Waves flow among boulders at scenic Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Unstad Beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 2014

I’ve added a new gallery for my winter 2014 images.

LOFOTEN WINTER 2014: CLICK HERE

I’ve had most of the images processed for several months now, and have already posted quite a few on the blog already: winter part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7.  But now here’s some images in gallery format.

While I didn’t have much of the weather or conditions I was hoping for (ie: no snow), this somehow turned out to be one of my most productive trips to the islands.  So it was a bit difficult to narrow down the gallery to 25 images from the 165 that I have processed so far.  I think the conditions pushed me towards a greater variety and to continued exploration beyond the typical Lofoten ‘Icons.’  And the lack of snow meant I had easy hikes and nights camping at the three best beaches: Kvalvika, Bunes, and Horseid – though the northern lights remained elusive on these nights unfortunately.

For the full gallery of images, you can see my archive – HERE

Rocky coastline of Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter coastal twilight, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 5, 2014.  15:48

A weird series of clouds had hung over the islands the entire day.  While some interesting texture formed from time to time, I spent most of the day doing my best to fight of boredom.  In this effort I took to wandering around the rocks on the inner coast of Moskenesøy; sometimes taking photos and sometimes just jumping around and climbing up stuff.

With the arrival of late afternoon a bit of color finally began to appear in the sky.  I had wandered down to this part of the coast earlier in the day and so returned once again as the light began to fade and I could open up the shutter for a couple minutes to smooth out the otherwise choppy water of the Vestfjord.

While I like the image well enough, it lacks a sense of place for me.  There is nothing here that says ‘Lofoten,’ or even ‘Winter’ for that matter.  I would generally like to give a better sense of place to an individual image.  But when I view it with the whole of my work from February, it helps tell a little more of the story about the islands.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 16
151 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
6 stop B+W ND filter

Vikjorden, Lofoten Islands Autumn

Photo: Autumn in Vikjorden, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 2012

I was recently interviewed for a new Travel podcast – Kuadrant Podcast.  It was the first time I’ve ever done a ‘live’ interview, or basically any sort of interview for that matter, so I’m not sure how much to tell you to expect from me.  But if you’re interested in spending 30 minutes of your life to hear me talk about Lofoten, travel, and photography, you can do so…

KUADRANT PODCAST – Episode 11 – Capturing Seasons In Lofoten

Without going into too much detail, I talk a bit about my early visits to Lofoten (2001/2006 – I’m getting old!) and why I was drawn to the islands and have returned so many times over the years.  Give it a listen and let me know what you think.  Maybe I will try and do more of these things! (Ha!)

Campfire at Bunes Beach, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Spring campfire at Bunes beach, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  April 2013   

While I don’t write much about my professional life as a photographer on this website, mostly because it has little to do with Lofoten, there are a few times when I need to say ‘Hey, check this out!’

As someone who would loosely be described as a landscape photographer; I would rather be an adventure photographer, but I don’t have enough friends to travel with, so am forced to go alone and merely take landscape photos of my travels – or stay at home, the question is often asked: ‘ Would you like to shoot for National Geographic?’

While the answer is an obvious ‘YES!’  Life is not so simple as based upon the opinions of friends and family.  But now I’m proud to announce I now have some humble beginnings within the famed yellow borders.

A couple of my Lofoten images were published in the February edition of the Polish version of National Geographic Traveler magazine in an article about the world’s most spectacular islands, in which Lofoten rightly was included!

Evening twilight over Reine from summit of Reinebringen, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Autumn twilight over Reine from the summit of Reinebringen, Moskenesoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 2013

National Geographic Traveler Poland

Photo: Lofoten Islands – National Geographic Traveler Magazine Poland – February 2014

National Geographic Traveler Poland

Photo: Lofoten Islands – National Geographic Traveler Magazine Poland – February 2014

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And for a bit more self promotion while I’m on the subject, though not entirely related to Lofoten.  One of my Images of the Hurtigruten traveling through the Geirangerfjord in central Norway is in June’s issue of Men’s Journal magazine (US).  I took the image while on a multi-day hitchhiking trip between Bergen and Trondheim (and back) in the summer of 2006 – when I had a lot more free time than money – which is pretty much my same situation today…

Geirangerfjord Norway Men's Journal Magazine

Photo: Hurtigruten and Geirangerfjord – Men’s Journal Magazine – June 2014

View of Vik and Haukland beaches from summit of Holandsmelen mountain peak, Vestvagoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: View of Vik and Haukland beaches from the summit of Hollandsmelen, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  September 2013

I have added a new gallery of from the Autumn of 2013.

CLICK HERE to view gallery.

I’m a little late with this one!  Well actually, I originally wasn’t going to add it at all, as I didn’t really think I had enough images and variety.  But looking at the images now, 6 months later, it doesn’t seem that bad, so here you go!

Some of you might remember that I was supposed to go hiking in Sweden’s Sarek national park in mid September last year.  Unfortunately, one day into the hike, I dropped my camera into a lake.  This left me camera-less for the next two weeks, eating up the precious few days I had in the north.  By the time I had camera back in my hands I only had 6 days left on Lofoten.  Luckily, for some strange reason, the weather gods must have felt sorry for me, and once I had a new camera, I was provided with 4 days of brilliant weather.  I didn’t let this go to waste and hiked up 4 mountains in those 4 days: Grytdalstind, Reinebringen (camped overnight), Holandsmelen, and Kroktind.  But having so little time to photograph, I wasn’t really able to achieve the variety of images I’m used to providing.  But some of the mountain views are quite nice, so I still though I’d share them, even if it’s sort of only a half-gallery in my opinion…

 

Dusting of snow covers sand at Uttakleiv beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Dusting of snow covers Utakleiv beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 9, 2014.  11:41

Walking out of the hostel in the early morning hours it was an unexpected surprise to find a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight; an otherwise rare event during my previous 9 days on Lofoten thus far.  We chased the promise of a nice sunrise to another location, which failed to appear, before making our way towards Haukland and Utakleiv.  Being a Sunday, I was eager to get to the beaches before the snow was filled with footprints from other photographers and locals on their afternoon walks – do you know how much damage a single dog can do to an otherwise pristine beach?  Some might say, ‘just photoshop out the footprints.’  But I don’t agree with that.  Better to come back another day and try again.

With luck, and it being nearly noon, no one had thus far decided to walk along Utakleiv beach, or at least not the majority of it.  So I was pleasantly surprised to come across some untouched sections of beach to photograph.

Had there been no snow on the beach, I probably would not have taken this image.  The light is quite flat and I already have a decent collection of images from Utakleiv that I’ve taken over the years.  But with a little snow, I had the opportunity to produce something somewhat new in the otherwise familiar setting.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 13
13 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom

Female hiker jumps in air on sand dune at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Jumping to the sky, Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

For a reason unknown to me, but likely having some purpose, the Monday morning ferry to Vindstad and Kjerkfjord leaves Reine at 07:00 am.  In early March this means it’s still quite dark out.  As the crew showed up and we boarded the boat I was still not sure where we would be going, but as the assistant came around to collect our payments I said Kjerkfjord.  We were committed now.

We were the only two passengers onboard as MS Fjordkyss idled out of the harbour and into the fjord.  The forecast was for dry weather, but I know better than to believe this, especially when Horseid is concerned, as the steep mountains gather all the nearby clouds and let them sit over the beach, dropping any rain they may have, before moving out to sea.  So as I saw the heavy layer of cloud hanging over the pass, I wondered if it would not have been better to go to Bunes, which was cloud free as far as I could tell.

As the boat headed deeper into Kjerkfjord the first few drops of rain began to fall from the heavy clouds.  Not again. I Thought.  I was hoping to hike this route at least once without rain.  My two previous visits having been rather soggy.

Soon the ferry pulled up to the small pier and dropped us off.  We were now alone and the end of the world.  Save for a few seagulls and the splashing of waves, the world was silent.

It must have been a bit colder here than in the fjord, as the rain began to turn into a warm snow, tentatively balanced on the border of freezing.  But it was just cold enough to save me from putting my rain shell on, where I would likely overheat on the hike up the pass.

An added benefit of the cold temperatures is that much of the normally boggy and wet trail was frozen.  Where feet would normally slip and sink into mud, the shoes gripped the solid ground and moved forward with ease.  That is until the ice was reached.

Though the trail was more or less entirely snow free, other than the light amount falling as we hiked, it was quite icy, especially on the beach side where the numerous small creeks oozed out over the trail in frozen sheets of ice.  The going down was slow, careful work to avoid slipping and several minor detours where required to circumvent some particularly icy sections of trail.  Eventually flat ground was reached and we could hike with a bit more ease.

In summer, the worst section of the trail is the section around the lake and to the back of the beach.  Despite my best efforts keeping my feet dry to that point, they never remain so, as hundreds of meters of bog and wet grass need to be crossed.  Again, the cold came to our rescue and the frozen grass crunched underfoot.  A few particularly muddy sections remained unfrozen, but these were easily avoided.

Upon reaching the sand, it is a deceptively long walk to my preferred camping area on the small grassy hill at the front of the beach, overlooking the the waves as they wash against the jagged cliffs.  Here, there is one last obstacle to negotiate, in the form of a small creek.  Often it can be a small hop across and on to some rocks, but as we neared, it was obviously going to take a bit more effort.  Finding what I thought was a suitable place to cross, I put my trekking poles into the water and proceeded to jump.  The poles instantly sunk beneath the sand and I lost momentum, sending one of my feet deep into the water.  I mumbled a few low curses and I hiked up through the grass towards the top of the hill.  I guess I wouldn’t avoid wet feet after all.

As we began to setup camp I noticed the weather beginning to clear a bit.  I wasn’t sure if the March sun would rise high enough over the mountains for the beach to get any direct sunlight, as had been the case at Bunes beach a couple weeks before, but soon enough, the sun broke free of the clouds and cast a brilliant light over our camp and the beach.  We had been halfway through with cooking lunch, but gave this up to go enjoy what little sunlight we might receive.  A little before 13:00 shadow crept back across the sand as the sun returned behind the mountains for the remainder of the day.

With the beach now cast in shadow and the little warmth the sun provided gone, we headed back to camp to finally continue with lunch.  The fuel canister for my stove wasn’t enjoying to cold temperatures as I attempted to boil water for soup.  The best solution seemed for me to wrap my bare hands around it, my face a little closer to the flame than I would like, which provided enough warmth to get the stove moving at a slightly better pace.

The sky was nearly cloudless as evening arrived and I first headed back to the beach before then going out to the cliffs beyond camp, with some hope that maybe the sun might crest around the distant mountain which guarded the bay.  It didn’t, but there was still some nice light to be seen.

Normally while camping, I would spend some hours sitting around a campfire.  But in dry winter conditions, it was obvious that any attempt at a fire would likely light the surrounding grass and possibly start a wildfire.  Not something I was looking to do.  So it was back to the tent to warm up in the sleeping bags and stare at the stars.

The sky remained clear as the night progressed, and I proceeded with my usual system of having my alarm go off every 30 minutes in order to check for northern lights.  But as much as I would have loved a shot of Auroras filling the sky over my tent, they remained quiet.

The only return ferry on Tuesday was the 15:00 afternoon one.  This gave us a plenty of time to lounge around camp before packing up and heading back over the mountain to civilisation.  It was another brilliantly sunny day.  One of those perfect moments where you’re glad to be out in the wild.  We gave ourselves longer than needed to make the return hike.  This turned out to be way more time than necessary as ascending the icy trail was much quicker than our previous day’s descent.  As we neared to top, we were cast back into the sun’s bright light, which remained over us for the remainder of the walk back to Kjerkfjord.

There is not much of anything in Kjerkfjord, but thankfully there is a small waiting room near the end of the pier; otherwise it would be a cold wait for the boat to come.  Though I still remember a bad storm in summer of 2010 while heading out to Bunes beach, and picking up passengers from Kjerkfjord, half the passengers getting on seemed near hypothermic and soaked to the core.  Perhaps it wasn’t the best day for a hike.  It turned out not to be the best night for camping either, as I had to take shelter behind the old lady’s house at Bunes to keep my tent from breaking.  The next two days were brilliant however…

Back at the car in Reine, we headed back to the hostel in Stamsund, which had now officially opened for the season, and I claimed my usual corner bunk.  The weather began to turn and gale force winds swept over the islands.  Indoor weather.

The storm caused havoc with the transportation and ferries were canceled or rerouted.  As the final days arrived, I was anxiously checking conditions in order to figure out a way off the islands.  In such condition, I would have likely taken the last flight of the day from Lenkes to Bodoø.  But as we were leaving Bodø on a Sunday morning, the airport in Leknes closes around 14:00 on Saturdays, not really ideal.  So with an OK looking forecast, I decided to gamble on the Hurtigruten being able to make it to port in Stamsund.

I kept checking the Hurtigruten website, which was reporting weather delays, but no cancelations for Lofoten.  And watching the marine traffic website, I could see the boat on course to Stamsund, though this didn’t necessarily mean it could make it to harbour.  Just before ten we said our goodbyes and left the hostel.  Soon enough we were greeted with the loud horn of the Hurtigruten arriving at the harbour.  The nervousness that I had been feeling all day calmed a bit.  Though in one last act to keep me a bit on edge, They seemed to have trouble lowering the passenger foot ramp, which lowered up and down for 20 minutes or so as us passengers looked on nervously.  Finally, they seemed to give up and we were herded onto the car elevator and taken below deck, where we then had to follow a maze of hallways and stairs to find the reception, my skis banging into just about everything they could.

It was a rough crossing, but not the worst I’ve encountered, as the ship made it’s way across the stormy waters of the Vestfjord and onward to Bodø.  Arriving in the early hours of the morning, we had a bit of time to spend in the ferry terminal waiting room before continuing on to the airport.  In my last couple winter encounters, the door has been locked, requiring a phone call to gain entrance.  But as I approached the doors open, where I was immediately hit with the stench of stale alcohol and some rather homeless looking guys sitting on the benches – the reason they began locking the door in the first place.  I made a bed out of chairs and did my best to sleep, but I was too nervous about the drunks to get much.  Unsure if the airport opened at 4 or 5 in the morning, we decided to split the difference and leave a little after 04:00am for the 30 minute walk.

Norway wouldn’t give us up so easily and we were given one last rainy walk through the dark streets of Bodø.  It turns out the airport opens at 05:00am, so we had to sit outside awhile before someone finally came along and opened the door.  Soon enough we were in the sky, and I was heading south after 5 weeks in the Scandinavian arctic.

Female hiker hiking trail towards Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Hiking towards Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

hiker hiking across sand at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Walking across the vast sands of Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Female hiker sets up tent on wild camping trip to Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Setting up camp at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Female backpacker takes in view from tent while camping at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Wild camping at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Female hiker leaves footprints in sand on scenic Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: The low winter sun shines brightly over Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Tent with scenic mountain backdrop while wild camping at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Tent and mountains, Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Mountains rise above the scenic Horseid beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Mountain reflection on Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Tent illuminated at night while wild camping at scenic Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Night at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Warming hands with stove on cold morning wild camping at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Warming hands after a cold winter night at Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Panoramic mountain view towards Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Panoramic view over Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Female hiker descending trail to catch ferry at village of Kjerkfjord, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Returning to Kjerkfjord from Horseid beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

View from jetty of small village of Kjerkfjord - Kierkefjord, only reached by boat, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Waiting for the ferry in Kjerkfjord, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Winter storm over snow covered beach, Unstad, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Clearing winter storm at Unstad beach, Vestvågoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.

I’m honored to announce that I’ll be joining the January 2015 Muench Photography Workshops tour as their guide to the Lofoten section of the tour.

The complete tour is 10 days, from January 15-25, 2015, where you will be joined by world renowned landscape Photographers Marc Muench (Hey, he’s even from my home town!) and Andy Williams.  I will be guiding the group on the Lofoten section, January 15-20 while we are based out of Eliassen Rorbuer on Hamnøy – with spectacular views more or less right out the front door!  Next the group will travel north to Vesterålen for several days spent whale and sea eagle watching.  It will be exciting tour to say the least, and is one of the earliest tours offered in the year, which is looking like it will be a crowded winter on Lofoten, which is perhaps becoming the ‘new Iceland’ for landscape photographers.

More info can be found here: Muench Workshops – Lofoten

As of June 1, 2014, the workshop is fully booked – sorry for not announcing earlier, if anyone was interested.  Still, I suggest getting in contact in case free space becomes available.  Or perhaps a 2016 workshop will be scheduled if enough people express interest.

—–

I myself will likely spend the remainder of January and most of February on the islands.  My skis got no use this year – no snow, so I’m hoping for better conditions in 2015!  I’m also thinking of maybe giving another go at the Kungsleden trail, if I can somehow afford it…

Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights fill sky over Olstind mountain peak and reflect in fjord, Toppøya, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Northern Lights rise into the sky over Osltind, Hamnøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.

Waves flow among boulders at scenic Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo:  Dark sky over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  February 10, 2014.  10:30

Heavy clouds greeted the arrival of dawn and it was obvious that there would be no colour to chase.  Back to bed for a little more sleep, as if more sleep is needed in the long nights of winter.  Later, we slowly made our way to Unstad beach to see what we could find.

A lone surfer was out, the head-high turquoise waves all to himself; if only I had had a lens longer than 85mm with me.  The beach was otherwise empty as I made my way down among the rocks and to the tide line.  What a change of scene from my pervious visit a week prior, where I was hardly able to stand in the gale force winds.  This day was how I like it, calm and gentle.

While clouds still filled the sky from horizon to horizon, the light had an eerie clarity to it, something more than the drab grey which can be all to present.  There was sharpness and contrast with a softness and depth as the clouds traveled across the sky.

Though I have spent hours on this beach, I contented myself with a few more before moving on the see how the frozen Utdalsvatnet would appear – not that interesting as it turned out.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt-shift
24mm
ISO 50
f 11
15 seconds
WB Daylight
2 images – top, bottom
6 stop B+W ND filter

Person leaves footpints in sand at scenic Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Footprints in the sand at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

It is a scenic bus journey from Narvik to Lofoten.  I keep telling myself that I need to spend more time exploring Vesterålen and Ofoten, yet when the opportunity seems to present itself, I remain in the west of Lofoten.  Maybe next time I say to myself.  Maybe if I’m ever allowed to move to Norway, then I would have more time to travel further afield and begin new projects.  But for now, Lofoten remains my focus.

Though somewhat deflated from my failed winter attempt at the Kungsleden trail in Sweden, I now had more time on Lofoten than I was expecting.  Or I should say, despite the fact that I’m born in February, I seem to consistently forget the fact that the month only has 28 days!  Before departing for Sweden, I had made a reservation for my car rental on March 1st, which once I actually looked at a calendar, would have cut my time on the Kungsleden trail a day or two shorter than I was wanting.  But as it turned out, I didn’t need those extra days anyhow and was returning to the islands a few days ahead of schedule.

On a misty Wednesday afternoon we hopped off the bus in Stamsund and headed to the Hostel and back through the door that I had departed only 10 days before.  I called the Car rental guys to see if I could get a car a few days earlier, needing something big to sleep in from time to time.  Luckily they said they’d have something available for me the following morning.  Perfect.  I was back on Lofoten and back in the continued pursuit of Photos.

The snow was just as absent as when I had left, though Roar informed me that one storm had passed, but was quickly melted away.  In fact, he was happy of the fact that in the winter so far, he had yet to need the tractor to clear the driveway of snow.  For locals, dry years make life easier.  For the photographer in search of winter on the islands, you need to plan to return again in the next year.

The following couple days were grey and uneventful.  However, checking the forecast Friday evening, it looked like the weekend would clear up a bit.  Not having had my fill of camping, we decided to head to Kvalvika beach on Saturday.

My previous visit to Kvalvika was a painful one, as I sprained my ankle hiking down from a sunset trip of Ryten and then had to hobble my way back out the following morning and spent the rest of my days sitting in the hostel.  So this time, I hit the trail with extra caution as it may have been snow free, but there were still significant portions of ice to negotiate.  Luckily the worst of the ice was on the fjord side of the trail, versus the steeper and slippery beach side of the mountain pass and was actually much easier hiking than I was expecting.  We arrived to an empty beach and picked out a nice place to put the tent for the night before beginning the process of scouring the beach to collect enough driftwood for a couple hours of campfire; much needed warmth on the first of March.

The weather didn’t clear as much as I was hoping, with a layer of cloud hanging over most the sky and casting a flat light over the beach.  I spent most my time wandering around the rocks and doing my best to avoid getting my feet too wet.  Sometime in the afternoon we were joined by another couple, Marcin Dobas, a talented photographer and adventurer from Poland, and his girlfriend.  I had been in some contact with them in the previous days and invited them out to the beach if they were in the area.  So evening came with the four of us sitting around in the light and warmth of the campfire until the winter’s cold made a warm sleeping bag seem like a wiser option.

I peaked my head out of the tent in the morning, light!  Well not much, but something to break up the otherwise still mostly grey and cloudy sky.  Soon it was gone, and Kvalvika was back to a cold, bleak grey.  We packed camp, said or goodbyes and then headed back over the hill.

Sunday was cold and dark.  I took a few photos here and there, but nothing of much interest.  We thought about heading out to Bunes beach on the afternoon ferry from Reine, but unfortunately it happened to be the ‘every other’ Sunday when there is no boat.  That plan not longer possible, we slept in the car near Reine and set our alarms for 6:00am, to catch the 7:00am Monday morning boat.  I faded of to sleep wondering where to go.  Bunes beach, the easier and safer option.  Or Horseid beach, the more difficult and wilder option, but also the more scenic and spectacular option.  The weather forecast was okay, but not brilliant.  And the last time I chanced Horseid I was tent bound for nearly 24 hours of endless rain.  I had the night to sleep on it…

Mountain peaks rise over empty sands at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Empty sands of Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Mountain peaks rise over empty sands at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Mountain rise over Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Wild tent camping at scenic Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Camping at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014

Mountain peaks rise over empty sands at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Photo: Winter light at Kvalvika beach, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  March 2014