Skogsøya · the far edge of Vesterålen · since the 1980s
A place forfamily holidays.
An old parsonage on the water's edge of Skogsøya. Rent the whole place for families, friends and companies, all year round.
Three ways to use the place
School camp, venue rental and trekking cabin.
Øksnes Leirsted changes through the year: school groups come for an active week by the sea, groups rent the whole venue, and hikers stay at the old school at Skavlnes.
01 / Maritime school camp
A school week with the sea as the classroom.
Maritime school camp for school groups who want to get close to the sea, mountains and coastal nature. The Norwegian school camp page has the live availability calendar first.
- Best for
- School groups
- Included
- Food, gear and instructors
- First on page
- Availability calendar
02 / Rent the venue
The whole place for families, friends and companies.
Rent the main house and shared rooms by the water. There are 42 beds in the main house, and larger groups can use the old school for extra sleeping capacity.
- Sleeps
- 42 + the school
- Best for
- Families and companies
- First on page
- Availability calendar
03 / Skavlnes trekking cabin
The old school further out on the island.
Skavlnes school is an open trekking cabin run together with Vesterålen Turlag. A simple, beautiful stop for hikers crossing Skogsøya or staying further out in the landscape.
- Beds
- 25 places
- Booking
- No advance booking
- Run with
- Vesterålen Turlag
Facilities
Space, a kitchen and a roof over your head.
An old parsonage and outbuilding on the water's edge of Skogsøya — 42 beds across seven rooms, a renovated industrial kitchen, a fireplace lounge and a dining hall. Room for the whole extended family or company.
Beds
42 in 7 rooms
Across two houses, both with shower and toilet. From bunk rooms to large attic rooms.
Kitchen
Renovated 2020
A large industrial kitchen with oven and dishwashing station — cook for yourselves, or let us provide full board.
Shared rooms
Lounge & dining hall
A fireplace lounge, a long table with room for everyone, and a light-filled room with the sea on three sides.
A week on the island
Morning on the sea,
evening by the fire.
The day often begins with a walk or breakfast outdoors. In the middle of the day there is room for whatever you like — kayaking, climbing, paddleboarding or sailing. In the evening you gather around the fire, or in the big lounge of the parsonage.
What makes Øksnes special is that everything is within reach — boat, mountain, sea and forest lie just outside the door. Out here you find a different kind of calm than the one you're used to.
Autumn & winter
When darkness falls,
the lights come out.
From September to March the northern lights dance over Skogsøya. And in May and June it flips — the sun never sets at all.
These photos were taken right above our courtyard on an ordinary October evening: a fire by the shelter, a sky free of light pollution, and the aurora over the main house.
- Northern lights
- Sep – Mar
- Midnight sun
- May – Jul
Come and find the calm
out here with us.
We answer every enquiry quickly. Send a request, and together we'll work out whether the dates fit.