A tiny Norwegian archipelago just north of the Arctic Circle is being revived through tourism, offering refuge not from violent seas but from the stresses of modern urban life. Eva Ann Andersen, whose family has owned Støtt Brygge since 1897, returned to the island 15 years ago after burning out in Oslo's corporate world and now runs a hotel that's breathing new life into a community hollowed out by industrial change.
Støtt, reached by flying into Bodø and taking the coastal ferry, once sheltered fishing boats blown off course in the Norwegian Sea. For generations, a trading post on Innerstøtt, the largest of Støtt's three inhabited islands, supplied fishermen heading north to the rich Arctic cod grounds of Lofoten. Today, just 25 permanent residents remain, down from around 120 in the 1980s when innovation in the fishing industry brought larger, safer boats and trawlers that no longer needed to stop at small trading posts.
When Industry Leaves, Communities Collapse
Andersen witnessed the island's decline firsthand. The small-scale fishing industry collapsed as technological change rendered Støtt's role obsolete. She grew up on Støtt before moving to Oslo in her twenties and building an international corporate career. In 2011, exhausted, she returned to the island to recover and saw new potential in the place she'd left behind. "Nobody believed I would stay," she said. "But I carried hope when I came back."
The hotel now has 16 rooms across restored buildings including a bakery, fisherman's cabins and a storehouse. Rooms start at 1,990 NOK, or £155/$207, per night for a double, including breakfast. The old shop counter now serves as the bar, and the former bakery room features lace curtains, framed newspaper cuttings and Lofoten Seaweed products. A small fishing museum displays black-and-white photographs and weathered nets from the island's busier past.
Tourism as Economic Lifeline
Andersen has expanded the hotel's activities to include kayaking trips, Arctic sauna sessions, RIB boat excursions to the Svartisen glacier and dinner in one of the World War Two tunnels left from when the island was occupied in 1941. The former German coastal fort once housed around 200 soldiers, and the complex includes concrete bunkers and tunnels built into the hillside, along with an underground hospital, ammunition stores and gun emplacements.
She's also converting the island's old fish factory into luxury suites, hoping to attract more international visitors while creating year-round work for locals. "A lot of people want this off-the-beaten-track feeling," she said. "It's about connection to land and meeting local people." Her daughter Benedicte, back from Oslo where she's studying for the summer, said, "You can't beat the nature here. Oslo has so much stress, but here there is a Zen mode. You don't think about going to the gym, just going outside and seeing the mountains is enough."
Visitors can cycle around the island, explore World War Two tunnels, kayak, watch sea eagles and migratory birds, visit Støtt museum or go fishing. They can also take boat trips to hidden coves and go snowshoeing. Bird watching is another big draw, particularly in spring when migratory birds arrive. In winter, visitors come for the Northern Lights and stargazing.
Heritage Under Threat in Bath
Meanwhile in Bath, Britain's oldest lido faces its own struggle for survival. Cleveland Pools, which first opened in 1815, will "definitely reopen" despite suffering significant flood damage just months after reopening, according to the charitable trust that runs it. The historic site closed in January 2024 when the River Avon broke its banks and flooded it, only four months after it had welcomed swimmers back following a multi-million-pound restoration.
Peter Askew, chair of Cleveland Pools Trust, said detailed investigations found both mechanical and structural damage, meaning major repairs and significant fundraising are needed. "We are moving as quickly and responsibly as we can towards reopening the pools," he said. "It's definitely going to happen." The trust has set out a timetable that includes a public consultation and fundraising campaign, with repair work potentially starting in early 2028.
Askew said floodwater entered the plant room door and that when the pool was emptied of floodwater, the groundwater level wasn't properly managed, which led to further damage. This caused the whole pool structure to lift, breaking some of the pipework underneath. Uneven paving stones around the edge of the pool reveal further structural problems beneath the surface.
Last month, Cleveland Pools Trust regained legal operation from Fusion Lifestyle, the lido operator running the site when the flooding happened. Fusion Lifestyle announced in April that it had appointed administrators after a "prolonged period of financial difficulty." Askew said the trust has started a public consultation that will run throughout the year. "We're making sure that we reach out to as many different communities for whom the pools could be useful in the future," he said. This will be followed by fundraising "in order to get on with the work to the pool early in 2028."
Why This Matters:
These two stories reveal the fragility of Europe's cultural and natural heritage in an era of economic restructuring and climate change. Støtt's revival shows how tourism can provide an economic lifeline for communities abandoned by industrial change, but it also raises questions about sustainability and whether seasonal visitor income can truly replace year-round industrial jobs. Cleveland Pools' struggle highlights the vulnerability of historic infrastructure to flooding and the precarious finances of public amenities run by charitable trusts and private operators. Both sites depend on public investment, community engagement and careful stewardship to survive. As climate impacts intensify and traditional industries decline, Europe's smaller communities and heritage sites will need stronger public support and new economic models to avoid being left behind.