Southern wind sends sailing boats a bit more north and some of them end up on Dyrön (The Animal Island) in the Tjörn municipality. Both the North and the South harbour of this beautiful island are hosting many sailors every year. Sometimes some rainy days come along; some of Dyrön`s wooden walking paths lead straight to the “Sweden hottest sauna” that provides a good shelter from rain drops and cold waves.
Otherwise sun shines through the dense Dyrön forest in the south- east where the lucky ones can catch a photo of wild sheep that reiside here. Others walk up and down the 5 km long rocky gorge Dyröleden and get amazing views of the Åstol island on the north-west side.
After a good bath on the neighbouring northern beach, visitors easily reach the southern parth of the island with a local shop and unforgettable house yards full of artistic details, that are a pure pleasure to the eye. There seem to be many artists that live here; as one looks for the directions to the local cave exhibition, an older gentleman with a painter hat passes by and enters one of those decorated houses. He probably lives there and creates art that speaks all the languages about life, time and all other things of priceless value.
It is hard not to visit Dyrön again, thinks a sailor as he sets course towards a little bit more north to see more of what Tjörn has to offer. And there it is! Densely built houses of Klädesholmen are welcoming the new guests to come and visit the local historical museum that tells a story about the hard life of fishermen and herring production in the past.
Everyone that tasted famous Swedish dish, herring with potatoes, would probably look at the popular fish cans from another angle after visiting this place. The place where the harbour captain with his good black dog takes orders for the next day, when the hot bread and cinnamon rolls arrive to the harbour to end up on the breakfast tables.
As the wind hits the waves against the rocks and white foam covers the sea surface, the sunny hilltop view makes an ordinary man the owner of the world.
In the distance some sailors might dare to spite the wind and lift up the main sail. Someone might think they prayed before that – maybe in the quiet and cosy local church, the oldest one in Tjörn?
Text by Dragana Paulsen
Photos by Kjartan Ivar Paulsen