Information about Gotland
Fårö
Fårö
Ferry:From Fårösund
to Broa. Continuous services during the summer, otherwise once every
half hour. The crossing is free.
Sights: Langhammars, Digerhuvud, Ullahau, Helgumannen fishing village.
Sights: Langhammars, Digerhuvud, Ullahau, Helgumannen fishing village.
Fårö – out in the
sea
Fårö is distinctly different from the rest of
Gotland. Although the crossing over the sound takes a mere five minutes,
the landscape here is even starker, the sand finer and the local dialect even
more like a strange song than on Gotland proper.
The farmland is small-scale, as in days gone by, with little fields and buildings dotted among pastures and woodland. The buildings retain several archaic features no longer found in the rest of Gotland – many sheep barns and dwelling houses, for example, are still roofed with sedge.
The most famous inhabitant of Fårö is without doubt Ingmar Bergman, but if you ask a local where he lives you’ll probably not even receive an answer. Or else you’ll find yourself heading off in the wrong direction. One of the world’s most famous Swedes has found his way to the peace and quiet of Fårö. Every summer, film enthusiasts and big names from the film world head to Fårö for Bergman Week.
One night every September is Fårönatta, when everyone’s awake and everything’s open. Restaurants, shops and bakeries do a roaring trade, the lighthouse is open for guided tours, and lots goes on in the dark autumn night. Once each summer, the students from Gotland attending Uppsala University back on the Swedish mainland flock to Fårö to take part in täckating – reroofing one of the old farmhouses with sedge. But täckating isn’t just about work. Just as in the old days, there’s bound to be a party with plenty of entertainment and traditional food when the roof goes up.
At Langhammars, the landscape has remained untouched since the 17th century. A tiny roads winds its way along the sea wall to Helgumannen fishing village, which used to be one of Fårö’s most important fishing centres. Today, only 15 fishing huts remain.
Digerhuvud is Gotland’s biggest sea-stack area. Here, you can admire many of the stacks that so often feature on Gotland postcards. In the spring and summer the rock is gently warmed by the afternoon sun. In winter, the stacks are covered in ice; in autumn they are lashed by storms, which drive the waves right up onto the road.
At Lauters lie old mill-owners’ estates, prehistoric fields and the foundations of ancient buildings. Ullahau, on northern Fårö, is an area of sand dunes which were once allowed to drift wherever the wind blew them. Today, a pine forest has been planted to prevent the sand from drifting. In the summer, children play in the sand, while in the winter Ullahau becomes the perfect place for sledging.
The old oak tree at Ava is a fine sight in itself, as is the beach on north-eastern Fårö. The Skalasand nature reserve lies just south of the lighthouse. Between Fårö light and Skär is Norsta Auren, a long sandy beach that can be tricky to find. The beach is completely exposed to the ravages of wind and weather and therefore changes in appearance from year to year.
Sudersand is the biggest and most frequented of Fårö’s beaches, and, as it shelves gently into the sea, is ideal for children. Visitors can take in at the campsite or rent one of the cabins, which are available all the year round. There are also several restaurants. Little bays and fishing villages abound along the east coast.
Another beautiful beach can be found at Ekeviken on northern Fårö. Again, it is gently shelving and is perfect for bathing.
Just north of the ferry berth, a road leads west to Ryssnäset. Here, too, the landscape, buffeted by the wind blowing off the sea, is starkly beautiful. A little to the north of the southern point of Ryssnäs lies the English Cemetery, a cholera cemetery dating back to the days of the Crimean War, when the British fleet was stationed in Fårösund.
Forty kilometres north of Fårö lies the national park of Gotska Sandön. Read more about Gotska Sandön here.
The farmland is small-scale, as in days gone by, with little fields and buildings dotted among pastures and woodland. The buildings retain several archaic features no longer found in the rest of Gotland – many sheep barns and dwelling houses, for example, are still roofed with sedge.
The most famous inhabitant of Fårö is without doubt Ingmar Bergman, but if you ask a local where he lives you’ll probably not even receive an answer. Or else you’ll find yourself heading off in the wrong direction. One of the world’s most famous Swedes has found his way to the peace and quiet of Fårö. Every summer, film enthusiasts and big names from the film world head to Fårö for Bergman Week.
One night every September is Fårönatta, when everyone’s awake and everything’s open. Restaurants, shops and bakeries do a roaring trade, the lighthouse is open for guided tours, and lots goes on in the dark autumn night. Once each summer, the students from Gotland attending Uppsala University back on the Swedish mainland flock to Fårö to take part in täckating – reroofing one of the old farmhouses with sedge. But täckating isn’t just about work. Just as in the old days, there’s bound to be a party with plenty of entertainment and traditional food when the roof goes up.
At Langhammars, the landscape has remained untouched since the 17th century. A tiny roads winds its way along the sea wall to Helgumannen fishing village, which used to be one of Fårö’s most important fishing centres. Today, only 15 fishing huts remain.
Digerhuvud is Gotland’s biggest sea-stack area. Here, you can admire many of the stacks that so often feature on Gotland postcards. In the spring and summer the rock is gently warmed by the afternoon sun. In winter, the stacks are covered in ice; in autumn they are lashed by storms, which drive the waves right up onto the road.
At Lauters lie old mill-owners’ estates, prehistoric fields and the foundations of ancient buildings. Ullahau, on northern Fårö, is an area of sand dunes which were once allowed to drift wherever the wind blew them. Today, a pine forest has been planted to prevent the sand from drifting. In the summer, children play in the sand, while in the winter Ullahau becomes the perfect place for sledging.
The old oak tree at Ava is a fine sight in itself, as is the beach on north-eastern Fårö. The Skalasand nature reserve lies just south of the lighthouse. Between Fårö light and Skär is Norsta Auren, a long sandy beach that can be tricky to find. The beach is completely exposed to the ravages of wind and weather and therefore changes in appearance from year to year.
Sudersand is the biggest and most frequented of Fårö’s beaches, and, as it shelves gently into the sea, is ideal for children. Visitors can take in at the campsite or rent one of the cabins, which are available all the year round. There are also several restaurants. Little bays and fishing villages abound along the east coast.
Another beautiful beach can be found at Ekeviken on northern Fårö. Again, it is gently shelving and is perfect for bathing.
Just north of the ferry berth, a road leads west to Ryssnäset. Here, too, the landscape, buffeted by the wind blowing off the sea, is starkly beautiful. A little to the north of the southern point of Ryssnäs lies the English Cemetery, a cholera cemetery dating back to the days of the Crimean War, when the British fleet was stationed in Fårösund.
Forty kilometres north of Fårö lies the national park of Gotska Sandön. Read more about Gotska Sandön here.
