into Oslofjord.

Flower on Heggholmen. 

There were all sorts of different flowers on the islands of all different colors, shapes, and sizes.

Leaves changing colors on Gressholmen. 

Despite it being a bit chilly, I really enjoyed the getting to explore the island and see all of the different colored leaves. This is my favorite time of year, and I had a lovely visit to the island.

View of Lindøya Island from Gressholmen.

If you ever visit Oslo, I highly recommend taking a ferry around and getting off at the different islands. Each spot has its own unique nature and charm, and it is very easy to catch a ride on to the next island. I can't wait to visit them all!