Stocken
Orust

Marina with picturesque boathouses

The Bohuslän island of Orust has many beautiful coastal towns and villages. The smell of the sea is never far away in Stocken, a small fishing village on the far west coast of Orust. The houses are built close together without any apparent regulations, since the village is built on and around the rocks and cliffs facing the sea water.

The harbour building with its old boathouses, some half dilapidated and others fashionably refurbished, bears witness to the fishing industry’s importance to the area over a long time period. The port and the guest harbour attract many sailors and other boaters in the summer, here to enjoy the idyllic calm that the coast of West Sweden can offer.

Camp next to the rocks and the sea

The number of people here swells considerably during the summer, thanks to Stocken Camping. The scenic, calm family campsite offers not only seaside accommodation but also a swimming area, adventure golf and a restaurant with a dance floor.

For those looking for more activities, the archipelago just outside Stocken is perfect for kayaks, which can be rented next to the campsite. Crab fishing off the rocks is another activity that is part of summer on the coast. Take the time to stroll around the small streets and paths between the buildings that are so characteristic of the west coast. See if you can find the old post office with its painted yellow hatches, which in recent years has become one of the most photographed objects in Stocken.

From herring to tourism

The oldest information about the inhabitants of Stocken is from the 17th century, and like most of the Bohuslän coastal villages, herring fishing was very important to the development of the area. During the 18th century, the abundance of herring increased the population here, but the good times left with the herring at the beginning of the 19th century. During this time Stocken was known as a very poor area, but fortunately it started to flourish again in the 1930s when the first summer guests arrived in town - and over the years there have kept on coming.