Ureddplassen – Helgeland Coast

Ureddplassen is a rest stop on the coastal road Fv17 in Gildeskål, part of the Norwegian Scenic Route Helgelandskysten. Its toilet building, designed by Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter, is a sight in its own right, and the stop around it is worth the break even if you don't need to go.

A nine-metre-wide terrace looks out over the fjord to the open sea, the island of Fugløya and, on a clear day, the Lofoten Wall on the horizon. Walk down the steps towards the beach and the sound of the road fades away. In May the mountainside is full of birdsong, and the stop is just as good for a long night under the midnight sun or the northern lights.

Ureddplassen is also a memorial. During the Second World War the submarine Uredd hit a mine in the Fugløyfjord on its way to Gildeskål, carrying agents of the Linge Company on a sabotage mission against the power plant at the Sulitjelma mines. A monument remembers the men who died.

Good to know: the toilets are open all year. Emptying the toilet of a camper or caravan is not allowed here.

Photos: Per Ritzler / Statens vegvesen; Steinar Skaar / Statens vegvesen; Lars Grimsby / Statens vegvesen. Architect: Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter. Landscape architect: Inge Dahlman, Asplan Viak. More about this stop: Norwegian Scenic Routes (nasjonaleturistveger.no).