Friday Photo #559 – Vaeroy

Photo: View over Gjerdheia and Nordlandshagen from Nordlandsnupen, Værøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 18, 2023. 21:04

Despite looking over towards the mountains of Værøy rising across the distant sea on a fairly regular basis, it is now only twice that I’ve been out there, an island that is quickly becoming one of my favorite places for a long weekend getaway form ‘mainland’ Lofoten. Part of the reason for this is that the ferry schedule between Moskenes – Værøy only really works during the summer. In the off season, it is a bit more complicated and problematic to get there from Lofoten, unfortunately. So summer it is, though I’ve scouted some nice locations I’d like to be back to for the northern lights season.

In my previous trip last year, I hiked Håen, Hornet, and Måhornet. I missed the highest peak on the island though, 450m Nordlandsnupen, and so that was the first hike on my recent trip. While there was a good weather forecast, the summits of all the mountains were in a layer of heavy cloud as I made my way up the mountain. Soon enough though, the clouds cleared and I had a nice view of the surrounding landscape and across to the Lofoten mainland.

While I usually like to wait on the summit of mountains for sunset, it seamed the weather and sun location for my hike of Nordlandsnupen would mean it wasn’t the ideal location for sunset on this day. So after sitting around for an hour or two I made my way back down the mountain towards this view – looking towards the plateau of Gjerdheia. On the way up, the upper half of the mountain had been in the clouds, but I knew it would likely be a nice view, and better than the view I eventually found at the summit.

There was still a fairly thick layer of clouds along the northern horizon, so I headed down from the mountain a bit earlier than I might otherwise have done, knowing that I was looking for a view like this somewhere along the ridge on my descent still with a bit of direct light. The further I descended, the more dramatic the cliffs began to appear, but I think this image is a nice balance and view over the surrounding landscape.

I’m already looking forward to my next trip out to this tiny little islands of so many photographic possibilities…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
25mm
ISO 100
f 7.1
1/30 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #555 – August Aurora

Photo: Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis shine in twilight sky of late August, Nordland, Værøy, Norway. August 19, 2023. 01:29

My prediction from last week (Friday Photo #554) came true and I saw my first northern lights of the 2023-2024 aurora season while over on Værøy for the weekend. I actually had two nights in a row of aurora, both Friday and Saturday nights. This image is from Friday night 18/19 of August and is both my first aurora of the season and also the earliest I’ve ever seen the northern lights on Lofoten – though I have also seen it on this night while floating off the east coast of Greenland in 2015.

Usually my first aurora sighting depends more on weather than the activity of the sun and I usually begin to keep an eye on the night sky beginning around August 20th. So I got a little lucky this year. And after some grey skies this week, it is looking like the weekend is going to clear up again, so hopefully there is a chance for more!

Every year with my first and last aurora sighting posts I comment a little about the still pervasive misinformation of the northern lights being solely a winter phenomenon. They are not! In fact, the northern lights are visible 8 of 12 months, or 2/3rds of the year here on Lofoten. Roughly: August 20 – April 20 – so about a month before/after the equinoxes.

While it was only a brief show that appears in the darkest hour of the night at this time of year, the quickly darkening sky will soon allow the northern lights to appear earlier in the evening with each passing week. And while there were a dozen or so other motorhomes/vans parked on the old airport runway on Værøy this night, I was the only one out enjoying the show…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon z8
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
14mm
ISO 1250
f 4
1.6 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #554 – Vaeroy

Photo: Misty clouds swirls around the steep mountain peaks of Værøy. June 24, 2022. 22:13

Unlike this photo, the weather forecast for this weekend is looking quite nice so I’ll be catching the ferry over to Værøy to finish up a few more hikes which I never managed on last year’s trip – such as the mountain ridge in the background of this image. I’ve already added a few of the hikes to the website: Håen, Hornet, Måhornet. But as I get a couple missing routes in, then I’ll add everything to the West Lofoten Hikes ebook sometime later in the year when I updated things.

I wrote last week’s post a few days in advance as I was traveling down along the Helgeland coast. But the temperature broke 29˚c in Leknes – Hot! The hottest day for the last couple years, if I remember correctly. I was lucky with mostly good weather down on the Helgeland coast as well, and was able to visit some new areas for a bit more research. But good weather was to be expected, as checking the weather forecasts and looking for a decent weather window are a primary deciding factor in when and where I might travel when I’m on a short road trip out of Lofoten.

Standing in a t-shirt in the bright morning sun while waiting for a ferry to cross the lake to the east side of the Svartisen glacier a British couple and German couple were having a conversation about their travels. The British had been mostly in northern Norway the last weeks and were complimenting on how nice the weather had been, hot even for them. While the Germans had recently driven up from the south and were complaining that this was the first day without rain since their trip started a week ago. They sounded skeptical about ever coming back to Norway again, as they experienced so much bad weather.

While there is always some luck involved, looking at the weather forecasts and maybe altering your plans a bit, especially if you are in a motorhome/camper van and don’t need to rely on pre-booked accommodation, can be the difference between a sunny or soggy trip to Norway. To put it another way – travel to where the nice weather is! There is also somewhat of a north – south divide to the weather in Norway. Rarely does the whole country experience the same conditions for any continuous amount of time. The last couple years Lofoten has experienced rainy summers while the south has been warm and dry. This year was the opposite, with northern Norway having endless amounts of sunshine while there have been torrential rains and floods in southern/central Norway.

So off to Værøy I go. The sky looks perfectly clear on Sunday, and I have already heard that the first aurora of the year were seen Wednesday night, so maybe I get lucky and will have my first sighting of the year!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
70mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/20 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #545 – Twilight Ferry

Photo: MF Landegode ferry sailing into midnight twilight crossing from Moskenesøy to Bodø, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 27, 2022. 23:54

The beginning of June sees the ferries switch from their winter timetable of 2 crossings per day to the summer schedule, of 8 crossings per day and ferries running round the clock between Bodø and Moskenes. If you are driving to Lofoten from further south, it is likely that you’ll arrive on one of these ferries. And if you’re lucky, it will be a calm sailing like this. If you’re unlucky, well…

You can find more info about the ferries at: Getting to Lofoten

Here I was actually returning to Moskenes after a few days out of Værøy, a wonderful small island itself. I would like to travel out there more often, but unfortunately, the winter ferry schedule does not have good connections between Moskenes and Værøy, so its really only possible in the summer.

I always enjoy the challenge of trying to identify the peaks from sea, as it’s not a direction I see them from very often. Here, the highest peak is Skottind, decending to Nonstind/Ballstadheia, the high point at the front of the boat. While the area further in the distance are the mountains around Justadtind.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
200mm
ISO 250
f 6.3
1/500 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #544 – Måstad Shadows

Photo: Mountain shadows surround the village of Måstad, Værøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 26, 2022. 16:28

Formerly home to up to 150 people at the beginning of the 1900’s, the isolated village of Måstad slowly became depopulated after WW2 as the located proved to be too isolated for the upcoming modern world. Now, only a few houses remain, mostly used as summer holiday homes, in the roadless village, reached only by foot or boat.

In the old days, Puffins were a source of food, and the villagers would hike over the steep mountains to the nesting cliffs of the far side. This picture is taken from one of those old trails, as I was on the way to Måhornet – hiking guide here, the southern most peak on Værøy.

Normally, I would like a little more dramatic weather, as mid-day blue sky is pretty boring and harsh. In this case though, I like the jagged shadows of the mountain ridge as it almost frames the village. On my way back down from the mountain the sun had already fallen too low and the entire area was now in the shadow, and the scene had lost all impact.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
19mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #543 – Håen Værøy

Photo: View west from Håen over Måstadvika and mountains of Måstadfjellet, Værøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 25, 2022. 12:22

Outside of ‘mainland’ Lofoten, the view from Håen on Værøy is another one of Lofoten’s most iconic views. For some reason though, it was only last summer that I visited Værøy for the first time, and I instantly fell in love with the little island. To me, it felt like returning to what Lofoten was 15-20 years ago; a calm and relaxing place without all the bucket list urgency that seems to exist on Lofoten these days.

Probably best know for this view from Håen – hiking guide here – Værøy actually has a nice variety of well developed trails. Enough to keep one busy for a few days at least. The longest hike, to Måhornet – hiking guide here – the mountain in the far distance is quite a nice adventure along the coastline before climbing the old trail used by villagers to access the puffin cliffs on the far side of the island.

I have a somewhat busy schedule this summer, but hopefully I can get back out to Værøy again to finish up a few more hikes. I like to go later in the autumn, but unfortunately, the ferry schedule from Moskenes only really works during the summer. During the winter schedule, there is only 1-2 connections per week, making more planning and time on the island required. But northern lights from this view could be worth the effort!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
16mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #497 – Værøy Wind

Photo: Cow parsley flowers blow in the midnight summer breeze, Nordlandshagen, Værøy, Norway. June 27, 2022. 01:10

It feels strange to admit, but before the end of June, I had never stepped foot on Værøy before. I’ve passed by several times on the ferry – more so because I could get a little more sleep during winter during the longer journey from Bodø and not have such a long wait for the bus in Moskenes. And I’ve stared across the Moskensstraumen and the island rising in the distance. But it always just seemed some place that I could always go to, and thus never did…

And that was a mistake! I should have headed out there years ago. It is a wonder place that feels a little like ‘old Lofoten,’ before things got a little on the busy side and every single roadside parking spot is filled with motorhomes and camper vans. Værøy was peaceful and quiet. And there actually seemed to be much better tourism infrastructure than Lofoten, with signs, maps, and parking for the numerous hikes around the island, and a nice clean (and free) toilet at Nordlandshagen, where the hike to Måstad and Måhornet/Måstadheia begins. It kinda feels like a little island that time and tourism has overlooked.

Over the long weekend I headed up Håheia/Håen – probably the most famous hike on the island, Hornet, and Måstad/Måhornet, the westernmost peak on the island after a scenic coastal hike. Overall, there is a surprisingly good selection of hiking routes for such a small place, so I look forward to going back again soon. And even better, having started on July 1st, the ferry between Moskenes – Værøy is now free, even for cars. So it is now cheaper and faster for me to go to Værøy than even just to get to Bunes or Horseid beaches! Especially with the new expensive parking fees in Reine which make it a slightly unfriendly place to visit now for someone living just down the road…

On this evening I had gotten back to my van early after hiking out to Måhornet. It was a hot day (by Værøy standards), but a breeze picked up near midnight – Its kinda always windy on Værøy it seems. Parked on the runway at the old airport for the night, the flowers were blowing in the soft and hazy evening light. Looking back north, first is the island of Mosken, then the distant silhouette of Lofoten proper. In autumn, this might be a nice view for northern lights dancing over the distant mountains.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200 f/4-6.3
66mm
ISO 100
f 10
0.4 second
WB Daylight
3 Stop ND filter