GOING REMOTE
World’s loneliest house is TWO HOURS from anywhere on isolated island where visitors are BANNED for months at a time
The owner's have ambitious plans for the house
THE world's loneliest house sits on an isolated island two hours from the nearest town or airport.
Skalmen is the farthest-flung islet in the archipelago it belongs to and is so secluded visitors are banned for months at a time.
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To reach the island from the nearest town or airport visitors need to take two separate ferries followed by a 4-mile boat trip.
The only building on the land is a eerie and rickety old lighthouse.
Despite Skalmen being devoid of humans, for one couple it has proved the perfect spot, as they forked out a whopping £89,000 to buy it.
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.
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But the mini island - which is part of Norway - proved far more popular than you might think and was subject to a bidding war.
It went on the market for £36,000, but sold for almost two-and-a-half times the guide price.
It sits at the northern tip of the Western Norway region, west of Trondheim.
Its buyers were Andreas Bjarøy and his wife, Mona Kruse Bjarøy.
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Andreas, from Tønsberg, south of Oslo, co-owns a firm that buys and sells property.
Mona’s family comes from Brattværet, which is a stone’s throw from the islet.
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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.”
Skalmen first received five bids, but only two parties fought it out till the bitter end.
Andreas and Mona plan to “completely refurbish the building” but they know they’ll have to shed more cash in the process.
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.
Its first keeper was Anton Lund, who 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.
The lighthouse hasn’t been manned for over 20 years.
The authorities had decided to tear it down before a backlash from locals made them try to sell it first.
It comes as an abandoned palace on the Italian coastline has been left to rot and crumble away a century after it was built.
Once bustling with the world’s elites dancing in its dazzling ballroom, surrounded by luxury chandeliers and pricey marble statues, the building spiralled into insignificance shortly after it opened up.
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Located in Anzio, Italy, “Paradiso Sul Mare” roughly translates to “Paradise by the sea” and should be an iconic landmark loved internationally but only a few know it even exists.
Plans were set in stone for the beautiful palace to be used as a centre for the rich and wealthy in Europe.
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