Route: Oslo to the Lofoten Islands
Area: Norway
Date of walk: 26th July 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.0 miles
Weather: Light cloud
Today is the story of a journey rather than a walk, but one that’s worth recording as the day was packed full of interest. On the way to the Lofoten Islands we’d stayed overnight in Oslo and the next morning we had time for a quick exploration of the city before catching our connecting flight to Bodø. We took the train from the airport and 20 minutes later arrived in the centre of Oslo with about 2 hours at our disposal – barely enough to scratch the surface, but better than nothing
We walked out of the Central Station and along the main street of Oslo, Karl Johans gate, passing by the City Hall, the Parliament and the National Gallery as we did so. We’d made an early start and none of the shops and public buildings were open but this didn’t matter as we had no time to visit them. We made our way back to the station via the waterside, stopping to admire the new Opera House – a striking example of modern architecture
A train ride and a plane flight later we arrived in Bodø, the gateway to the north of Norway. We were now in the Arctic Circle. There was time for a stroll around the harbourside before catching the ferry to our final destination – the Lofoten Islands. The 3.5 hour boat trip was perhaps the best sea journey of our lives as we sailed along the spectacular west coast of Norway with its improbable jagged peaks. The ferry stopped at several small fishing villages before heading across the Norwegian Sea to our destination. We’ll never forget the approach to the islands, with the razor like peaks of the Lofoten Wall rearing up out of the sea like a set of pointed teeth
We disembarked at Svolvær, the biggest city on the archipelago and capital of Lofoten. A short taxi ride took us to our accommodation – one of the converted fishermen’s huts on Svinøya Rorbuer. Read on for an account of our walks on these beautiful islands
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After Leaving Central Station we walk along Karl Johans Gate, the main street in Oslo
Water features in the city...
The Royal Palace - from here we head over to the port area
The Opera House, completed in 2007
The roof of the Opera House forms a large plaza, with views over the city...
Views from the rooftop...
From here we catch the train back to Oslo airport and fly to the village of Bodø
We have a couple of hours before the ferry arrives, and time for a stroll around the port - we are now in the Arctic Circle
The harbour entrance at Bodø
...and the harbour
Our ferry leaves Bodø
The ferry arrives and we sail along the dramatic Norwegian coastline
The ferry stops at several small hamlets - this is Helnessund
Holkestad...
Bogøy
Skutvik
Leaving Skutvik and the coastline to head across the channel to the Lofoten Islands
It's a thrill to see the Lofoten Wall appear in the distance
We were so glad that we'd caught the ferry here, surely the best way to approach the islands
The small island of Skrova
Leaving Skrova
A rainbow in the wake of the ferry
Wonderful skies as we reach the coastline of the Lofoten Islands
We sail past the Fisherman's Wife statue at the harbour entrance of Svolvær
Our first sight of the fish drying racks, used for preserving cod
We arrive at our destination, the small port of Svolvær
After disembarking at Svolvær, a taxi takes us to our nearby rorbu (converted fisherman's cottage) which will be our base of the next two nights
We celebrate our arrival in the Lofotens with a couple of local (and incredibly expensive) beers. The sale and distribution of alcohol is controlled by the Norwegian government, and the policy is to limit consumption via high prices
Later that evening, we view the sunset from the rocks near our rorbu
These photos were taken at about 11pm - there is almost constant daylight at this time of year...
A wonderful end to our first day on the Lofoten Islands, and we look forward to our first walk here tomorrow
