Photo credit: Sónia Arrepia Photography, visitnorway.com
Ready for a beach vacation? Make sure Norway on your list!
As mentioned in the July issue of Viking, Norway is brimming with beautiful beaches. In fact, it’s home to the second longest shoreline in the world and 239,057 islands.
One of the six destinations mentioned in the magazine was Lofoten. Even though the Lofoten Islands are best known for their spiky landscape, idyllic waterside villages, and of course, the northern lights, there are a bounty of beaches. Here are two more sandy surfaces within Lofoten worth visiting.
If you’re into surfing, head to Unstad Beach, the most popular surfing beach in Lofoten. Here you’ll see people surfing all year round—whether it’s around the “warmest” 50-degree water mark in August or the low water temps of barely above 40 degrees in April.
If you don’t want to put on a wetsuit and bear the chilly water, you can watch the Lofoten Masters from Unstad’s golden sands. The event first started in 2007 as a local gathering for the Norwegian and Scandinavian surfing community. It now boasts as an impressive international competition. This year, Lofoten Masters runs September 25–29.
Another beach worth beckoning on in the area is Skagsanden—known for its intricate, stream-like patterns in the golden-hued sand, as the tide flows in and out of the ocean. Not only is it beautiful for a daylight strolls, but also a picturesque place in the area to watch the northern lights. This beach is also a heaven for landscape photographers, thanks to the impressive backdrop of the Hustinden mountain. Hustinden is located a few miles west of the small fishing village of Napp, right off of E10. Spend the day traversing up the moderate level hike, winding through some marshy bogs, broad plateaus and rocks—reaching the 2,267-foot-tall mountain in about two to three hours.
Photo credit: Sónia Arrepia Photography, visitnorway.com