Island hopping...

Day 36: Thursday 4th June, 2026.

Florø

A domestic morning dodging rain showers - (grocery shopping, laundry duties) and the Captain had the most expensive haircut of his life...and then it was time to take advantage of the amazing fleet of high speed eco ferries to explore a bit more of the Florabassenget archipelago.

Norway is a global trailblazer in green transportation. Nearly 100% of new cars sold are electric, a high proportion of the bus and rail network is electric, and the country boasts over 100 fully electric or hybrid-electric ferries. Aggressive government policies mandate that all coastal ferries must transition to electric propulsion by 2030.

Low emission, environmentally friendly, super fast, efficient, and a really smooth and silent ride...and only about £4 trip ...what is not to like? ....Calmac and the U.K has so much to learn...

Initially we set out like a line of ducklings, but then split off in varying directions...

...ours took us past the Stabben Fyr lighthouse once again...

...and then made stops for locals, at Skorpa Island...

..where the Captain was astonished, and slightly envious, of their fast and precise maneuverability ...and then it was off to our first stop at Rognaldsvag, Reksta Island...with its nice little harbour...

...and colourful wee houses...

...but looking to the windward-side, we could see some rain approaching fast...

...so we took refuge from the torrential torrent under the harbour shop eaves....until it passed ... and then the sun reappeared over a magical looking Kinn Island...

... just in time to hop aboard the next ferry...and 5 minutes later we were the only disembarkees, ready to have a full 4 hours exploring Kinn..

...Saying hello to its free-roaming, highly resilient 'Norsk Vilsau' (Old Norwegian) Sheep..

...we took a left, and began our clockwise route around the 2.5km isle, passing bronze age graves and 2 fine caves, and then up the pass through the cleft ...

...where we had a close encounter with a crow and a Golden Eagle...(which I didn't capture on camera)...

...and then down the other side...

...and when we stopped to admire Ytteroyane Lighthouse...

...we proudly looked back at our cleft climbing achievement, and realized we hadn't done the infamous Kinnaklova - but it's lower next door neighbour! The more dramatic Kinnaklova was used as a filming location to depict 'Caladan' - the lush, water-rich ancestral home of 'House Atreides' in Part One of the 2021 'Dune' movie....

...so up the real Kinnaklova we went, which was quite a steep scramble..

...but we made it to the rather windswept top...

....and then had the more perilous shuffle back down...to carry on round the coast to see Kinn Church...

...a 12th Century Kirk, which is thought to be the oldest Christian place of worship in Norway. A place of continuous use since early Viking times - home to Celtic slaves and holy monks - mentioned in the first Norwegian Church Law passed in 1024 - and place of pilgrimage today. It is believed to have been built by Celts who were hiding out from religious persecutors by some historians. ...

..We had sadly just missed a concert in the grounds the night before, which happen fairly regularly, but could imagine how special that would be...

...and then the last of the loop, back to the harbour...

...where we had our picnic dinner, and chatted to a lovely local resident until the ferry came back and took us home to Florø in the ever-bright night time light ..

...to our freshly laundered bed...