Just take an unplanned turn: Helgelandskysten

We're driving along, somewhere in the middle of nowhere in central Norway, past endless forests, water, mountains... Originally, we were supposed to go at least as far as Mo i Rana today, but then we see the sign "Helgelandskysten" to the left. Tina: "Hey, wait a minute... I've seen some really beautiful photos of that, but I thought it was somewhere completely different?!" After some back and forth thinking, we simply turn left and after 30 minutes, we end up on the island of Sandnessjøen. We drive to the nearest campsite and are happy to have a dry cooking facility and unlimited showers. When we return to our spot right by the sea at around 12:30 a.m., we can't believe our eyes: the sky and the clouds are covered in a variety of red tones, creating one of the most beautiful sunsets we've seen in a long time! We don't want to go to sleep at all, so we enjoy the view until 2 a.m.

Consequently, we crawl out of our car in the morning very slowly... What should we do now with our unplanned stop? There's so much you can do in this region! Kayaking in turquoise water, bird-watching safaris, countless hiking tours... It's a shame that our Scandinavia deadline is approaching and a longer stay doesn't fit into the plan right now. We decide to go for a hike to the Seven Sisters (De syv søstre), a mountain range on Sandnesjøen. More precisely, to the high plateau between the summit Skjærdingen and Tvillingan (about 8 km and about 700m up and down).

First, we struggle through the mud from the rainy days before, but we're very happy that today, for once, 24 degrees and sunshine are announced. A recognizable path through all the rubble of the mountains is not really recognizable, but we hear a cheer nearby, which we follow. We find a group of Norwegians and Canadians showering under the ice-cold waterfall of the mountain stream and bathing in a tiny rock pool. We're quickly convinced; we have to get in there! For a moment, everything tightens when we dive in, but then it's quite bearable ;) Then we continue hiking, always steep uphill and always on the lookout for the red markings that point the 'way' upwards. But as always in Norway, the view from the top compensates for all the hardships! On one side, we can even see as far as Sweden, on the other side, the numerous small islands of Helgelandskysten! On the way back down, we find a slightly larger natural pool and simply jump into the wonderfully clear water again. From higher up, the Canadian calls out to us whether we've already done a bit of hiking today or if we're just going from one swimming spot to the next... The four of them quickly jump into the lake as well, and it wouldn't be the last time we meet them. On the way back, they catch up with us again and we walk the last stretch together while they provide us with tips for our onward journey.

When we arrive at the car, it starts to rain - perfect timing for once today! Since it's supposed to continue for the next few days, we better get going... Off to the Lofoten Islands!