My final day on Lofoten and the first day of glorious sunshine. A Norwegian in the breakfast room drove five hours last night to hike in the mountains, telling me it’s the first day of guaranteed sunshine since the start of August.
Backpack loaded, waiting for the bus south to Sørvågen, Reinebringen is beautiful.
The bus drops me off at the grocery store where I picked up provisions on my first day. The plan is to hike up into the mountains toward Munkebu Hut, the section of trail I would have finished on if I had followed my original plan. It will be a there-and-back hike, but I’ve plenty of time given that the ferry to Bodø does not leave until 8:30 pm.
The walk begins gently round Sørvågvatnet Lake.
There are several pretty waterfalls. I cross one, hopping between stones expertly, feet dry, only to realise I’ve taken the wrong path and sheepishly hop back to the applause of a group of hikers behind me.
After a short climb, a gorgeous lake appears, ringed by mountains.
There are a couple of sections with chains. A man hesitates at the top, worried about the descent. I give up waiting and climb past him.
Resting to enjoy the view of another lake, I’m joined by two young American hikers, who also abandoned the through-hike due to the poor weather earlier in the week. Leaving me to bask in the sun, one rushes back after a few minutes to retrieve his forgotten poles. I’ve done that a few times.
After three miles and 1,700 feet, I decide to explore a plateau across to another valley before turning back. Other passing backpackers plan to camp at the hut, but I don’t have that luxury today.
My GAIA app shows an alternative route back to the coast but the ridge looks intimidating, and I’m not trying a new route on this challenging island without researching it properly.
The descent is much easier.
The walk finished, I pop into the grocery store for a cold beer to celebrate the end of my trip. Sitting on a bench outside, chatting to another hiker, the shop assistant comes out to tell me that drinking alcohol in public is illegal in Norway — good grief! Once she’s departed, I decant the beer into my water bottle. It’s not quite the same but needs must.
The ferry is delayed in the harbour for 90 minutes to fix the bow door not closing fully. I have chilling memories of the Zeebrugge disaster. A loud cheer goes up when the captain announces it’s fixed and off we head into the night for a four-hour crossing.
I sleep through the journey, woken by the announcement that we are approaching Bodø Harbour at 1:30 am.
A group of us struggle to get into Smarthotel Bodø but returning revellers swipe open the door and we all pile in. In a balance of fortune, my room is upgraded to a double, so I’ve time for a quick shower and four hours of sleep before my flight home tomorrow.
For breathtaking scenery, Lofoten is right up there with my Iceland trails last year and probably more challenging in terms of terrain — an amazing trip, full of adventure. After Greenland, Iceland and Norway, perhaps I should go somewhere warmer than the Arctic Circle next year?
Date of walk: Monday 2 September 2024.
Wow. What glorious blue skies – and excellent scenery. A nice change from cloud and rain I’m sure. Great photos.
A great read and I am glad you enjoyed your trip despite the very mixed weather you had to put up with (unfortunately weather in Norway is very variable). I must admit I didn’t know it was against the law to drink in public either, so I learnt something new.
You do see walks with those chains sometimes. It’s actually usually a lot easier than it looks. I did the walk up to the Kjeragbolten (and I did stand on it), which had a lot of chains to help on the way. It’s a great walk (but VERY popular) if you do go back to Norway.
I think you were pretty unlucky with the ferry too, in my experience public transport is usually very reliable in Norway.
I have Greenland as somewhere I plan to go in future too! I am curious where you will end up next year as you mention somewhere warmer.
Yes, the chains were pretty straight-forward and very helpful.
I will have to consult my book to choose next year’s trip, although I am already going to New Zealand with my daughter in February, so that probably counts as somewhere warmer! 🙂
New Zealand. Another place I’d love to go. Some day….