Slettnes Lighthouse

Slettnes stands at 71 degrees 5 minutes north on the Nordkyn peninsula, which makes it the northernmost lighthouse on any mainland in the world, a cast-iron tower of 1905 painted red and white rising thirty-nine metres from completely flat tundra with nothing around it but bog, low rock and the Barents Sea. The setting is the point: no hills, no trees, no shelter, and in summer the midnight sun circles the horizon behind it. The surrounding wetland is a protected bird area with breeding waders, skuas and divers, and it is one of the more accessible places in Europe to see certain Arctic species. The keepers' buildings hold a small museum and simple accommodation in season.

History

The lighthouse was built from 1903 to 1905, a round cast-iron tower 39 metres tall, the only one of its kind in Finnmark, and it gained a siren foghorn in 1922. The station was rebuilt to designs by Blakstad and Munthe-Kaas and completed in 1948, listed as a heritage site in 1998 and automated in 2005 (Wikipedia, Slettnes Lighthouse).

Highlights

• The cast-iron tower - a thirty-nine-metre lighthouse of 1905 on flat ground.
• The tundra setting - completely open bog and rock to the horizon.
• The bird reserve - breeding waders, skuas and divers around the light.
• The midnight sun - the sun circling low behind the tower in summer.

When to go

June to August for the midnight sun, the breeding birds and open facilities; the road can be blocked by snow and wind for long periods in winter. Fog is frequent even in summer.

Things to know

The site is remote, several hours' drive from anywhere, on roads that close in bad weather. Facilities are minimal and seasonal. There is no shelter from the wind, which is close to constant.

Nearby

Gamvik and Mehamn are on the peninsula; Kinnarodden, the mainland's northern tip, is a long trek west.

Key facts