If no one ever visits a house, could you not call it the loneliest house in the world? In this era of noise and congestion, you might dream of getting away from it all and visiting this house. Yet, nobody almost ever does.
The house is isolated and hard to get to, but there must be a way. You would have to prepare for an arduous task, traveling by plane, ferry, and then by boat. If you get there, you will find a house built in 1953, as well as a small hut.
The house is totally off-grid. You would need to bring your own food and supplies. You would find yourself four miles off the coast with little electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no running water. However, you would have a sauna fed by a rainwater collection system.
The coast is Iceland and the island is Ellidaey, 110 acres of isolation. During the 18th and 19th centuries, a handful of people lived there in homes with thatched roofs and sod walls but, in the 1930s, they gave up and moved to the mainland. It is a mystery as to what became of their dwellings. The only house today was built as a hunting lodge, also used by bird watchers and biologists. The second building is a storage hut used by the biologists to store their equipment.
Today, the island is a nature reserve to protect sea birds, Perhaps a few intrepid fishermen go ashore. Hunters come occasionally to hunt puffins, the only inhabitants on the island. Hunting puffins is legal in Iceland. Otherwise, occasional adventure travelers take up residency to experience the rugged life, the natural beauty, and the loneliness.
The journey by boat is fraught with danger, as the weather is unpredictable and the seas rough. You would need to be an experienced boater or get a qualified guide to get you out to the island.
Are you ready for peace and quiet? Could you cope with loneliness? If so, start forming your travel plans and your agenda for spending time in the loneliest house in the world.
Fact: Iceland is one of the last countries in the world to have human settlers
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A stay here looks quite challenging but perhaps equally rewarding?
Craig – Thanks for commenting on my “Loneliest House in the World” blog post. I suspect the challenges and rewards are indicative of the individual and how each person would handle the locaation and isolation. I regret that I haven’t found any first-hand accounts to relay.