Skarsvåg claims the title of the world's northernmost fishing village, a community of around 60 people clinging to a sheltered bay on the north coast of Magerøya, just 14 kilometres from the Nordkapp cliff. While the "northernmost" claim is disputed by a handful of settlements in Svalbard and Russia, Skarsvåg is certainly the northernmost village on mainland Europe with a year-round fishing fleet.
The village sits in a narrow inlet surrounded by bare, wind-scoured rock. King crab fishing is the main livelihood today, and several operators run king crab safaris from the harbour, where you catch, cook, and eat the crab on the spot. The crabs, originally introduced to the Barents Sea by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, have spread westward along the coast and now sustain communities that might otherwise have disappeared.
Skarsvåg also serves as the starting point for the hike to Kirkeporten, a natural rock arch that frames a view of the Nordkapp cliff across the water. The walk is about 30 minutes each way on a marked path, and on a clear day the photo through the arch is one of the most recognisable images of Northern Norway. Most drivers pass through Skarsvåg without stopping on the way to Nordkapp, but the village, the crab safari, and the Kirkeporten hike together make a better stop than the cliff itself.
The village sits in a narrow inlet surrounded by bare, wind-scoured rock. King crab fishing is the main livelihood today, and several operators run king crab safaris from the harbour, where you catch, cook, and eat the crab on the spot. The crabs, originally introduced to the Barents Sea by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, have spread westward along the coast and now sustain communities that might otherwise have disappeared.
Skarsvåg also serves as the starting point for the hike to Kirkeporten, a natural rock arch that frames a view of the Nordkapp cliff across the water. The walk is about 30 minutes each way on a marked path, and on a clear day the photo through the arch is one of the most recognisable images of Northern Norway. Most drivers pass through Skarsvåg without stopping on the way to Nordkapp, but the village, the crab safari, and the Kirkeporten hike together make a better stop than the cliff itself.