12.07.2018
Björkliden (Sweden) – Mortsund / Leknes (Norway) 355 km
As we reached Norway again, the weather cleared up some more and there was even some sun and blue skies. The approx 30 km from the border near Riksgränsen to where the E 10 reached the E 6 at Herjangsfjorden were especially beautiful. A passage through the Norwegian mountain range along lakes, rivers and small settlements with colourful houses, the road was one of the most scenic roads we had taken so far. It was a fantastic drive through the stunning arctic, rugged and serene landscape of the North.
We took our time for this section. There was a geocache series hidden along the route – all park & grab caches – mostly at beautiful viewpoints.
Taking our time we found 17 secret boxes and stopped often just for photos. There was a secret box hidden every 400 m or so, but we skipped some of them, mainly because either they were on the wrong side of the road or I missed them driving past because I was admiring the scenery. The road wound through mountains with wildflower meadows along small lakes and passed colourful wooden houses and cabins.
Near Trældal we reached the E 6 and followed the banks of the Herjangsfjorden north to Bjerkvik. On the first available picnic parking space with outhouse we made a quick and desperately awaited pitstop. If nature calls, you have to follow!
In Bjerkvik our circular roadtrip closed for now – one week ago when we had arrived at Harstad/Narvik Airport – we had turned here in Bjerkvik north onto the E 6 towards the Nordkapp. Now we stayed on the E 10 leading west towards the Lofoten Islands. In Bjerkvik we had to fill up the car again and went to stock up on our picnic supplies.
We drove past the Airport and then north and reached the Tjeldsundbrua. This is a suspension road bridge that crosses the Tjeldsundet sound between the mainland and the island of Hinnøya which is already partly belonging to the Lofoten Islands. The bridge is 1007 m long, the maximum clearance to the sea is 41 m and it was opened by King Olav V in 1967. It is part of a network of bridges that connect the islands of Vesterålen and Lofoten to the mainland.
Lucky there was a parking space at the eastern end of the Tjeldsundbrua on the mainland, so we could stop and admire the view. A stunning construction this bridge is.
The Lofoten is an archipelago known for a distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. It is located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle. The main islands, running from north to south are Hinnøya, Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøya and Moskenesøya. The total land area is approx. 1227 km² with a population of approx. 24500.
On the opposite side of the bridge there was a secret box hidden, which I really wanted to find. There was a parking space alongside the road. Mom stayed by the car, because the GPS marker and description suggested the box was hidden beneath the bridge. I did take a detour through nature to reach the spot below and then I had to search for quite a bit before I had an inspiration and located the huge box with many trackable travelers inside. The view from the cache below the bridge was fantastic. It was a special perspective overlooking the Tjeldsundet.
Tjeldsundet is a 50 km long sound located between the island of Hinnøya and the mainland in its northern part and between Hinnøya and the island of Tjeldøya in its southern part. Tjeldsundet has been an important waterway for more than 1,000 years and was wellknown and used during the Viking Age. The southern entrance to the sound begins at the Ofotfjorden and the sound empties into the Vågsfjorden in the north.
On the island of Hinnøya the road followed the sound in southerly direction. The sun came out more and more, but a fresh wind was blowing over the sound. We stopped to take a walk and find a couple of secret boxes at Sandtorgholmen. This some 250 years old trading post is located on a tiny peninsula at the southern end of the Tjeldsundet Sound in the midst of a rich farming community only a short sail away from the Lofoten Islands. In the days when all travel was by sea, it was here where people met to trade and exchange news. Today it is a hotel resort which offers a wealth of history, old-fashioned elegance and every modern comfort.
Most of the buildings in existence today date from a period at the beginning of the 20th century. The main building is an elegant, white-painted timber house in Swiss Chalet style. The reception rooms have recently been restored to their original splendour. The wharfside building “Bryggen” also dates from that period and it was here that the general store stood and where trading was carried on. “Bårdstuen”, which provided the living quarters for Sandtorgholmen’s retired servants and farm workers, dates from 1850, while the old wharfside storehouse serves nowadays as the hotel’s reception. The wine cellar dating from 1770 is the oldest in Northern Norway. And it was here were we found a very sneaky secret box!
The road kept following the banks of the sound around fjords and inlets in many curves. The views along the way were stunning all along. Just before the Tjeldsundet Sound mouth at Ofotfjorden the E 10 turned inland crossing a peninsula, reached the Kanstadfjorden and followed it north to its very end, then along the Austerdalen to the Gullesfjorden. At Gullesfjordbotn the new E 10 turned south again. It formerly went through the Vesterålen archipelago with the Melbu–Fiskebøl Ferry crossing. However, in 2007 Lofotens Fastlandsforbindelse or Lofast officially opened. Lofast is a significantly shorter road connection to the mainland that requires no ferry crossings and allows driving at relatively …. relatively …. high speeds. We are talking a max of 80 to 90 km/h here! All the larger islands in Lofoten were already connected by bridges or undersea tunnels and were now also connected to the mainland. The Lofast uses several tunnels.
The road followed the sparsely populated valley Sørdalen and led up into the harsh mountainscape of the island. The valley ended at a mountain range which was crossed by the longest tunnel of the Lofast. That is the 6338 m long Sørdalstunnel, which connects the Sørdalen with the Øksfjorden. The Øksfjorden is part of the huge Vestfjorden between the Lofoten Islands and the mainland. Sorry, I do not have any tunnel photos … I was concentrated on driving! Coming out of the Sørdalstunnel we crossed the Øksfjorden at a narrow point via the Austerstraumenbru and the Vesterstraumenbru, identical concrete bridges.
The E 10 led then west and followed some small lakes with beautiful vistas and the along the small Ingelsfjord and through the 1260 m long Ingelsfjordtunnelen. Only a few kilometers further on followed the 1530 m Raftsundtunnelen.
Coming out of the tunnel we reached the Raftsundet Sound which runs between the islands of Hinnøya and Austvågøya and has a length of about 25 km. We crossed the sound by the Raftsundetbrua. The bridge is a 711 m long two-lane cantilever road bridge. The main span is 298 m and the maximum clearance to the sea is 45 m.
Austvågøy is the northeasternmost of the larger islands in the Lofoten archipelago. It is located between the Vestfjorden to the South and the Hadselfjorden to the North. The E 10 followed the northern coastline of the island and soon reached the 1995 m long Myrlandstunnelen and shortly after the 396 m long Falkjordtunnelen. Both were crossing mountainranges. There were many tunnels in this section of the road! The Sløverfjordtunnel, which is 3337 km long, is an underwater tunnel between the small islands of Årnøya und Holdøya crossing an inlet of the Hadselfjorden.
The E 10 took us now south along the western shore of the Austnesfjorden, which is a 13 km long fjord arm of the Vestfjorden. Every now and then we stopped at strategic points to look for a secret box. Also at the Austnesfjord rest area was one hidden and the views were stunning. Essentially Lofoten!
A little further on was another secret box marker and the views from that spot over the peninsula Sildpollneset and the fjord was just breathtaking.
From there it was not much further until we reached Svolvær around 16:00 this afternoon. It is the biggest city on the archipelago and de facto capital of Lofoten and has approx 4500 inhabitants. Other than the massive fishing industry, tourism is becoming increasingly important here. Approximately 200,000 tourists visit Svolvær each year.
We drove right into the center of the small town following the sign for the information centre. Parking seemed a problem, though. But in more or less the middle of town was a shopping centre with supermarkets etc. and I just parked there. The parking ticket machine stated 1 hr free parking with ticket. I just pushed the button and got a 1 hr ticket. But I could not figure out how to get an extra paid hour with it. Well, 1 hr would have to do for a start.
The weather was sunny, but still with a fresh wind. We walked straight to the Tourist Information center which was located in the harbour area. On the way I withdrew some more cash from the ATM machine. While we had lived off our credit card for the one day we were in Sweden, here I wanted cash again. Mainly because, when I pay with my credit card I get charged percentage by my bank. But when I get cash from the ATM machine I do not pay any fees. So, saving money by using cash!
At the information center the first thing we did was book a Trollfjord Cruise for the next day. I had tried booking online, but somehow I was not successful. But in town there were many options for Trollfjord Cruises and we booked one on a bigger boat for the next afternoon at 15:00, foregoing the RIB option. That would have been too hard for Mom, so we would be taking the more comfortable option.
There was a big cruise ship at anchor off shore and many tourists in town. A small market with local specialities and souvenirs was set up by the harbour. We were hungry again. We had not stopped for a picnic today again. Therefore we went in search of a seafood restaurant to have a late lunch / early dinner. The sun was out and there were many outside possibilities, but most of them in the shade. Well, the few sunny options were filled up to the last table. However, on the opposite side of the harbour – maybe a tiny bit too far for the average lazy tourist – was Anker Brygge Pub & Bar and the outside sitting area was right in the sun with a great view of the town and harbour. We found a nice wooden bench table by the water. It was half selfservice, meaning we had to order and pay at the bar and it would be served by the table.
Following our tradition – When in Norway, do as the Norwegians do! – we chose a Whale Steak with potatoes and salad and a local beer each. While Mom waited for the food, I ran back to the parking lot to get another ticket, because the 1 hr free was almost up. I tried to pay NOK 20 for the extra hour, but the machine ate my coin and did not spit a ticket out. Bloody machine! I did not have the nerve to investigate that thing further, though. My Whale Steak was waiting! So I more or less ran back to the restaurant and just when I got back the food arrived.
Norway is one of only three countries that still hunt whales commercially. Many Norwegians see it as a relic of earlier times – when it was frozen and served as a sort of mystery meat. Whaling is illegal in much of the world – but that is not so in Norway. Just as Norwegians have done for thousands of years, they hunt the minke whale, a relatively small whale. This whale is not listed as endangered and is apparently abundantly thriving in the waters here.
Our Whale Steak was delicious. It does not taste at all like fish. After all, a whale is a mammal and no fish. It tasted a little like game, a little like beef. I like everything meat and I like everything out of the ordinary. So I liked this very much. Even Mom liked it and ate it all up.
We went for a walk around town after so much food. But first we had to pull another 1 hr free parking ticket! I had to walk off my beer before driving again! So we went hunting for secret boxes and found 2 in town.
Around 18:30 we pushed on toward our next destination. We had 3 nights at the Statles Rorbusenter Mortsund near Leknes ahead of us. From Svolvær the E 10 was leading west. Leaving the town limits we passed small settlements along the road and some inlets and lakes with beautiful views. We found a geocache every now and then alongside the road. It was about 80 km to Mortsund.
Soon we passed another tunnel – Lofoten, the land of tunnels and bridges! The Rørvikskartunnelen was 726 m long and passed under the Glomtinden mountain range. Shortly after the tunnel the road turned north along the shoreline of the fjord again and reached the Gimsøystruamen, an 18 km long sound. The Gimsøystraumenbru is also a cantilever road bridge that crossed the sound between the islands of Austvågøya and Gimsøya. The bridge is 839 m long and the maximum clearance to the sea is 30 m. The road then led around the southern end of the small island of Gimsøya and we had to pass yet another bridge.
The Sundklakkstraumenbru crossed the Sundklakkstraumen sound between the islands of Gimsøya and Vestvågøya. It is 271 m long and the main span is 90 m. The island of Vestvågøya seems to be the middle one of the main islands of the Lofoten and it has a population of approx. 11000. The middle part of the island is relatively flat and marshy, while the outer parts in the north and south are mountainous.
Right after we crossed the Sundklakkstraumenbru we left the main road E 10 and turned south onto the # 815. I prefer driving the smaller roads. The E 10 is the main road connecting all the Lofoten islands and that was noticeable with the traffic. The drive across the southern part of the island to Leknes following the smaller road was very pleasant.
The scenery of rocky shoreline at low tide was stunning. The sun was out again and the light perfect. We passed small settlements with colourful houses driving along the shoreline of the Vestfjorden. It was about 40 km to reach Leknes, but we did not have to go to the town center. We turned a couple of kilometers before the town in the village of Fygle taking the narrow Ramsvikveien all the way to Mortsund. After about 8 km at the end of the road there was Statles Rorbusenter Mortsund, were we would be staying for 3 nights.
A Rorbu is a Norwegian traditional type of seasonal house used by fishermen, normally located in a fishing village. The buildings are built on land, but with one end on poles in the water, allowing easy access to vessels. Nowadays the use of rorbuer is largely to rent them out to tourists. They make great accommodation for travellers. The Statles Rorbusenter Mortsund has a lot of rorbuer which have been adapted to be comfortable accommodation. It is like a little village grouped around the main building which houses the reception. It was about 20:00 when we checked in and then drove the car around to our own little rorbu. The car could be parked right in front of the door. Our hut stood on stilts and had 2 bedrooms, a big kitchen, a huge living room and a bathroom. The view from the kitchen and living room was awesome right over the water to small islands and fishing boats.
The sun was shining with blue sky and we went for a walk before bedtime. Behind the main building was a small inlet with a fish farm on one side and a fishing harbour on the other. There was a geocache hidden at the end of the road. I had to find it and I did!
There were 3 tour busses parked outside the main building and all those tourists seemed to be also going for a walk in the sun …. The wind was relatively strong now and cold. But the sun and light was marvelous!
In the bay was also a salmon farm located. Norway is the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon, and around 14 million people around the world enjoy Norwegian salmon every day! Along with fishery, aquaculture is the main industry in Vesterålen, providing valuable opportunities for employment and settlement along the coast.
The oxygen-rich Vestfjorden is an ideal place for salmon farming. The Gulf Stream brings enormous amounts of water rich in minerals and forms perfect living conditions for all species. The Norwegian coast, with its hundreds of thousands of islets and islands, sheltered bays and calm waters could have been made especially for fish farming. The farm installations are usually in sheltered waters always with a good flow of water through them. The Gulf Stream ensures that it never freezes. Few other landscapes in the world have conditions like these.
We saw fish farms along most of the coastline we passed on our roadtrip. The Norwegian aquaculture industry has experienced rapid growth since its beginnings in the 1970s. Norway produces over 65% of the world’s total production of Atlantic salmon.
A typical Norwegian salmon farm consists of 6 to 10 circular sea cages. Each sea cage will hold up to 200.000 salmon in a net that is 20-50 m deep and 50 m in diameter. The maximum stocking density is 25 kg/m³ – or 10 kg/m³ if certified as organic – giving each conventionally produced salmon approximately one bathtub of water each. One of the secrets to the industry’s success is the temperament of the salmon itself, which makes it particularly suitable for fish farming. Salmon are calm fish, and do not get stressed by being crowded together in pens with other salmon.
Back at our hut we had a drink and sat there enjoying the view and reflecting on the day. Mom went to sleep soon, but I sat until after midnight sorting through photos and writing.
It had been a fantastic first day at the Lofoten Islands.
13.07.2018
Leknes – Svolvær with detours 190 km
Once more we woke up early at 07:00 even without an alarm clock. We got ready and took the car to the main building where the restaurant was located. Originally we were told we would not have breakfast included during our stay here at the Rorbuersenter, probably because we had a huge cabin with a kitchen. But then our voucher stated breakfast included and we had received breakfast vouchers at check in. So we drove the 300 m and found the restaurant. The bus loads of tourist were all attacking the buffet in the main room. Fortunately there was a separate room for individual travellers like us. It was more quiet there and much more relaxed. The buffet was not as spectacular as we were used from the other fancy hotels we had stayed in during this trip, but it was filling enough.
After breakfast at about 08:30 we did not even go back to the cabin, but started out straight away driving towards the E 10 in Leknes. It was grey today again. Clouds, clouds, clouds …. Hopefully it would be friendlier this afternoon, when we were going on our Trollfjord Cruise!
Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. The E10 runs through the town connecting all the main islands of Lofoten to the mainland. The town is situated in the geographical middle of the Lofoten archipelago on the island of Vestvågøya approx. 70 km west of Svolvær and 70 km east of the village of Å at then very terminus of the E 10. Leknes is one of the few towns in the Lofoten that does not depend on fisheries and does not have its town centre by the sea. However, the natural surroundings are among the most stunning in Norway, with mountains, peaks, cliffs, and white sandy beaches. Nevertheless, we just bypassed Leknes and followed the E 10 north.
Due to the weather we decided to do a scenic drive instead of going for a walk. We passed the Viking museum, but opted against visiting it. It was noticeable that the E 10 is the main road of the islands. The road was wider than the small side roads and already in the morning there was more traffic. But the scenery was even in grey weather beautiful. At the northernmost point of the E 10 on the island of Vestvågøya, where it turned southeast again. We left the main road and took the small Haverringen to the north coast. It was a loop of approx. 18 km. Taking our time driving slowly we admired the landscape sprinkled with small colourful houses. I tried to find one secret box, but was not successful.
Towards the shore the scenery got more rugged and harsh, but nevertheless beautiful. Marshy meadows were dotted with summer wildflowers. Summer and farm houses stood in the meadows below rocky mountains overlooking the ocean.
At Limstrand we reached the E 10 again and drove towards Svolvær. Again we kept seeing many signs warning of moose crossing the road. We had seen those signs all along the E 10. We had yet to see our first moose. Shortly after crossing the Gimsøystruamen the road was leading up into a little and again there was a sign warning of moose.
Mom, look another sign! Watch out for moose! – I aaaam looking! – – – Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, there is a moose, Mom! Look! – Where where? I see nothing. – Right ahead! Look it is stepping on the road!
Luckily we were driving slowly anyway and there was not much traffic for once, so I stopped on the side of the road. And luckily I always had my small camera lying in my lap ready to shoot!
It was a baby moose or maybe a young female, nevertheless, it was a moose! Our first moose! It was just stepping onto the road and then ran around for a while.
A friend had told me to watch out for them at dusk and dawn, they would be more active then …. Yeah right! There is no dusk or dawn here! It is light 24 hrs! When would they be active here? 10:30 in the morning was definitely not dusk or dawn!
Moose require habitat with adequate edible plants like pond grasses, young trees, shrubs and such and protection from extremely hot or cold weather. They require access to both young forest for browsing and mature forest for shelter and cover. Why the baby moose was running back and forth on the street, we did not know. But it sure was confused which way to go. There was a motor home parked on the other side of the road and a woman was taking photos. Because the traffic started to jam in both directions, the woman made funny noises to chase the moose off the road. It eventually ran back the same why it had come from. Probably mother moose was just behind the bushes!
I wanted to stop and photo hunt the moose. but Mom did not allow me. Spoilsport …
We drove towards Svolvær and stopped at the Lofoten Cathedral which is actually Vågan kirke. It is however sometimes called the Lofoten Cathedral. It is located in the village of Kabelvåg on the island of Austvågøya near Svolvær and is a largest wooden building. It looked nice, if way more traditional than the modern Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø or the Northern Light Cathedral in Alta. We, however, saved the NOK 50 entrance fee and just looked from the outside. Of course, there was a secret box hidden there. Otherwise we probably would not even have stopped. The view from the road was already really good.
We passed Svolvær backtracking on the E 10 for about 15 km and near Vestpollen turned off onto the Fv888. The narrow road looped around the northern part of the island of Austvågøya passing forests, lakes and inlets. This scenic route is part of the Kaiserroute, which is apparently dedicated to the former German Emperor Wilhelm II. who loved the Lofoten Islands.
It was a roughly 70 km loop and there was actually a series of geocaches hidden along it. We started out with stopping every few hundred meters to find one. But my GPS was not so accurate today and at some point I gave up on this series and rather enjoyed the landscape. Being all hyper from seeing the moose earlier, we were eager to find another one. The terrain was looking good and the warning signs were there, but no moose ….
The sun was not showing itself this morning, it was cloudy and grey, but nevertheless beautiful. When we reached the northern coast there were rocky shorelines and the always present wildflower meadows dotted with colourful houses. Bypassing Laukvik we drove along the coast.
Over the small Grunnførfjorden was leading a low bridge that crossed also the tiny island of Storholmen right in the middle of the fjord. There we parked and went for a short walk. There was also a secret box hidden and the scenery was beautiful. The hint in the description said “under stone and rocks” – Yeah right …. where to start looking with an inaccurate GPS? Not that the GPS markers are always accurate anyway. They are most of the time a bit off …. I had to look for a long time for this box and only found it accidentally.
The drive along the coast and through marshlands was stunning even in grey weather. We were a little bit in a hurry though, because at 15:00 our Trollfjord Cruise would start in Svolvær.
Nevertheless, we saw many of those special houses which have roofs with meadows on them… OK, they call them green roofs! Apparently those may be a new thing in many places, but Norwegians have been planting greenery atop their houses for hundreds of years. Some have flowers mixed in with grass, creating a lush garden that just happens to keep the house below well insulated. Those roofs have many advantages, from maintaining regular temperatures within the house to actually stabilizing the houses themselves.
In Fiskebøl there is a ferry connection with Melbu to the north. From there it was not far until we reached the E 10 again. We did not see anymore moose, but then we had also seen many signs warning of free running sheep … and sure enough …. just before we left the side road me met a whole bunch of happy sheep occupying the road.
Sheep here have apparently free access to whatever they want to eat. That makes the Norwegian sheep happy, they say. “Grazing without fences allows the sheep to act more in tune with their instincts, and they naturally divide into smaller groups with individuals closely related to one another.” Well, if it makes them happy, so be it! The scenery for sure was beautiful.
After that we drove to Svolvær quickly, because we wanted to have lunch before our Trollefjord cruise.
Stay tuned!
