World’s loneliest home that’s hours from nearest town – and visitors are banned from the island – World News

The world’s loneliest house is on an isolated island that is two hours from the nearest town or airport.

Skalmen is the furthest islet in the archipelago it belongs. It is so secluded that visitors are banned from visiting for months at a time. If visitors want to reach the island from the nearest town or airport, they need to take two separate ferries followed by a four-mile boat trip.

The only building on the land is an old lighthouse. One couple spent £89,000 to buy the property, as it is the perfect spot for them. And to add to its seclusion between May and late July each year, the island becomes a protected bird reserve that’s off-limits to visitors.

The lighthouse went on the market for £36,000, but sold for more than double the guide price. Its buyers were Andreas Bjarøy and his wife, Mona Kruse Bjarøy.

Andreas told local media: “We’ve spent a lot of holidays there over the years, love the area, and have fished a lot around Skalmen. So, this became very interesting for us. We deal a lot with property in our job and like projects.

“It’s not every day you get to buy a lighthouse. We thought it would be cool to restore it to make it as good as it should be. And then we can spend more time in the area with our own place.”

The couple plan to “completely refurbish” the building, even though the process will be very expensive. Andreas said: “We need to have a dialogue with the municipality and others, but the goal is for it to be in tip-top condition. It’s not free, that’s for sure.”

Skalmen’s lighthouse was built in 1907, with its first keeper being Anton Lund. He went on an expedition with the famous explorer Roald Amundsen. It’s rumoured that his dog’s footprint can still be seen on the islet.