When you think of summer island hopping, the crystal clear seas of Greece or the slow sunny days of Italy probably spring to mind. You’re less likely to think of paddling down cool fjords, camping on remote islands or exploring the crisp landscape under the 24-hour sun of the Arctic Circle.
However, more and more people are turning to ‘coolcations’ for their holidays and Norway’s Lofoten Islands are the perfect place to do it. If you choose to visit Norway between May and August, you can experience the Midnight Sun – a rare opportunity to explore around the clock as the sun never sets. This means campfires under daylight skies, swims in icy seas and hikes at hours you’d normally be asleep.
The Lofoten Islands offer a different kind of holiday. The rugged archipelago has some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world – but also charming little fishing villages to explore, and a rich cultural history to sink your teeth into
Chris Kearney, adventure creator and senior expansion manager at Much Better Adventures, recently took a trip to the islands to see what it’s all about. The trip was so fantastic, he struggled to pick a single favourite moment from camping, kayaking and exploring.
He said: “My week in the Arctic as a whole, without the sun going down, was the most surreal thing, rather than one specific moment. It takes on an otherworldly quality when you go that long without seeing any dark.”
However, there was one experience that stood out for him. He said: “Bivvying on an island in the Lofotens with the clouds rolling over the top of the Valberg mountains, and looking across to the silhouette of Festvågtinden in the distance, with sea eagles overhead and a beautiful calm bay all around.
The Midnight Sun means that time is a lot more relaxed on this summer holiday. Chris said: “Time was a lot more fluid on this trip.
“It absolutely changed the way we spent our days and nights. You can literally go for a hike at 2am if you really wanted to.
“Days often started more slowly, since there was no rush to make the most of limited daylight, so you could relax at camp or grab a cold swim before breakfast.”
If you want to explore Lofoten yourself, there are a couple of different ways to get there. The quickest way is by plane. From the UK, take a flight to Oslo before jumping on a domestic flight to Bodø and then a final flight to the archipelago.
You can also get to the islands via boat. Hurtigruten, also known as the Norwegian Coastal Express, is a Norwegian cruise, ferry, and cargo operator that runs ships along the Norwegian Coast.
The ship arrives at Lofoten at Stamsund on its way north after crossing from Bodø. It then proceeds to Svolvær. The route follows the same path but in reverse order on the southbound voyage.