Lofoten is a group of islands in Norway, at 68 degrees latitude, north of the Arctic Circle. Lofoten includes many islands, with seven ‘main’ islands. Today, travelling west (or south) we traversed Austvagoya, (the furthest east, includes the ‘capital’, Svolvaer), Gimsoya, Vestvagoy, Flakstad and Moskenes. A non-stop drive from Svolvaer to Moskones takes about two and a half hours.
Yesterday (Tour 1) we saw the highlights of the first three islands, Austvagoya, Gimsoya, and Vestvagoy. Today we explored Flakstad and Moskenesoya. As we ventured west the mountains became more rugged, and the space between mountain and sea reduced to not much more than a road width.
The crossing to Flakstad is the only under-sea tunnel in Lofoten. It is 2km long and 150m deep, and recently replaced a ferry. The first stop was Flakstad Beach, very popular with surfers. The beach includes a famous small old red hut, and the mountain behind is known for its profile of a woman.
Flakstad has a deep fjord which requires a long drive around. We stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the surrounding mountains and take a few photos.
The final island, Moskenes, features one of the most photographed places in Norway, Hamnoy. The stunning mountainscape behind classic red Lofoten fishing cabins simply cannot be beat. Red is a common building colour in Lofoten because years ago paint was hard to come by so the fishermen used a mixture of red fish blood and cod liver oil to protect their dwellings.
A picturesque town just south of Hamnoy called Reine afforded us a delicious fish-on-a-bun lunch. Reine is famous for its long staircase hike up the Reinebringen. A difficult climb at best, winter makes the stairs impassable with snow and ice until May. Warning signs and barriers are not enough to prevent foolish adventurers. Today we witnessed a helicopter rescue of four hikers who made it to the top but ‘chickened-out’ on the icy descent. What goes up …
Tomorrow Rob Mee and I catch the 6am ferry to Bodo on the mainland, and connect to a long train ride to Trondheim. Many thanks to Lofoten Lights for their excellent tour, and to wonderful Lena for her fantastic guiding and driving.
More photos by Rob Mee.
