Route: Nusfjord
Area: Norway, Lofoten Islands
Date of walk: 30th July 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 1.0 mile
Weather: Low cloud and rain
After three days of sunshine, when the days are so long that the sun hardly sets, there was a change in the weather today and we awoke to low cloud and rain. After yesterday’s exertions this gave us a good excuse to go for a stroll rather than a walk, so we decided to visit the historic village of Nusfjord
This was once the most important fishing village on the islands, and for over a century fisherman would arrive here to fish for cod using traditional methods. Larger ports have since taken over, but the old buildings in the village have been preserved and an entry fee is charged to help towards the upkeep
The old rorbu fishermen’s cabins, of which there are about 50 clustered around the harbour, were painted red because red paint was the cheapest. Since the decline of the fishing industry they’ve been renovated and provide holiday accommodation, but from the outside the appearance remains as it was over 100 years ago, and the red colour of the buildings has been retained. We wandered around the place for an hour or two, trying to imagine what life must have been like for the fishermen, setting out to sea in stormy and freezing waters and returning with their catch – many of them sleeping under their boats if the rorbu were fully occupied
It’s a beautiful and evocative place and well worth a visit
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Nusfjord - one of the oldest and best preserved fishing villages in the country...
Dramatic rock scenery gives this place a special atmosphere
Several buildings have been preserved complete with the tools of the trade of the old fishermen
An old boat shed, built around 1877, and held together by old wooden plugs
Some of the fishing huts - there are about 50 in the village - now converted into holiday cottages
The quayside
Gulls are nesting in every available nook and cranny
Dried cod, the staple diet of the islanders
Looking back to the general store
The small harbour
Despite the miserable weather, it had been a fascinating visit
As we drive back, we pass by Flakstad beach
Lastly a short diversion to see the glassblower of Vikten creating a vase...
The end product
