Tour name: On the E10 across the Lofoten

Degree of difficulty: easy
Tour length: 540 km
Total elevation: 5100 m ascent and 5100 m descent
Alignment: west
Highest point: 164 m
GPS: route and track as GPX

Untouched nature, remote fishing villages, deep fjords, lonely beaches surrounded by majestic mountains. And all this far north of the Arctic Circle.
After our winter tour from Tromsø to Narvik, I swore to come up here again in the summer time in order to have a closer look to the many small islands of the Lofoten and the surrounding area.
This time without northern lights but with the advantages of the midnight sun.

We are on the way with our small Microcamper (Edgar) with roof tent, which gives us the freedom to react spontaneously to the given conditions on our journey. We have everything we need on board. Every day we can decide what we want to see or experience and where we want to stay.
A tour that not only invites us to relax, but also gives us the opportunity to be inspired by the places.

The travel destination is not a place, but a new way to look at things.

Henry Miller

In Bognes we take the ferry to Lødingen around midnight and already we can see the unique landscape of many islands and barren high mountains, which ends directly at the sea, at the horizon.

The next morning the sun welcomes us again and I feel the desire to see the country while looking at the water and the mountains. So we don’t waste any time and set off for the west right after breakfast. On the islands of the Lofoten the mountains become even more impressive. They rise up to 1200 m. On some of them there is even some snow.

We are not moving very fast, because we want to stop and be amazed constantly. Sometimes we enjoy the view into the valley or into a fjord and a short time later the wide curved bridges from one island to the next one is fascinating.

This area has been inhabited for about 6000 years. At that time the Vikings settled here and lived from fishing and hunting. When we pass by Borg we see one of the Viking buildings, as it must have been here more often in those days. A longhouse extending 83 m serves today as a living museum.

It’s getting late. But we don’t notice it because the sun doesn’t set here at this time of year.
Not far from Fredvang we decide to look for a quiet place for the night. Framed by mountains and bridges we park close to the water, but we don’t even think about sleeping. The temperatures are pleasantly mild and the combination of landscape and midnight sun invite us to leave the rooftop tent still closed. Since we are not far from the water, I set up my kayak. After a tasty sandwich we carry the kayak to the launching site and I get in. It is a dream to paddle under such conditions in the middle of the night.

The next day we headed for the very tip of the Lofoten. We admired the varied landscape. Today the sun had to give way a bit and dark clouds came into the picture. But we don’t really mind. After a while we reach Å i Lofoten, the last town on the Lofoten Islands. This place is designed as a museum and shows an old fishing village. We take a break and have a look around.

In rather cloudy and cool weather we head east towards our next stage, the Nordkapp. Even without bright sunshine, the view out of the window is anything but disappointing. Our micro-camper Edgar brings us back along the E10. After another stopover we finish the tour section in Bjerkvik.

Conclusion: This tour offers breathtaking landscapes and fascinating history to touch. With the camper you can stay longer in beautiful places or take new paths spontaneously. Likewise, you can pursue various activities without being tied down by time.