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A Journey to ÅDiscover the dramatic Lofotens on foot
This wonderful journey, described by customers as a holiday of a lifetime, takes you through the wild and dramatic Lofoten Islands, with some truly spectacular walks in this unique Arctic landscape that fuses sea, mountain-top and fishing village. To walk here is to discover a landscape of startling beauty and contrasts: expanses of open moorland, hidden mountain lakes and a picturesque coastline bathed for much of the summer in the special light of the Midnight Sun.
Starting on Skrova, you work westwards, staying on each of the archipelago’s three main groups of islands, with the option of ending, appropriately enough, with an excursion to the village of Å (pronounced ‘Oh’), named after the final letter of the Norwegian alphabet. We include a hire car for most of your holiday so that you can drive between bases and make the most of the walking. On the larger two islands, we have researched a choice of memorable walks, generally of a grade 2 standard, with some rugged terrain and far-reaching views. The simple, traditional accommodation (twin beds only) offers good access to the walking, as well as the chance to get a glimpse of everyday life in typical Lofoten fishing villages.
Nights: 8
Starting point: Zackarias Brygga, Skrova. The journey to Skrova is a highlight in itself, with breathtaking views of the Lofoten ‘wall’. This simple hostelry (the four bedrooms share two bathrooms) is the focal point of the island’s small community and truly authentic. You will no doubt be drawn to the panoramic lounge overlooking the harbour. Dinners of northern fare are cooked for you, while ingredients are left in the kitchen for you to prepare breakfast at your leisure.
Day 1: Skrova is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Lofotens, lying slightly apart from the rest of the archipelago. There are just 280 inhabitants and life on Skrova is lived much as it has been for centuries, with people’s livelihoods centred on the sea and its annual harvest. Today you walk round the entire island, initially through meadows and across a rocky plateau.
As you reach the eastern side, you descend to a spectacular fjord lined with large rocks, then enter a distinctly wilder and more remote part of the island. Your path heads inland from the coast, with the option, if you are sure-footed, of ascending to the summit of Høgskrova for incredible views of both sides of the island, with the Lofoten 'wall' beyond. If you are lucky, you may spot a sea eagle as you walk. (12km, 4.5hrs) Accommodation: Zackarias Brygga, as above. Day 2: you journey by ferry and bus to Leknes, on the island of Vestvågøy, midway along the chain, where you collect your hire car and drive along scenic roads to Mortsund.
Accommodation: Statles Rorbusenter, Mortsund. Wenche Lesniak welcomes you warmly to these comfortable and cosy rorbu (fishermen’s cottages), all with enviable views. These are furnished and equipped to a very good standard, with shower and WC, a small kitchen and central heating. You dine at the centre’s restaurant from the half-board menu which offers a choice of fish or meat dishes. Days 3 & 4: we suggest a choice of five walks for your time in Mortsund, all of which require you to drive to the start point. One option is a walk around the headland from Eggum (13km, 5hrs). As well as affording views of the archipelago’s highest mountain, the walk is great for wildlife-spotting - it is common to see seals, oyster catchers and even, if you are lucky, white-tailed sea eagles. You return to Eggum along the same path.
A longer but easier route (18km, 4hrs) takes you through the remote Tjørndal Valley to a viewpoint offering vistas of Vestvågøy's north and south coasts, then crosses high moorland before dropping into the neighbouring valley of Lauvdalen. For a high-level walk, choose to walk to the summit of Justadtind - one of the highest points on Vestvågoy which affords a memorable 360-degree panoramic view of the island. The majority of the walk (12.5km, 5.5hrs) is a steady ascent over stony paths, only becoming steeper and more strenuous as you make the final short ascent to the summit. A fourth option (12km, 5hrs) is to walk from the island’s most important fishing village to Vetting Moor via Vestvågoy’s southernmost point, from where there are superb views of the Lofoten ‘wall’; or why not take the short walk (5km, 2.5hrs) over the pass to the deserted white sands at Kvalvika Bay?
If you prefer not to walk, then you could hire bikes or a rowing boat from Mortsund. Another alternative is to visit one or two of the islands' museums (pay locally), which include the Lofoten Aquarium; the Lofoten Regional Museum, which looks at life on the islands from the Middle Ages to the 19th century; the Espolin Gallery, home to over 100 works by Kaare Espolin Johnson, who captured the Lofotens so beautifully on canvas; and the Viking Museum, the focal point of which is a reconstruction of the Viking chieftain’s house that was found on the archipelago. Discover similarities in place names between the Lofotens and Britain, as you travel round, map in hand.
Accommodation: Statles Rorbusenter, as above. Day 5: leaving Mortsund in your hire car, you head west through the Nappstraum Tunnel to Moskenes, the last large island, taking the winding coastal road to the village of Hamnøy. If you like, you can stop en route for a short, easy walk which leads from the village of Ytresand around the headland to the abandoned fishing village and sandy bay of Mulstøa. (4km, 2hrs)
Accommodation: Eliassen Rorbuer, Hamnøy. These converted fishermen’s cottages are simpler than those on Vestvågoy. Painted in the traditional colours of dark red and white, they perch right on the rocky edge of the sea. You dine at a neighbouring restaurant which also provides ingredients for you to make your own breakfasts.
Days 6 & 7: we provide walking notes for two walks while on Hamnøy. Of these, we highly recommend the walk to Mount Munkebu, which is relatively demanding but thoroughly rewarding. Your path ascends gently through beech woods to the first of several lakes you pass. You then rise more steeply, alongside a waterfall and above a fjord, before crossing grassland to reach Mount Munkebu. On a clear day, you can see as far as Bodø on the mainland from here, as well as Hamnøy's various lakes and fjords.
A second very memorable walk takes you from Nesland, a tiny fishing hamlet, to the larger fishing village of Nusfjord, which is widely considered to be the best preserved fishing village in the whole of Norway and has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. The path follows the coastline on gravel and rocky paths beneath impressive mountains with expansive views. To the east, you can see mainland Norway, while, to the south-west, you can see tiny Å, the last village on the island of Moskenes. Instead of walking, you could in fact visit Å, where there is a fascinating museum which vividly paints a picture of how tough life was in a 19th-century fishing village. (11km, 6hrs or 12km, 5hrs)
Accommodation: Eliassen Rorbuer, as above. Recommendations for extra nights: the rorbu at Mortsund are an ideal choice, given the wide choice of activities and museums on offer, as well as the wonderful variety of walking terrain.
Prices & travel
Recommended airports: arrival Bodø, departure Leknes
Extra night prices 2008 (extra nights can be booked at any village):
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back
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The harbour at Hamnøy
