Karingon

Karingon is small, low and almost entirely rock, and the village of white and pale wooden houses is packed into the sheltered side with lanes barely wide enough to pass. There are no cars and no room for them; goods move by handcart. Fishing supported the island for centuries and a few boats still work from it, but summer visitors are now the living, and the population multiplies in July. Behind the houses the granite runs bare to the sea with bathing places in the clefts and a swimming spot on the west side. Grasses and salt-tolerant plants grow in what little soil has gathered in the cracks.

Highlights

• A village packed into the sheltered side - white wooden houses, narrow lanes.
• No cars at all - handcarts move everything.
• Bare granite to the sea - with bathing places in the clefts.
• A working fishing past - a few boats still going out.

When to go

June to August; ferries and services thin out after. A full day.

Things to know

July is very crowded for so small a place. Everything closes out of season. There is no shelter from wind or rain on the rock. Accommodation is scarce and expensive.

Nearby

Gullholmen is south; Orust is the mainland island.