Whispers of the past in Västra Mörskär

Last June (2023) I managed to do a kayaking trip to Västra (meaning Western) Mörskär.

Västra Mörskär and its sister island Östra (Eastern) Mörskär are the outermost islands in the Kökar archipelago. People used to stay on these islands during spring and autumn herring fishing season.

That was back in the days before boat had engines, when people couldn’t sail home every night.

Old fishing base

Work and life on these rocky islands were hard. Durin the fishing seasons, people stayed there many weeks at a time, sleeping in tiny fishing huts.

They went fishing early in the morning, like at 5 am, and after they got back from the sea, the fish had to be cleaned and salted, and the nets sorted. Then the nets were set back to sea in the evening and the next morning the same started again.

They did this in any weather. Low islands didn’t give any shelter to wind and there was constant worry for the boats.

But that was a long time ago. When I turned into the bay in Västra Mörskär with my kayak, I came across a most idyllic sight.

I saw four little fishing huts scattered on the cliffs. To make the sight look even more authentic, there was a traditional-looking fishing boat floating in front of them.

Someone was there, the door of one of the huts was open, and I saw a colourful towel or scarf hanging over the door.

I don’t know if these huts are privately owned, in any case, I would look for my tent site elsewhere. After admiring the idyll, I continued the kayaking journey around the island, hoping to find a suitable camp site.

Exploring untouched nature of Västra Mörskär

I was once again faced with magnificent, rugged rock formations and between them flat low cliffs, which no doubt had been submerged a few hundred years ago.

There was no place for a tent on this side, the eastern side of the island. I toured around the southern tip of the island and it started to look more promising. 

I landed in a suitable-looking place, next to a flat area protected by a high rock wall. Great, this is where I’m staying tonight.

I noticed afterwards that I didn’t take any pictures of my tent site, I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of the island. Anyway, I set my tent behind a beautiful wild rose bush, you can see the spot in the picture below.

I set out on a tour of the southern part of the island. You could tell there weren’t a lot of visitors or animals on this island.

There were no worn paths, and long fluffy lichens grew in the rocks. The island is quite big, and I thought it was kind of majestic. There was a specific atmosphere, which is hard to explain.

Later, when I visited the Åland’s Cultural History Museum in Mariehamn, I learned that there had been huge numbers of people on the island during the fishing seasons. Sometime in the 16th century (I can’t remember the exact year) there were 444 boats and about 2,000 people, according to the museum’s records!

It’s hard to imagine such a bustle on this peaceful island. Perhaps some of the willpower of all those people has remained on the island, anyway I sensed some kind of power there. It was like the island was whispering to me from the past.

I sat on the rock for a long time, breathing in the atmosphere of the island and admiring the sea view in front of me.

The unforgettable seal encounter

As I continued my tour, suddenly, I almost ran into a seal! It was calmly bellowing on a rock on the edge of a dried-up puddle.

At first, I thought it was dead, because I thought it was so strange that it hadn’t run away from me. Then I saw that its chest was moving up and down to the pace of breathing. Then I wondered if it was injured. 

Little did I know that the seal was resting and enjoying the sun without fear that someone would show up to interrupt its evening sleep. Next time I know, and I’ll back off quietly.

The seal finally noticed me, first looking straight at me with its big eyes, in astonishment. I was only a few feet away from it.

Then it became so frightened of me, that it completely panicked and did not know which direction to go. After splashing around in that little puddle for a moment, it regained its sense of direction and began a busy journey toward the sea and salvation. 

Of course, I immediately stepped back, but that didn’t calm the seal. It bounced clumsily towards the sea and once there, it became so smooth and fast.

A couple of dives and it was gone. It still raised its head before disappearing altogether. Sorry that I disturbed you, seal!

Västra Mörskär’s ringing stones

When I returned to the campground, I leaped along some rocks, and one of them had a beautiful sound. Kind of like the ringing stone in Kökar Museum. What a fun find!

Later, I heard that the eastern part of the island has a large ringing stone. I didn’t find it, since I didn’t know to look for it. Maybe next time. 

People used to use ringing stones in dark and foggy weather to point those at sea in the right direction. The sound of the rock is said to carry well over the water.

The evening was calm and I climbed up to the other side of the island to admire the sunset. The summer nights are never dark in Finland, so there’s plenty of light even after sunset.

I love the summer nights’ light in the archipelago, the range of colours is just overwhelming. I could see the moon from my tent, where I could sit with open doors because there weren’t any mosquitos to disturb my beautiful setting.

Västra Mörskär is a magical place! If you are a kayaker, you should add it to your bucket list. It is easy to start a kayaking journey from Kökar.

The island is far out, so be aware of the weather. I managed to paddle there alone because there was no wind at all. I also made sure I could paddle back before the wind rises.

For boaters the waters are challenging. There are no official routes, there are a lot of rocks and lack of sheltered mooring places.

If you manage to visit the island, remember to respect the fragile nature and treat it respectfully. 

Hope you’ll enjoy the gallery below showing the amazing cliffs of the island.

Read also about my visit to Östra Mörskär:

How to get here?

A visit to the island can only be made by boat or kayak. If you paddle, note that the islands are far away by the open sea and are therefore sensitive to strong winds. There are no islands here to provide shelter.

For boaters, the waters are challenging. There are rocks and shallow everywhere. There are no official waterways to get here.

The mooring is also challenging, there are no trees, although there are mooring hooks in the rock, but the former harbour bay is shallow and small.

If you’re not a paddler, you might want to ask the locals in Kökar for a ride. According to what I have heard, at least Sandvik Gästhamn & Camping organizes charter trips to the Kökar archipelago. Ask here.

Another island worth visiting is Källskär: