Vaderoarna

The Weather Islands lie about nine kilometres out from Fjallbacka, the last land before open Skagerrak, and they take the full weather - which is where the name comes from. They are bare granite and heather with almost no soil, ringed by skerries where harbour seals haul out in numbers - one of their strongest colonies on the west coast - and the seal colony is the standard reason for the trip. Storo, the main island, has a small harbour, a hotel in the old pilot station, a sauna and a handful of buildings; the rest are uninhabited. Birdlife is strong on the outer skerries, with great black-backed gulls, black guillemots and wintering purple sandpipers. Boats run from Fjallbacka in summer and stop for weather more often than not in shoulder seasons.

What's there

• The outermost islands of the coast - last land before open sea.
• Harbour seals - hauled out on the surrounding skerries.
• Bare granite and heather - almost no soil anywhere.
• A pilot station turned hotel - the only development, on Storo.

When to go

June to August, when boats run. A full day.

Good to know

Trips are cancelled in swell, which is frequent. There is no shelter on the islands. Accommodation is one small place and books early. Landings near seal haul-outs are restricted.

Nearby

Fjallbacka is on the mainland; Hamburgsund is east.

Key facts