Alnes Lighthouse

Alnes lighthouse stands on the northwestern point of Godoy, a wooden tower painted in broad red and white stripes, built in 1876 and heightened in 1937, automated in 1982 and now open as a visitor site. The tower can be climbed for a view over the open sea, the skerries and back toward the Sunnmore Alps, and the keeper's buildings hold a cafe and a gallery showing work by the local painter Ivar Aalen among others. The hamlet around it is a working fishing settlement of white houses. Godoy is reached from Alesund by a chain of undersea tunnels, and the road out is a short drive that ends abruptly at the Atlantic.

History

A light was established here in 1852 to guide fishing boats into the harbour of Alnes, and the present lighthouse was built in 1876. It was automated in 1982 and now belongs to Giske Municipality, with the tower and the keeper's house open to visitors from May to October (Wikipedia, Alnes Lighthouse).

What to look for

• The striped tower - a red and white wooden lighthouse of 1876.
• The climb up - the tower open with a view over sea and skerries.
• The keeper's buildings - a cafe and gallery in the station houses.
• The fishing hamlet - white houses on the exposed island point.

When to go

May to September for full opening and the best weather; the cafe runs a longer season than the tower. Autumn and winter storms are dramatic here, and the site stays accessible by road year-round.

Things to know

The tower is small and the climb short, and opening hours are limited outside summer. Parking at Alnes is tight in season. The point is fully exposed and often windy, wet or both.

Nearby

Alesund and Mount Aksla are twenty minutes east; the Atlantic Sea Park is on the way.

Key facts