Day 22 - Hike to Kvalvika Bay

The day starts with a visit to the fishing village with the shortest name possible, Å, which means "brook" or "stream". Today, this small nest with maybe 100 inhabitants mainly depends on tourism and in this sense can boast of two museums, the Norwegian Fisheries Museum and the Stockfish Museum. They will have to do without us today as we have other plans. Å is quite picturesque, consisting mostly of small, red painted wooden houses known as "Rorbuern", which used to serve as seasonal accommodations for fishermen and are now used as holiday homes. The harbor smells like rotten fish, and I somehow think of Verleihnix from Asterix and Obelix. The facade of the warehouse in the harbor, which cannot be described as fancy, is pretty much covered in bird droppings, and seagulls nesting in almost every window niche contribute visually and acoustically to the typical harbor atmosphere. The local seagull species sounds somehow different from the ones I know from Brittany, for example. Occasionally, it sounds like a laughter that descends into madness, providing us with amusement.

On our way back to the car, we notice a sign with pretzels above the entrance of one of the old wooden houses. Until now, we have only consumed baked goods from the supermarket, which are edible but can never compare to fresh, handmade pastries. We are positively surprised when we enter the bakery. It looks like an old bakery, with dark wood and dim light, and it is still baked here in a very traditional way, probably part of the village concept as a large museum. We buy cinnamon rolls, which are very popular in Norway. However, we will only eat them later, as the effort of the upcoming hike deserves a reward.

Our hike takes us to Kvalvika Bay, which is said to have two beautiful sandy beaches in a dreamlike setting. Since a circular hike would only be possible with a long walk on a paved road, we park the bicycles at the end point of the route and drive to the starting point by car. Unlike the other hiking parking lots for Kvalvika, it is not crowded here, we are practically alone. Unfortunately, dark clouds are gathering again, promising nothing good. The terrain is somewhat marshy at the beginning and becomes more and more so throughout the hike. At a certain point, progress becomes slow, with everywhere deep marsh, paths turned into streams, and everything interspersed with smaller and larger rocks that need to be balanced or climbed over. Let's hope the mood doesn't turn! Unfortunately, it does, as it starts to rain. The last part to the bay leads along two mountain lakes and over loose rocks stacked on top of each other. Nothing that would bring joy in this weather. Hopefully, it will be worth it!

Finally reaching the highest point, we see the bay. And yes, it was worth it. Although it is still raining, we are faced with a mystical bay with a wide sandy beach, flanked by high, rugged cliffs. It was from one of these bays that the Vikings of the Lofoten Islands set sail to settle in Iceland. And today, we set foot on this land...

There is no one else at this place. We have the entire bay to ourselves. The waves are quite high, and even though it is raining and cold, I have to go into the water! I do it and as expected, it's cold. But it fills me with that special feeling of happiness that always arises when I feel the power of the ocean up close.

Drying off and getting dressed becomes more difficult, as a strong breeze is now blowing, whipping sand across the beach. Soon, it will be found in all the cracks of my backpack. If only my lenses inside it remain intact!

We continue to the next section of the bay, which can only be reached via a coastal path running at a higher level due to the high tide. At two points, I have to force myself not to look down to the left. A wrong step would be rather inconvenient here.

The return hike is along a ridge and it's now pouring rain. Every surface that was still earthy before has now turned into mud, with a decent slope and the obligatory field of rocks that the "path" runs over. Completely soaked and exhausted, we reach our bicycles. The way back to the car seems endless, a freezing wind blowing, of course, always against us.

After removing our wet clothes in the car, we wonder how we are going to dry everything, especially the shoes. There are usually dryers at the campsites, but they are always overcrowded.

And this is exactly the case when we enter the communal room of the campsite in Ramberg in the evening. Rows of shoes are set up to dry on both sides of the hallway, and the dryer is running. No chance. So, the car has to serve as a dryer, wet clothes are spread out wherever possible. After a short time, the windows fog up.

In addition, the gusts of wind have become so strong that opening the pop-up roof is out of the question. This means spending the night on the folding back seat, surrounded by our belongings. But at least it is cozy. And the well-deserved cinnamon rolls are indeed delicious!