Note: The tour will only be guided in Norwegian!

The poet Henrik Ibsen lived in Grimstad for a few years between 1840 and 1850. As an apprentice pharmacist, he was out on the islets picking herbs for the pharmacy. It was perhaps there that he got the idea for the poem about Terje Vigen. The background to the poem is events during the Napoleonic Wars. Between 1807 and 1814, Denmark-Norway was on the side of France. English warships blocked trade with Denmark and there was a famine in the country. Terje tried to row to Denmark for grain for his family, but was discovered and arrested by the English and spent 5 years in prison. Later, he settled as a pilot in Grimstad and on one occasion had the opportunity to take revenge on the captain who had arrested him. We drive past islands and areas described in the poem.

Ibsen's grandfather was the captain of the sailing ship Caritas. It wrecked off Hesnes in 1798. 14 men died. In 1990, some divers found the ship's bell. A replica of this now hangs at the old Hesnes school. We will go there with a guide and also hear about Hesnes as an important port in the sailing era.

The tour runs every Tuesday from July 1 to August 5. The tour with a guide on the island lasts about 1 hour.

Please note that the tour may be canceled just before departure in case of bad weather. The captain will decide, and the tickets will be refunded.