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Norway, Land of Islands
Our visit to Norway’s northern islands: Lofoten, Andøya, and Senja. A journey thru amazing landscapes, forgotten villages, places overrun by overtourism at its worst, and quiet corners barely touched by visitors.
Fauske 2 Fjordbotn
Skutvik, 11th June
After more than 600km along the Atlantic Ocean – from Holm to Bodø – we definitely need a break. So, why not head to some nearby islands?
We leave the small town of Fauske and drive further north to the village of Skutvik – about 180km away. It’s not that this place has anything special to offer – it’s just the departure point for the ferry to the Lofoten Islands we’re planning to take tomorrow.
A drive thru farmland, sunny 1 minute, raining the next.
Skutvik has 1 of Norway’s self-service campsites. So there’s no need for a long explanation about needing a campsite, a washing machine, internet, or even a shower. You just go to the website, click a few things – and most importantly, pay for it all.
Whatever, the view is amazing.
Flakstad, 13th June
The next morning, we make sure to queue up for the ferry on time. Of course, we’re well aware of the sad truth: the Lofoten Islands are a major tourist hotspot and seriously suffering from overtourism. So, no idea how many other people are trying to catch the same ferry – and their schedule isn’t exactly tight.
Finally, we’re waiting in line for 3h – but by noon we’re definitely on the ferry. Amazingly, there weren’t too many cars waiting – the ferry isn’t even full.
2h to Svolvær in the Lofoten where our contribution to overtourism will start.
In the early afternoon, we arrive. Svolvær – an absolutely nondescript town. We’re heading to a campsite in Flakstad, about 80km further south.
In the afternoon, we reach our destination – the Lofoten Beach Camp. Yeah, sounds cool, but definitely a bit different from what we’re used to. It feels more like a camping factory than a cozy little spot by the beach. You could almost call it industrial tourist farming. Still, they’ve got a beautiful beach – and this time of the year, you can watch the sun for 24h straight.
The next morning: the weather is awful – wind, rain, clouds, … And it’s the day we’ve planned to climb the famous hill Reinebringen.
Whatever, we head to the village of Reine, the starting point for this notorious hike, which ascends 400m, all on stairs. We’ll see what the hike is about.
So, we’re driving thru Lofoten Island’s famous landscape – those sharp mountains like croc’s teeth, the white sand beaches, the turquoise sea, and every now and then, these romantic little fishing villages.
Slowly, we start to realize, that the full drama of this scenery only comes out in bad weather – when the clouds cling to the mountains, the sky turns dark grey, and there’s constant drizzle. So, probably perfect weather today.
On the way, we pass some racks for drying stockfish (dry cod).
When we arrive in Reine, it’s pouring. No way we’re doing the Reinebringen Hike – visibility would be zero, the trail super slippery, and we’d be totally soaked.
So, we decide to focus on visiting some of these charming, traditional fishing villages. 1st, we head to Å – the southernmost village you can reach by car.
After a few km we arrive and leave the van in a huge parking lot they’ve built especially for visitors. Surprisingly, it’s free.
We pass the rows of parked tour buses and a souvenir shop, then it’s just a short walk to the village – along with numerous other visitors. Honestly, when you arrive you really have the impression of visiting a traditional village: red and white houses, fishing boats in the small port, and pigeons on the rooftops. Just there are a bit too many tourists sneaking around.
When we take a closer look, we realize they’ve turned most of the village into a museum. You just pay an entrance fee, and then you can check out a few spots, go inside some houses, that kind of thing. Provided you’re patient enough to queue up at each sight. The other houses in the village are shops or holiday apartments.
Finally, we limit our visit to a quick walk down to the port and leave the rest to the many tour groups.
We drive back to Reine, with a quick stop in another village: Tind. On 1 side again these typical old houses converted into modern cabins for tourists – but down at the port, we finally spot something authentic: a real, bad-smelling fish processing factory.
Then on to Reine, the most famous village in the Lofoten Islands – some say even more charming’n’picturesque than Venice.
When we arrive, the 1st thing we have to do is hand over a chunk of money to the village administration for parking. At 1st, we thought we were buying a lifetime pass, but it turns out it’s just for 1 hour. Whatever, what can you expect when they’re suffering so much from overtourism.
It’s true, Reine is situated in a stunning location. On a peninsula, surrounded by mountains resembling dragon’s teeth. From a distance, the village looks like a traditional, charming spot. You have to approach it to discover what it really is: a few hotels, numerous cabins, a handful of eateries, and the tourist office charging for parking.
Yeah, it’s still raining. Nonstop. So, we decide to forget about the Reinbringen Hike – and the supposedly best view in all of Lofoten Island. What the hell, nothing we can do about it.
So, back to the campsite. At least, thanx to the crappy weather, we’ve got some time to sort thru our photos and come up with some poetry for the this post.
Bleik, 16th June
Then next morning, the weather is still pretty much the same – maybe just drizzling, not pouring. But remember, you need bad weather to really feel the dramatic landscape of the Lofoten Islands.
We’re on our way to the village of Nusfjord. Another traditional, romantic village – some say even more charming than Reine … making it a real tourist hotspot.
It’s just a few km down a narrow road. On the way, while passing a pretty large motorhome, we suddenly hear a loud bang – and our side mirror is gone. A short discussion follows with the guy driving his vehicle far too big for this road – of course, no agreement. In the end, we both decide to report it to our respective insurance and continue our trip.
What the hell – now we gotta find someone to fix a new mirror before the police pulls us over for driving a wrecked car.
Probably not an easy task on a Saturday morning – so we decide to head on to Nusfjord, and forget about the mirror for now.
In Nusfjord, we’re quite lucky there’s again a nice free parking lot. So, time to visit the village. Let’s see how stunning it is.
We quickly spot a ticket booth on the 1 and only road into the village. Hey, you won’t believe it, they’re charging even more than for the parking in Reine. All that just to see a dozen houses and a tiny harbour. Only later we find out, it’s actually a way to deal with overtourism in this little village. During holiday season, it seems 10000s of Insta-addicted girls and boys flock in here, searching for the ultimate Nusfjord pic – with their moderately photogenic faces in the foreground.
We definitely don’t want to contribute more than necessary to overtourism. So, we decide to limit our visit to a nearby viewpoint. Funny enough, most other visitors seem to be doing just the same.
After this rather sobering experience in Nusfjord, we’re heading northwards to Henningsvær. Just a little less than 100km following the more scenic road on the eastern side of Vestvågøy Island.
It’s definitely a road that passes thru some of Lofoten’s most amazing scenery. Just today though, with the foggy and rainy weather, we’ve had to imagine what the mountains look like.
In the afternoon, we arrive at our campsite near Henningsvær. It’s another 1 of those automatic self-check-in places — no need to deal with grumpy receptionists, just pay’n’get your receipt.
The next morning, once the weather clears up, we finally find out what a beautiful view we actually have.
This morning, we visit Henningsvær – our very last attempt to experience that famous charm of the Lofoten villages. The village is a lot bigger than the others we’ve seen, and even people actually live here.
A stroll thru the streets lined with tidy wooden houses. Then down to the port with the fishing boats, and finally to a hill near the village’s famous soccer field – the 1 that dominates completely Henningsvær’s Insta pics.
And that´s it. Honestly, we think Henningsvær is worth a visit. Sure, it’s not exactly Florence or Paris when it comes to sightseeing, but compared to the other Lofoten villages we’ve seen, it actually feels like a real place — not just a museum or a cluster of tourist cabins.
Time to move on – leaving the Lofoten Islands behind and heading to the small town of Sortland on Vesterålen. Sure, Sortland isn´t exactly a dream destination for tourists. It’s more like the place with a Fiat workshop where we hopefully find a replacement mirror… before we end up having an awkward chat with the police.
So, we’re on our way thru the northern part of the Lofoten, then over a bridge to reach Sortland. There, to the 1 and only campsite – the kind of place we’d never choose to if we actually had a choice.
Time for some reflections on whether the hype surrounding the Lofoten Islands is justified. It seems everybody believes you haven’t truly seen Norway unless you’ve visited these islands. Blogs, Facebook, and WhatsApp groups focus on the beauty of the islands – often just in the manner of an uncritical hype, but some also with the occasional warning about overtourism, commercialization, and loss of authenticity.
Sure, there are amazing landscapes, and they certainly haven’t changed because of tourism. The villages still exist, but it’s a pity—they’ve been turned into museums, tourist resorts, and souvenir shops where you can find everything you never wanted to have.
No doubt, you need to be pretty tolerant when it comes to crowds of tourists. In the villages you visit, you´ll often be sharing your unique experiences with 1000s of others.
On the road, you’re stuck in a constant line of campers and tour buses.
At campsites, you’ve got to arrive early to snag a decent spot, and you’ll need plenty of patience for anything bathroom-related. Anyway they’re not always the most appetizing part of the Lofoten.
We only spent 2 days on those famous islands. We think that was enough for us, so we can share some pics in this post or on social media. And back home, we’ll tell everybody that we’ve been to the Lofoten – even if they don’t want to know it. Anyway, that’s it.
The next morning in Sortland. By 8am we’re at the Fiat workshop. Luckily, they’ve got a new mirror in stock. So we leave the van with them for a few hours and take the chance to discover the town. Well, not super exciting.
3h later, everything’s done. We pay a pretty hefty bill – let’s see if our insurance will cover it.
Then we’re finally ready to drive on. Today to the Andøya Island – just 100km on a scenic route along the island’s western coast. And – what a difference compared to the Lofoten, just a few campers around, and no bus tours at all.
Early afternoon, we arrive at the campsite in Bleik. We quickly find a decent spot – and some friendly neighbors who highly recommend the nearby Matind Trail. A hike up a hill with amazing views. Since the weather’s exceptionally beautiful, we’re on our way just 10 minutes later.
After 1 ½ h, we reach the top – a ledge perched right above the sea, 400m below.
Then back to the campsite – just in time for a beer.
Fjordbotn, 19th June
The next morning, we have to get up pretty early. We’re taking the ferry from the nearby town of Andenes to the island of Senja. There are only 2 ferries a day, and they’re notoriously overbooked. So, we think it’s safer to show up at around 6am for the 9 am ferry. When we arrive, there are already quite some cars lined up – some probably spend the whole night there. But hopefully, there’s still space for us. Time for an extended breakfast in the van, watching the raindrops fall nonstop.
Luckily, there’s space for us – no need to wait 5 or 6h for the next ferry. The crossing takes about 1½h, but unfortunately, there’s not much to see. It’s windy, foggy, and rainy – pretty much the worst weather Norway has to offer.
In Senja, we head to the tiny village of Fjordbotn on the other side of the island. There’s a nice campsite where we can wait it out and hope for better weather tomorrow.
The next morning, the weather forecast still doesn’t keep its promises. It’s not terrible, but it definitely looks like it’ll rain on and off throughout the day. So we decide to postpone the hike we had planned.
Instead, we follow Senja’s scenic route along the northern and western coast. Stunning landscapes – even if the mountains hide in thick clouds, tiny fishing villages with a few lost souls living there, and just a handful of other tourists along the way.
Another morning – better weather. And finally, the chance to tackle Senja’s most famous hike: Mount Hesten. There’s the island’s top Insta spot – the view of Mount Segla from the 1 and only instagramable spot. A must for every influencer addicted to great backgrounds while preparing a pub for the best lip gloss ever or sharing the latest health tips on how to lose even more weight while watching Netflix.
So yeah, definitely a hike not to miss. It takes about 1½ h to reach the top – the last stretch involves a bit of scrambling over rocks.
Then back down again – to the ultimate Insta-spot – which is a bit easier to reach than Mount Hesten (perfect for those Insta-ladies with duck lips and high heels). Later, back to the parking.
Guys,
that really was a long post about some of Norway’s islands. But that’s enough for now – tomorrow we’re heading back to the mainland. On to new adventures.
More about that and other nonsense in the next post. Someday, promised.
Remain jealous.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin