The abandoned village of Hamningberg

04/09/2025

Just a few kms north of Vardø, along a 40km stretch of road, lies a small nodule of land facing out into the Barents Sea. This tiny peninsula is home to the village of Hamningberg. This was our next destination.

The journey to Hamningberg

From Vardø we drove back under the sea and turned right onto a single track road. For a while it took us across flat ground, stony and grassy. But when the road reached the coast it became something else. A twisting, turning, rising and falling wriggle through rocky desolation. Pillars of rock, jagged broken cliffs and piles of broken stone surrounded us as we navigated through this alien landscape.

Along the road to Hamningberg

Luckily the road was newly resurfaced, black and smooth. Very few vehicles were making the journey and so the infrequent passing places didn’t see much action. It was an enjoyable drive until we ended up behind someone who was taking things very slowly. It took a while to find somewhere where they could pull over safely. It felt a bit odd to be overtaking a car in a motorhome.

Abandoned Village

Hamningberg is best known because it is an abandoned village. Back in our campsite at Rognan we had been recommended this location by our Norwegian neighbour who told us how the villagers had been offered resettlement grants in 1964 because the government were not willing to subsidise the building of a new harbour capable of supporting a modern fishing fleet. He told us that actually the last resident had moved out only a few years previously.

It’s not a village of ruins though. Many Norwegians have second homes, from large family summer houses to forest hytte. The majority of properties in Hamningberg are now second homes for the families who moved elsewhere, used by the families or rented out to tourists. Those that aren’t second homes are historic monuments because Hamningberg has another reason to be different than many villages in the area. It wasn’t destroyed by the retreating Germans, and so there are buildings of various ages, it’s a reminder of the way that villages looked before the war.

Motorhome parking in Hamningberg

The large car park for the villages was half cordoned off with workers resurfacing the parking and constructing new public toilets to supplement the one closer to the village. We could have parked in the other half of the car park but instead we followed the example of the other motorhomes in the area and found a place to park on the firm ground on the west side of the peninsular above a rock beach. In this dry weather it was no problem at all although I imagine that parking would be more restricted in the wet.

There is a sign inviting any visitor to make donations towards the village association, an IBAN number is given so anyone should be able to donate.

24 Hours in Hamningberg

Paul wasnt feeling very energetic after we’d got parked up so I got into my swimsuit and dry robe and walked down to the sandy beach we had passed on the way into the village. It was only a 10 minute walk and the sea was calm and inviting. I left my stuff on the beach and made my way into the water where I swam across the bay a couple of times. I’m not an expert swimmer, you wont catch me doing a swift front crawl. I like to bob along sedately with my head out of the water – in this instance with a woolly hat on top to keep me warm. A group of tourists in puffer jackets walked down onto the beach and watched. I really thought sea swimming would be more of a thing here but it only seems to be me so far.

The following morning we set off to walk around the headland. A track leading away from our parking spot soon became indistinct and then rocks took over. We clambered over ranks of rock, making our way around inlets and stopping at beaches to look out to sea. In the crevices between rocks plants grew in sheltered comfort. I picked bilberries and even found a small patch of cloudberries. I don’t know what to make of the flavour of cloudberries yet. I really need to try them again as their texture was so creamy and unlike anything berry that it made it difficult to judge any other characteristics. I didn’t dislike them, but I don’t know yet if I like them.

As we rounded the headland we passed the lighthouse and small harbour. In a shelter by the harbour a family were cooking up their lunch on a small stove.

Taking shelter