Familylife, surflife and farmlife - on the west coast of Norway

Nicolai and Panida bought a farm on the outskirts of the Norwegian coastline. They had been moving from Oslo, and been living in different places on the west coast when they found their little pearl. It was an easy move. They both are seeking calmness and closeness to nature in their lives, and here they found it.

Ervik is a small village, located on the most westerly peninsula in Norway - with only the North Sea in sight. Its windy, it's cold, it's wet, it's raw, but it sure is beautiful. It is a growing community of locals, creatives and surfers who want to live close to the surf and close to nature in this part of the country.

The land out there feels isolated. You live your days on the terms of nature.

Panida grew up in Thailand, and came to Norway with her mother and brother as an 11 year old.

Nicolai´s from Bergen, a city located by the ocean in south-west Norway. They got introduced through a mutual friend and spent some time chatting before they met for the first time in 2018. It was love at first sight. The rest is history.

Their mutual goals have resulted in them ending up on the little farm  in Ervik, every day creating the life that they dream of.  and now with an addition to their family, their daughter Åsa.

Nicolai writes:

Our goal is to live as close as possible to that feeling you get when you glide through a glassy wave. The feeling you carry after a perfect day in the water, after an hour of meditation, or after a long run in the mountains. That feeling. It's the essence we're after—to live in harmony with yourself and our surroundings.

Two years ago, we moved to Stadlandet, mainly to live closer to nature, to be near the mountains and the ocean. Life here, on the edge of western Norway, is raw and real. We wanted to escape the stress and all the unnecessary clutter that takes over our minds in “normal city life”. We wanted a simple life, filled with play, joy, creativity, productivity and activity.  We wanted a place where our daughter and ourselves could just step outside and play, where we could be free under the rules of nature.

Living in one of Norway's most weather-beaten places makes us humble. The contrast—from storms to tranquil days on the beach—teaches us to appreciate the moments that Mother Earth gives us. This is what I want to share with my daughter. We want her to grow up understanding something that many of us seem to have forgotten: that we are a part of nature, not that nature exists besides us. That we humans, just like all other animals, plants, and beings on this planet, are part of an ecosystem, and that we all have our role in this complex system. Unfortunately, we humans have taken on the role as destroyers—disrupting ecosystems, exploiting resources, and prioritizing convenience over sustainability. But our family is choosing a different path. We believe that humans, with all the intelligence and knowledge that we have, could easily shift to become an nurturer - an protector, restorer and preserver of nature.

We therefore wanted to live lives that have an positive impact to our sorroundings. We aim to live grounded, simple and fun lifes. Where if everyone could live like this, we will have happy people, nature, and climate. Everything loving life on earth and all are having a good time. So we thought, whats the easiest way to minimize our compact on the world? “We need to be become more self-reliant. Grow our own food, make and repair our own things, simply learn how to survive. That's why we started our small farm.

About the farming:

We wanted to produce food were we don't simply use the land; we want to collaborate with it. Breathing life back into the soil with minimal human interference. We want to produce food following the principles of Masanobu Fukuoka, whose philosophy of “natural farming” emphasizes working with, not against, nature. Fukuoka believed in letting ecosystems restore themselves, trusting that minimal intervention would yield both healthy crops and healthy land. Inspired by this, our farm aims to create a regenerative ecosystem—producing food while enhancing biodiversity, carbon-positivity, and further enriching the soil for future generations.

What is this agriculture today doing:

How much of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food?

“The specific number that answers this question depends on these three factors, but the range of possible answers is not too large: around 25% to 30% of global emissions come from our food systems, and this rises to around one-third when we include all agricultural products.” - From: (29.10.24): https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-food

This means that if we can produce food with a net positive impact on my surroundings, we are making a meaningful difference.

“Biodiversity is crucial to the global economy. More than half (55%) of global GDP is dependent on the healthy function of the natural world, equating to $41.7 trillion, according to the Swiss Re Institute. Its research found that one-fifth of countries are at risk of their ecosystems collapsing due to biodiversity loss.

Such changes to the environment are also threatening global food security. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry each night. That’s almost one in 10 of the global population. By 2050, we will need to produce 60% more food to feed a global population of more than 9 billion, UN estimates suggest.”

From 29.10.24: (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/soil-degradation-biodiversity-planet/)

“Raising a single crop has drawbacks as it increases the risk of disease and pest outbreaks because monocultures lack other plant and animal species that limit the spread of disease and control pests through predation.

This means larger amounts of pesticides and herbicides, which can pollute rivers and streams, are needed compared to more diverse farming systems. Intensive use of agricultural chemicals also diminishes the amount of worms and insects available to birds as food. Growing the same crop year after year reduces the availability of certain nutrients and degrades the soil.

Monocultures may therefore also lead to soil exhaustion when the soil becomes depleted of these nutrients. Although lost nutrients can be replaced using chemical and organic fertilisers, it is expensive to do so. There is also an environmental cost, increased mechanisation has led to greater fossil fuel use and more greenhouse gas emissions.

Considering that monocultures can result in soil degradation, reduced biodiversity and increased economic risk for European farmers, why do they continue to be so pervasive?” From (29.10.24): https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/rise-and-fall-monoculture-farming

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Big changes have happened on the farm every time I've come back for a visit. First came the chickens. About 15 or so of them, 4 roosters. This obviously didn't end very well for three of them. Now there is only one. Then came the sheep and the pigs. And the biggest addition was of curse Åsa - she came into this world and the family one January evening in 2023. 

It is really inspiring to see how both Panida and Nicolai had taken on the big task as it is running a farm like this - with all the surprises and the ups and the downs along the way. Nicolai spends hours and hours getting the workshop ready and renovating the barn. Building a ….

With some occasional help from family, friends and workawayers they have done so much improvements around the farm.

On the west coast the weather can be really rough. Panida was born in Thailand and grew up east of the mountains in Norway, where the weather is more stable.

"I love it when the wind is howling and the rain pouring. It's the contrasts that make it so raw out here."

“This place feels a bit deserted in a way - I've really learned to appreciate what's important in life - when living in a big city that's easily forgotten. I like the version of myself out here.”

She's been afraid of water her whole life - so learning how to surf has been a long, but rewarding process. “You really have to let the ego go and commit. And really stop to compare yourself to everybody else. We are all on our different paths.”

After she gave birth she has slowly gotten back into the water - enjoying “Panida-waves” as she likes to call them. Waves where she doesn't have to be scared all the time, only feeling a little excited when the set waves come - and a lot of feeling of mastery.

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There is so much appreciation for this place on the west coast.

Our peninsula has a small yet growing community of surfers and outdoors enthusiasts. Most of us comes from different backgrounds, but we all have this wild place as our common interest. This is just superb. This colourfull mix of people that choose to live on this remote peninsula, is slowly making Stad an vibrant surfing community; with cafes, art galleries, yoga, surfschools, farms, you name it.

The landscape, the ocean, the waves - but most of all the community. It's the people who make this place. The friendly nod, and a laugh in the lineup. The shared stoke for the waves and the real talks about life's ups and downs. 

Nicolai:
For me, surfing is a form of creative expression. It’s that feeling of perfect harmony with the ocean, being fully present with the wave. The wave does whatever it wants, and I’m just responding, instinctively moving with it. Time slows down, and I’m completely in the moment, reacting without thought. That’s what I define as surfing.

My love and attraction for the ocean started when I was a kid, following my dad and living 5 minutes from the sea. He was a professional canoer, making me spend much time in water growing up. Canoeing is much like the feeling of surfing, its all about gliding through water. So I fell in love with the sea and that gliding feeling at an early age.

Even though Bergen is a coastal town, there are no waves there. But growing up in the late 90s/ early 00s the skating culture in the city was on fire. So being 6 years old and skateboarding with my brother and his 90s skategang, either around in bergen or in my brothers skatepark outside our house, made me fall in love with boardriding very early. 

Surfing did not appear in my life before I was 22-23, when I had an exchange semester in Berkeley, California. Here I spent as much time as possible surfing in California. Falling in love with the sea. After Berkely, I  spent a year in Central-America before I had a semester in both France and Portugal - visiting the beautiful coastlines and getting to surf there. 

Panida:
Back in my early twenties, I was drawn to surfing partly because, well, you’d see all these cool people on longboards and in stylish bikinis along the beaches, and I thought, “I want to look like that.” That was probably my first thought about surfing. 

But then I tried surfing in Australia, and honestly, I was terrified. I always had some anxiety about the ocean. Its something with that unpredictable power of the ocean that makes me humble and scared.

So when I met Nicolai in 2018, my initial reaction was, “How is this going to work? I’ll never learn to surf because I’m too scared.”.

So after some time sitting on the beach looking at the surf, I finally felt ready to take on the waves again. I also wanted the surfing experience. The humbling, yet powering experience of connecting with the powers of nature.

This moment was down in France, were both me and Nico where living for 5 months back in 2022. I bought my first board, a 8 foot softtop. The softtop made a difference. I finally managed to get the confidence to get out in the ocean, and my confidence grew every time. My love for the ocean have ever since grown. Now I am pushing myself into bigger and bigger waves. However, I still prefer the “Panida waves” as I am calling these small soft waves we get at Stad in the summer.

My motivation in surfing are to be comfortable in the water, and just have fun, gliding small waves, with the Åsa and Nico or friends. Surf-life is well suited for family-life. Åsa already loves the beach, and to swim with us in the shorebreak. Soon she will be out in the waves to, that is very exiting. Think about that, surfing with the whole family.

Why move with the surf

So when we finished our studies and was going to start working, we only had 1 criteria. We must live close to the surf. So wanting to live in Norway the possibilities are not that many; It was either in Stavanger or the North-West coast of Norway. 

So here we are, living in Ervik, 4 minutes from the surf and 1 hour commute to work. Priorities.“Nothing beats surfing before work.

We often take moments in the water just looking around the scenery of this place. The scenery here, with its crazy looking mountains surrounding the bay, is wild and spectacular. 

Think about surfing this spot, at 02 am in summer, with the sun tipping down under the horizon. Oh, It doesn't get any more beautiful.

But then again, surfing in Stad can also be snowing sideways, -05 degrees and big  heavy waves. Surfing in a harsh climate gives it another dimension. Of course, surfing in boardshorts is more comfortable, but it just feels so good to get home and take a warm shower, and sit by the fireplace after one of these icy cold surfs. The weather and the location sure helps on the crowds. Summer and holidays are naturally more crowded, but that mid-week evening in the middle of November, you could easily be out alone in prime waves.

In their  free time, Panida and Nicolai share a love for learning, creativity, and self-expression. This farm, with its possibilities to free, creative expression, is the perfect setting for them. In the barn, they've built a carpentry workshop, started a library, and are planning to create an atelier and a music studio—a kind of personal playground for the three of them. 

Outside, the possibilities feel limitless. Here, they can build and create freely: a small river, a pond, a wooden house, a bench, a forest—whatever the land inspires. 

“This freedom to shape and interact with our surroundings is something truly special.”

“Our vision for the farm is to cultivate a vibrant, beautiful space centered on creativity, expression, and learning. We want this place to be alive with projects, from sustainable food production to artistic and creative exploration. It’s about learning with and from nature, finding ways to coexist with it, and fostering a life that is not only sustainable but joyful. This farm is our canvas, thats how we feel.”