Falch Old Trading Post, Rødøy

Falch Old Trading is beautifully situated on the Tjongsfjord, and it’s just a short detour from the Coastal Highway, Fv17. This trading post has provided many functions through the years: a fish plant, cod liver oil production, fishnet production, country store, doctor’s offices and pharmacy.

The trading post, which was active since the beginning of the 20th century, was owned by the Falch family. As a visitor, you step into a time when the store sold camphor drops and chewing tobacco, Brylcreem, yarn for darning socks, and wooden spools of sewing thread, all in one place. Here you really get a sense of the kind of store at which your great-grandmother and great-grandfather did their shopping!

The museum has a fascinating exhibition on Nordland boats and other traditional boats. The fishermen were equipped with raingear, and you can see garments, fishing gear and other equipment that vividly convey fishing history and the enduring coastal culture. Exhibitions even show what it was like to go to the doctor a hundred years ago.

Mathilde’s Café offers a bite to eat, ice cream, and of course a good cup of coffee. In good weather you might be tempted to sit outside on the quay. It’s the perfect place for a lunch break, with a perfect view of the fjord. If you are lucky, you may even see porpoises swimming past.

By the way, the Municipality of Rødøy includes much of the northwestern part of the Helgeland coast, includes the Tjongsfjord, the Værangfjord, the Melfjord and its fjord arms, the Nordfjord and Sørfjord.

Read more about Helgeland at www.visithelgeland.com