Sältingskär – idyllic fishing huts invite you to stay the night

On the southwestern edge of Föglö, Åland, lays an island, which I think is one of the finest destinations in the Åland archipelago. 

On this rugged little island, small grey fishing huts stand out from a distance, forming a small cluster, as if standing together in defiance of the wind.

This is Sältingskär, a former fishing base. 

Note, that you need a boat or kayak to get to Sältingskär.

In the pre-engine era, these locations offered overnight accommodation in the little huts during the fishing season. Several such fishing bases exist in the outer archipelago.

You can read i.e. about these locations:

You can land at Sältingskär on the south side of the island. There is a little bay, which has probably been a port in the old times too. 

Once I had landed, I met the most scenic view: grey huts, grey rock, blue sea, and blue sky! A wonderful summer paradise!

The fishermen of the past probably did not experience the island in an idyllic way. 

Fishing was hard work, and the island offered no protection when the spring or autumn winds blew. It is not always a sunny, calm July day like when I visited the island.

The use of fishing huts decreased in the 1920s. Engines then became more common in boats and at the same time, the sales of herring decreased, thus reducing fishing. 

Now, a hundred years later, with the sun shining from the blue sky, I can only imagine the conditions of that time here on a small, harsh island.

From fishing huts to wilderness huts

There are five huts on the island. Four of them are overnight huts and one is a warehouse. 

The huts provide information about the island’s history. The oldest huts were built in the second half of the 19th century and were used until the 1920s. 

Decades after that, the huts were in poor condition. One of the huts has pictures from 1993, it seems that they were almost at the point of collapse.

Föglö Heritage Association and the Åland Museum bureau decided to renovate the huts, and they now look fantastic. 

The huts are so tidy that you could comfortably spend a night in them. 

And indeed, you can! People are allowed to use them for temporary overnight stays, like wilderness huts. 

A note found in one of the huts says:

Welcome to the old fishing base Sältingskär. This is where the people of western Föglö spent nights during their fishing trips to the net laying sites around this islet.

The fishing huts have been renovated and rebuilt with the landowners’ permission by Föglö Heritage Association in cooperation with the museum bureau of the Åland.

Sältingskär is privately owned, so we kindly ask you to consider the following:

From May 1st to July 15th, it is not permitted to leave the area around the huts due to regional laws. This is nesting season for seabirds, and it’s important not to disturb them as if they are forced to leave their nests, other birds might steal their eggs.

Fishing is also not allowed.

All huts are open to the public, but some of them can’t be heated. There are notes available in the respective hut. We kindly ask that you leave the hut tidy after your stay.

We wish you a pleasant stay in the seafront at Sältingskär!

As the note says, two huts have working fireplaces. In two of them, the chimney is blocked, so the fireplaces cannot be used.

The huts are equipped with beds, mattresses, and blankets. There are also old atmospheric items such as an old fishing net hanging on the wall.

There was an old coat hanging on a nail in one of the huts. It makes me think back to the old days, again. 

Today, we have waterproof clothing and life jackets, but in the past, fishermen wore heavy fur-lined coats like this, without life jackets.

There was no falling off the boat then. Wearing such a coat meant you wouldn’t stay on the surface long. And people those times didn’t even know how to swim!

It’s incredible how much the world has changed in a hundred years. We now take our waterproof clothing for granted!

The guestbooks on the island indicate a steady, though not overly plentiful, number of visitors. This is wonderful news because these huts deserve to be seen.

Throne on top of cliff

Since it was the end of July, I went on a small island tour. Behind the huts was a small hill, and there was something, which looked like a cairn, with some wood sticking out of it.

Oh no, it wasn’t a cairn, instead it was a chair, like a throne, from which you can see far out in the open sea, like you were the king of the island.

Otherwise, the island consisted of gray cliffs and a few puddles with some grass growing around them. The water was clear and the seaweed shone green on the shores.

This time I didn’t stay on the island for the night, but the spark has been lit and I will definitely come back some time and settle down in some of these wonderful huts!