Gamle Hellesund is one of the oldest known harbours on the southern Norwegian coast. Both Sverris saga and the Bagler sagas mention a port called Helgasund here in 1197 and 1207. By the 1500s, Dutch maritime pilot books and nautical charts listed it as Olde Hil Sont, showing it was already a familiar stop for foreign sailors.
The outport sits on the island of Helløya in the archipelago between Ulvøysund and Åkerøyhamn, and is only accessible by boat. It reached its peak in the 1800s during the age of sail, when coastal traffic was heavy and ships from many countries sheltered here between voyages. The white-painted wooden houses lining the harbour date from this era.
Today the village is quiet for most of the year and comes alive in summer when visitors arrive by boat. It remains one of the best-preserved outport settlements on the Sørlandet coast.
The outport sits on the island of Helløya in the archipelago between Ulvøysund and Åkerøyhamn, and is only accessible by boat. It reached its peak in the 1800s during the age of sail, when coastal traffic was heavy and ships from many countries sheltered here between voyages. The white-painted wooden houses lining the harbour date from this era.
Today the village is quiet for most of the year and comes alive in summer when visitors arrive by boat. It remains one of the best-preserved outport settlements on the Sørlandet coast.
