The choppy Aland Sea constantly batters the red granite cliffs of northern Vaddo at Grisslehamn. This is the closest point in Sweden to Finland and the reason for the town’s existence. Today’s ferry crossing to Eckero takes only tow hours, but things were much tougher in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when this was the main link with the eastern outposts of the Swedish empire. Until 1876, the post was rowed across the water by local fishermen in open boats. To commemorate the post rowers, a race is held across the Aland Sea every year in similar boats.

Today, apart from those making the ferry crossing, the sleepy fishing port of Grisslehamn attracts Vaddo’s many holidaymakers. Delicious fresh fish can be bought from the red sheds on the harbour side.

In 1900, painter and writer Albert Engstrom moved to Grisslehamn. He became much loved for his priceless characters such as the tramp, Kolingen, and the Roslagen figure, Osterman.