Verdens Ende

Verdens Ende is where the road down the Tjome peninsula stops, at a scatter of glacier-worn rock and small islets at the mouth of the Oslofjord, with open water beyond and skerries in every direction. The landmark is a vippefyr, a tipping beacon: a reconstruction built in 1932 of an old form of light in which a fire basket on a long arm is raised and lowered by a counterweight, the way coastal lights worked before lighthouses. Around it are smooth pink rock, bathing spots, a restaurant and the visitor centre for Faerder National Park, which covers the surrounding archipelago. Sunsets over the fjord mouth are the reason most people come in the evening.

The main sights

• The tipping beacon - a 1932 reconstruction of an old fire-basket light.
• The worn rock - smooth glacier-scoured granite at the peninsula's tip.
• The national park centre - the visitor centre for Faerder National Park.
• The open fjord mouth - skerries and water where the Oslofjord meets the sea.

When to go

May to September for swimming, walking and the restaurant; sunset is the classic time. Summer weekends fill the car park by midday. Autumn storms here are dramatic and the site stays open.

What to expect

The site is small, essentially a headland with a beacon, seen in an hour. Parking is charged and fills in summer. The rock is exposed with no shade, and wind off the fjord is common.

Nearby

Faerder National Park's islands lie offshore; Tonsberg and the Vestfold coast are north.

Key facts