Grip is an archipelago of 82 skerries and islets 14 km out in the Norwegian Sea from Kristiansund. The main island, barely 300 metres across, held a permanent fishing community for over a thousand years. At peak season, as many as 2,000 fishermen crowded the harbour to fish for cod. The last year-round residents, Hildur and Kasper Larsen, left just before Christmas 1974.
The stave church, built around 1470 at the island's highest point (8 metres above sea level), is one of the smallest and most remote in Norway: one nave, 12 metres long, 6.5 metres wide. It is a Møre-type stave church, structurally similar to the larger Kvernes church on Averøy. The 15th-century altarpiece survives inside.
Life on Grip was exposed and dangerous. Storm waves swept across the low islands. In 1796, a storm destroyed most of the settlement. The lighthouse, Grip Fyr, was built in 1888 on a skerry just north of the village. At 47 metres, it is one of the tallest cast-iron lighthouses in Norway.
Today the 44 remaining houses serve as summer cabins, many owned by descendants of the original families. In summer, 150-250 people return and a small cafe opens. The Gripruta boat runs from Kristiansund from late May to late August. The crossing takes about 40 minutes.
The stave church, built around 1470 at the island's highest point (8 metres above sea level), is one of the smallest and most remote in Norway: one nave, 12 metres long, 6.5 metres wide. It is a Møre-type stave church, structurally similar to the larger Kvernes church on Averøy. The 15th-century altarpiece survives inside.
Life on Grip was exposed and dangerous. Storm waves swept across the low islands. In 1796, a storm destroyed most of the settlement. The lighthouse, Grip Fyr, was built in 1888 on a skerry just north of the village. At 47 metres, it is one of the tallest cast-iron lighthouses in Norway.
Today the 44 remaining houses serve as summer cabins, many owned by descendants of the original families. In summer, 150-250 people return and a small cafe opens. The Gripruta boat runs from Kristiansund from late May to late August. The crossing takes about 40 minutes.