I've recently had the opportunity to work off the Norwegian coast; including a few days in Vestfjorden, well inside the Arctic Circle between Bodo and Narvik.
Vestfjorden is a very large fjord - in Scotland similar sized bodies of water would be called Firths. It's bounded on the seaward side by the Lofoten and Vesteralen Islands, and on the eastern side by a rugged coastline dotted with islands and split by narrow fjords. After two days of very poor weather with visibilty down to under a kilometer and driving snow, the weather cleared to reveal a spectacular scene.
The mountains rise sheer from the sea in soaring towers. These hills on the island of Hamaroya are about 800 metres high, and there are many bigger mountains farther inland.
Average daytime temperatures were around minus 8 Celcius, and any breeze was bitingly cold. As dusk began to fall each evening, the mountains took on a beautiful pink alpenglow.
Magnificent, Ian!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought you would have been steaming off to warm climes this trip. I guess you turned right at the mouth of the Clyde rather than left!
Hi Douglas,
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a right hand turn for a change! St Kilda looked superb on the way north, and all the stacks were sonw covered virtually to sea level.
The Vestfjord/Vesteralen area was fantastic; it has loads of potential for paddling and hillwalking - have a look at a map and see what you think!
Work! Looks tough but I guess someone's got to do it.
ReplyDeleteHi Iain,
ReplyDeleteIt was a great opportunity to see the place. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to get ashore - by the time we next get into port we'll have been at sea a month. That's the downside :o(
I'm really keen to investigate the possibilty of paddling and exploring the area though - looks amazing
Ian