Posts In The “Europe” Category
A couple of years after first planning it, we finally arrived in Tromsø, Norway. At 69°39’N, Tromsø is the most northerly destination we would bring Dirona this year. With a population of 67,000, the city is the largest in northern Norway, with the highest number of pubs per capita than any other in the country—our…
The continental shelf runs within five miles of the Norwegian coast off the island of Andøya, 25 miles north of Stø. As we crossed, the sea bottom plummeted from 350 feet to 1034 feet in a short distance and continued down to over 3,000 ft (900 m). The deep cold water at the continental shelf…
Dronningruta is a strenuous (for us) 9-mile (15km) mountain loop walk between Stø and Nyksund with exceptional scenery. Dronnigruta means “The Queen’s Route”—the trail was named in honour of Queen Sonja of Norway who walked the trail in 1994. The pictures we’ve seen of the trail in the summer look beautiful, but the previous night’s…
With some calm weather in the forecast, we departed Eidsfjorden to cruise the dramatic west coast of Langøya. We anchored for the night at spectacular Finnvågen, where we hiked ashore and toured the area by tender. The Norwegian scenery continues to impress us. Below are trip highlights from June 6th in the Vesterålen islands, Norway….
Eidsfjorden lies along the south side of Langøya in the Vesterålen islands. From Stockmarknes, our plan was to cruise the exposed west coast. But with several weather systems in the forecast, we stopped for four nights in Eidsfjorden, first at scenic Oldenfjord and later at snug and beautiful Nordvågen. We woke up one morning to…
In 1893, Norwegian ship captain Richard With founded the Hurtigruten coastal ferry service in Stokmarknes, where he lived and worked. At that time, no year-round scheduled ferry existed in northern Norway. The Hurtigruten pioneered the service and became a vital link between northern Norway and the rest of the country. A century later, when the…
Spectacular Trollfjord is 1.5 miles long and only 100m wide at the narrowest point. The fjord is a major tourist draw—tourist boats were running here from Svolvær several times a day, with more gearing up as the height of the season approaches. The large Hurtigruten coastal express ships also visit, turning around inside such that…
Svolvær, with a population of over 4,500, is the largest city in the Lofoten archipelago and the biggest center we’d stopped at so far in Norway. It also is a Hurtigruten coastal ferry stop—we had a great view from our berth to the twice-daily Hurtigruten arrivals and departures. While in Svolvær, we climbed to the…
Reine, north of the Arctic Circle in the Lofoten islands, was recently voted the most scenic village in Norway. When we first saw a photograph of the town years ago, the idea that we’d visit in our own boat seemed at best fanciful. So it was a real thrill to be anchored beneath Reine’s signature…
The natural beauty of Norway’s remote Lofoten islands attract over a million visitors a year. Many come to make the islands’ often-challenging hikes for the spectacular views. We made our first Lofoten hike at Værøy, about 15 miles north of Røst. From an anchorage off the once-abandoned fishing village of Måstad, we climbed 1,480 ft…
Dirona crossed the Arctic Circle just north of Træna on an open-ocean run to the famed Lofoten group of islands. Conditions were calm enough to anchor and launch the tender for a picnic lunch at the lighthouse on Skomvær, the southernmost island in the chain. As we continued north to anchor for the night in…
The dramatic Træna archipelago lies just four miles south of the Arctic Circle. Within the group, Sanna is perhaps the most spectacular, with several peaks jutting near-vertically up to 790-1000ft (240m-300m). A pitch-dark 1650ft (500m) underground tunnel leads through the inside of one to a NATO radar station perched atop, with fabulous views to the…
Torghatten is a famous landmark in Norway due the hole through right through the mountain. A hiking trail leads up and through the hole and back down the other side, and you also can hike over the top to the summit of Torghatten. We did both. Below are trip highlights from May 15th through 17th,…
Stad, a headland on Norway’s southwest coast, is one of 24 areas listed in the Norwegian Coastal Pilot as likely to have rough seas in certain wind and tide conditions. Stad is considered the worst and is so notorious for dangerous conditions that an escort service is provided for small boats and funds have been…
Before arriving in Fjærland, we had planned to hike up to the Flatbrehytta Mountain Cabin, 3,280 ft (1000 m) up at the head of Fjærlandsfjord. But the Fjærland information center said the trail wasn’t passable yet due to snow and suggested Nesahaugen instead for great views. Below are trip highlights from May 9th, 2018 in…
Jostedalsbreen, at 188 sq miles (486 sq km), is the largest icecap in mainland Europe. The icecap extends close to Fjærland at the head of Fjærlandsfjord, a northerly arm of Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord. From the guest dock at Fjærland we made an easy bike trip to Jostedalsbreen at Supphellebreen Glacier. On the way back…
Flåm is a small village at the head of Aurlandsfjrod, a branch off Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. The village is the terminus of the Flåm Railway, considered one of the world’s most scenic railway trips. It’s also the main embarkation point for boat tours of UNESCO World Heritage site Nærøyfjord, and is home…
Nærøyfjord was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005 for being among the most scenically outstanding in the world. At its narrowest the fjord is only 820ft (250m) across with sheer cliffs on either side. Dozens of dramatic waterfalls plunge down the steeply-sloped shores. A standout is Kjelsfossen, one of the highest waterfalls in…