The lighthouses that secured Norway's largest ship cemetery

- Imagine living out here! exclaims Henriette M. Skjæveland when the trail finally stops at Varnes lighthouse. In front of us are Hidra and Andabeløy, to the west the small boats dove on a blue carpet, and the sun warms above our heads.

- On days like this one could almost think it was idyllic.

As head of the Norwegian Lighthouse Association, she knows Lista's lighthouses far too well to be seduced by the good-weather idyll.

- I have been here on days when I could barely stand up straight. And here they lived. All year. Think how we got here; out here you had no neighbors. They had to transport all supplies by boat, apart from what they grew themselves, she says.

She points to the narrow strips of grass between the cliffs. They were patches of land, where the families of the lighthouse keeper and the assistant did their best to force food out of the soil.

The wrecks at Lista

When the fire service nevertheless built a fire station all the way out on Lista's north-west corner, it was because it was necessary. The sailing to Flekkefjord started here. And the waters outside were notorious.

- The sea outside Lista is Norway's largest ship cemetery. An enormous amount of wreckage lies outside here, says Henriette and explains that it is due to the combination of a number of unfortunate factors:

The sea here is shallow, with a bottom that rises up and down and creates violent waves. In addition, there are strong currents, often in the opposite direction to the wind, which can also blow briskly here at the far end of the ocean. The waters are so rough that today small boats can take a two kilometer long boat trip across the mainland at Listeid.

The dangers of the sea were actually putting an end to Varnes' first lighthouse keeper, Lars Andersen. He lost everything he and his family owned in a storm when they were on their way to their new residence in the autumn of 1836.

Triple lighthouses

In Svendsvika, two bays in, the lighthouse keeper's old boathouse has been converted into a coastal cabin, with a cooker and long table, and the royal family on the patio.

Most visitors still do as we do. They continue south, pedaling along the Vita Velo cycle route or by car, to the 34-metre high stone tower Lista Fyr.

It was lit in 1836, but the waters around Lista were still not safe enough. In 1853, one lighthouse was joined by two more, in a triangle, so that skippers could easily distinguish Lista from Lindesnes, Torungen or Denmark, for that matter. For the next 20 years, Lista's lighthouse was the world's largest - before lighthouse technology made it possible to give each lighthouse its own flashing light. One of the lighthouses was given new life as Svenner lighthouse in Vestfold, while one stone tower was resurrected as Halten lighthouse in Trøndelag.

Today, Lista Lighthouse is the area's biggest tourist attraction with an art gallery in the lighthouse keeper's residence, a visitor center for the wetland area and opportunities to spend the night in the house where lighthouse assistants lived.

You should also climb the 134 steps to the top of the lighthouse, where on a clear day you can see all the way to Lindesnes.

A weathered rock in the sea

While the lighthouses at Varnes and Lista are fixed to land, Lista's third lighthouse is located on a small islet, at the far end of the archipelago.

The great-grandfather of the daily manager of Lista Fyr, Pål Hals, lived here. And while the lighthouse keeper's life on "his" lighthouse must have been arduous, it was still like a dream compared to his great-grandfather's existence.

At Søndre Katland lighthouse, the waves hit so hard that the arable soil had to be carried in and placed in the cellar before the winter storms. And once a wave smashed in the window on the top floor of the lighthouse, so furniture and equipment sailed down the stairs and were smashed into sticks.

- The harbor on the island is bad. So they were often landlocked and the young had to be kept inside, says Pål, who has seen for himself how the sea can foam.

- I grew up in Loshavn. In some of the autumn storms, you don't even see the blink of the lighthouse on Katland, even though it is only a kilometer and a half away. All you can see is white foam, he says.

- It is beautiful

In fine weather, on the other hand, Søndre Katland is a fantastic hiking destination. When the flag is out, you can also see the lighthouse inside. And the other two lighthouses along the Lista coast are easily accessible, by car to Lista Lighthouse and a beautiful hiking trail to Varnes.

Then you will experience the coast's white road lights as Albert de Nijs and his family do, where they have left the sailing boat "Neptune" for a walk along the Lista coast: As luminous highlights of the holiday.

- Of course we have GPS, but how much fun is that? It is much more fun to steer by the lighthouses. The big ones like Lista to find land, while the smaller guys like Varnes are like the buoys. It is beautiful, he states.

Text and photo: Gjermund Glesnes.