Havøysund is a fishing village of around 1,100 people on the island of Havøya, connected to the mainland by a bridge. It is the administrative centre of Måsøy municipality and the endpoint of the world's northernmost National Scenic Route, a 66-kilometre drive from the Sami village of Kokelv on the E6.
The scenic route is the real attraction here. The drive crosses from sheltered birch forest into open, treeless Arctic coast, passing through ancient terrain with traces of settlement going back 6,000 years. Architectural rest stops designed for the scenic route programme punctuate the journey: the viewpoint at Storberget overlooking Kokelv, the "love bench" bridge at Lillefjord, box-shaped wind shelters at Snefjord, and at Selvika a labyrinth-like walkway leads down to a beach where the geology reads like an open book, with old sea levels visible as raised terraces on the hillside.
Havøysund itself is a classic Finnmark fishing village: densely packed houses, a church, fish-drying racks, and processing plants that export to the world. First mentioned in tax documents in 1666, it was completely destroyed during the German scorched earth retreat of 1944 and rebuilt from nothing. Above the village, 16 wind turbines stand on Gavlen, and the Arctic View restaurant next to them offers panoramic views along the coast in both directions.
From Havøysund, local boats serve the outer islands of Ingøy, Rolvsøya, and Måsøya. The most adventurous destination is Fruholmen lighthouse on Ingøy, one of the northernmost lighthouses in the world.
The scenic route is the real attraction here. The drive crosses from sheltered birch forest into open, treeless Arctic coast, passing through ancient terrain with traces of settlement going back 6,000 years. Architectural rest stops designed for the scenic route programme punctuate the journey: the viewpoint at Storberget overlooking Kokelv, the "love bench" bridge at Lillefjord, box-shaped wind shelters at Snefjord, and at Selvika a labyrinth-like walkway leads down to a beach where the geology reads like an open book, with old sea levels visible as raised terraces on the hillside.
Havøysund itself is a classic Finnmark fishing village: densely packed houses, a church, fish-drying racks, and processing plants that export to the world. First mentioned in tax documents in 1666, it was completely destroyed during the German scorched earth retreat of 1944 and rebuilt from nothing. Above the village, 16 wind turbines stand on Gavlen, and the Arctic View restaurant next to them offers panoramic views along the coast in both directions.
From Havøysund, local boats serve the outer islands of Ingøy, Rolvsøya, and Måsøya. The most adventurous destination is Fruholmen lighthouse on Ingøy, one of the northernmost lighthouses in the world.