Studying a detailed map of Norway's Lofoten Islands, they’re oddly shaped, like vertebrae and deeply-incised by the ocean. This skeletal string of islets and skerries – made up of tongue-twister names such as Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Vaerøy, Røst and Hinnøy – run for a little over one hundred miles from top to bottom. They were first populated about 6,000 years ago when Tore Hund, a fearsome Viking warlord ruled the seas in long-ships, fighting the bloody Battle of Stiklestad.
The backbone or spine of the islands is called the Lofotenveggen, or Lofoten Wall. Sailing up the narrow Trollfjorden, the Lofoten Wall looks lunar-like with spinach-green pinnacles. The mountains rise to some 3,000 feet and mountaineering, attracting all standards from beginner to expert, is popular throughout the islands.
When you dock, you get hit by a huge smack of sea air - not like carbon-heavy city air, but fresh, clean air, a mixture of sea, salt and mountain vapour. You could say Northern Norway has some of the best air in the world.
In this stark scenery, the accommodation is all about civilised comfort. The traditional fisherman’s cottages or rorbu ('ror' meaning fishing boat, and 'bu' to live, or a small dwelling) are painted a beautiful blood-red and raised on stilts, clustering picturesquely around the stony harbour. They are unbelievably quaint and go someway to show how Norwegian fisherman used to live, yet are presented in high-quality comfort. The cottages are painted their distinctive colour using an old paint mixed with cod liver oil. Inside, it’s cosy and warm with fresh flowers and crisp linens and when I draw the curtains, I can see far up into the mountains in the keen, lemony sunlight. Artists have long been drawn here by the quality of the light and the dramatic relationship between nature and the living conditions of the local inhabitants. You can see local artist’s work in some of the numerous galleries.
Outside my rorbu in the salty air, anchors and fishing nets lie scattered about the quay. Cod dries on large wooden racks in the sun. Some of the rorbu have their own rowing boat. Cod-fishing is an important main-stay on the islands with the season usually starting from March each year.
I have always been drawn to the ends of the earth, whether they be far-flung peninsulas or lone islands, for many reasons: to experience fantastic scenery, to escape urban life, to get away from civilisation, mobile phones and the electronic jingle of arriving email, to breathe fresh air and to get back in touch with yourself and nature. The Lofotens Islands are magical, a pristine archipelago fringed by bleached white sand, almost fluorescent, green oceans and bearing a timeless quality that has not been sacrificed for tourism. These places are remote, enclosed by the sea, with wild, unpopulated scenery. They are a magnet for wildlife. You can take boats out to sea to watch for whales, feed eagles or fish in the seas which churn with migrating cod in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. You can see the blue-green glow of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and walk or cycle the island’s lengthy coastline or trek into its labyrinthine depths. From the end of May to the 14th July each year, it becomes the Land of the Midnight Sun when the sun never sets and you can go out for walks in broad daylight at 2 o’clock in the morning, or sleep the morning away without flinching.
Meal-time is full of extremely difficult choices – selecting from the tempting restaurant menu can leave you unable to make up your mind: is it warm rhubarb soup, lutefisk and smorgasbord with seagulls’ eggs? Or fried cod tongue, reindeer steak served with cranberry sauce, fishcakes and followed by Trondhjensuppe, a milk soup with raisins, rice, cinnamon and sugar. With the seas off the islands teaming with all varieties of fish, you can chose from a veritable A to Z menu of fish. If you’re keen to forget the food you eat at home, the Lofotens serve nothing but Norwegian food on its menus.
Next morning, after dawn rain, the skies clear and are swirling with birds. It’s a paradise for bird watchers with eider ducks, puffins, oystercatchers and the white-tailed eagle. When the weather is fine in the Lofotens, excellent walking trails sprawl in virtually every direction, running around the rim of the islands or into the interior through sparse pastureland, or bright-green peatbogs where you can see cloudberries growing wild. These are orange-coloured, sweet-tasting berries considered to be a local delicacy. In the past 150 years, they were highly sought after among fishermen and sailors not for their superior taste, but for the fact that they kept for a long time and were a good source of vitamin C, thus effective in preventing scurvy.
There are trails that head out past deserted fishing hamlets. On the southern islands, the evocatively-named, but deserted fishing station of Hell overlooks the Maelstrom, the waters west of the Lofoten Headland. These waters were first described, in frenzied terms, by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne, and have the strongest tidal current in the world. The Maelstrom has appeared on historic sea charts accompanied by terrifying illustrations and warnings. In 1555, the Maelstrom was described as an ocean vortex, devouring hundreds of great ships. Villagers from Hell described hearing whales bellowing in rage as they swam involuntarily into the Maelstrom.
Nowadays, the Maelstrom has a calmer (and safer) reputation; the locals respect the waters and can take you on an enjoyable guided fishing trip to see this strange tidal phenomenon or spend an afternoon on a whale-watching safari. Hell was deserted relatively recently in 1950 when villagers dismantled their wooden homes and moved them to Å and Sørvågen.
The 115-foot deep Refsvikhula cave is gigantic, formed like a cathedral, and contains red cave drawings sketched on the walls by cavemen dating three thousand years ago. In July, the Midnight Sun pours into the mouth of the cave filling it with light and it is thought that this light against the cave drawings was symbolic to Stone Age people who performed rituals in the echoy depths.
Touring the islands by car or by public transport is easy as the islands are connected by bridges or tunnels. Stamsund is a particularly pretty port and whilst you’re nearing the southern extremities of the islands, the village of Å is worth a visit, especially the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum.
Above all, the Lofotens are a place to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery – seeing the sights, lounging around sunbathing in the summer months, walking in the heights, fishing, exploring the caves or taking brisk, inspirational walks and enjoying the rich cultural heritage in the winter. That you have to travel virtually to the top of the world to get there is half the pleasure.
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