Mollösund and Sea

In the harbour of the fishing village Mollösund on the island of Orust, numerous motorboats and sailing ships were anchored. Cafés and restaurants were well-filled over lunchtime, long queues formed at the ice cream parlours, sailors sunbathed on their upper decks. Nevertheless, a calm, relaxed atmosphere prevailed. We came here to explore the idyllic village with its many captain’s and fishermen’s houses on a circular walk.

After starting from the car park at the entrance to the village, you get a first overview of the location at the southwesternmost tip of the West Swedish island of Orust from the viewpoint near the church. Offshore islands protect against wind and waves from the open sea. To the south, we can glimpse Björholmen on Tjörn, where we experienced a beautiful summer night a few days ago. The path leads down to the harbour and the promenade with eateries and shops. These are well-filled in summer, as the village now lives mainly from tourism rather than fishing. In the archipelago on the west coast, traditional shellfish and fish farming is still practised, but it is also a popular sailing area for recreational captains. Incidentally, the shipyard of the world-renowned company Hallberg-Rassy is located in Ellös, the main town on the island, where guided tours are also offered. Besides many modern yachts, we also saw a historic Orust dinghy, which was probably once widespread here.

We continued our stroll, following the cobbled lanes between the colourful, beautifully maintained houses. On many houses, we saw a boat model or a seagull figure in the window, which often indicates a holiday rental. The typical hollyhocks grew exuberantly from almost every available crack between the cobblestones and the buildings – summer is short and opulent abundance fleeting. Our path now led uphill again to a hill, where the historic windmill with its bright Swedish red wooden facade stands. A place to linger, to absorb the atmosphere of Mollösund one last time. Our next pitch, however, would be a little further on the island of Malö.