Lindøya

Welcome to Lindøya East & West!

Lindøya from Oslofjord.

Lindøya is easily accessible by a 20 minutes ferry ride from Oslo harbor. There are two stops on the island, one on the east side and another on the west side. 

Photo-op by some of the island's many boats. 

The island is home to about 300 summer cottages, and has various recreational areas including a soccer field, swimming pool, and a miniature golf course.

Along the shoreline of Lindøya.

By autumn, fewer visitors arrive and most of the activities on the island are no longer operational for the season. 

Flora.

By the time I visited there were just a few boats still left in the water. Most had been taken up onto land, or were in the process of being transported ashore. 

Along the shore.

The island has lots of little coves and inlets along the shoreline. It was so quiet at the beaches, but I can only imagine how busy it must be in the summer when everyone is staying at their cottage or visiting the island for vacation.

On one of two small islands attached to Lindøya.

There are also two smaller (more like tiny) islands just off the coast, and connected to the main island via bridge.

Getting nectar.

I arrived mid-morning so it was a bit chilly, but a beautiful day. I was there for two hours exploring the island, but was happy to leave because the wind had picked up and a storm was moving in.

Rocky shoreline of the island.

Visiting the islands has really made me become more aware of the landscape. I am absolutely amazed by the geology and find it fascinating how plants, soil, etc., are able to survive and flourish in rocky landscapes. We certainly live on a unique planet; where life exists above a world of rock.

The different layers of the rocks making up the island. 

I always enjoy visiting the different islands and seeing how the rocks look, because each island has various types. Also, even on the same island each beach tends to have different shells and rocks dominating a particular area.

Near Lindøya west.

Lindøya was the last nearby island in Oslofjord that I needed to visit before winter arrives. There are some ferries going to other towns just outside of Oslo, but most of the boats going to islands further away are now closed for the season.

Plants emerging from the rocky landscape. 

It's really nice to visit the islands during autumn, because the weather is still very nice and the crowds aren't too bad. Additionally, you get to see all of the beautiful plants changing colors.

Looking back towards the bridge to the main island.

 Lindøya is a beautiful spot for an excursion and has several picnic areas around the island to enjoy a meal at. There is also a small amphitheater area in use during the summer months.

Multi-colored leaves in the nature preserve.

On the north side of the island there is also a nature preserve with a few trails to walk through. The nature preserve is a small forested area, but in some places you can also walk down to the shore.

View of Oslofjord from the island.

Lindøya translates to Linden Island, named for the Tilia cordata species of plant.

Paths of the nature preserve.

I enjoyed walking through the nature preserve, but it was a bit weird because some areas were blocked off because of a few summer cottages. I wonder if the cottages had been built there before the space was designated a nature preserve.

Many trees growing from a single stump.

On my walk I saw this crazy looking tree, that really was many trees twisting out from the base of one huge split tree. It reminded me a bit of the tree in the film, Sleepy Hollow, where the headless horseman emerges from to find his victims.  Rather a fitting image since it's almost Halloween. 

Beautiful autumn leaves.

Overall, I had a lovely time exploring the island and taking in the nature. For those looking to see both nature and summer cottages, Lindøya is a nice balance and very easy to navigate. Tusen takk!

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!