The sun was out and so was I, 8:35am sharp, on the ferry to Svolvær. The E10 was mine as the traffic has decreased significantly by now, perhaps one car each 3km on average, I would guess.
There was a bit of side road left, which I had not done yet with a Sami tent at the end of it. It inspired me for long but today was the day. Lavvu in Austpollen is the official name. What a gem! Will be back.
A marvelous ride on a marvelous bike!
Fair winds…
The ferry schedule between Skrova and Svolvær made room for a short bike ride among my appointments in town and I checked out a gravel road ending up at Kongsfossen Kraftverk. Although the hydro power station is not in operation anymore, the road going there has not only been maintained in good compacted gravel conditions but also presenting some nice reflecting views.
My appointment at the Svolvær Politi went smooth and I am now allowed to stay indefinitely in Norway.
Fair winds…
To me, the contrasts between peaks and plaines is one of the repeating elements strongly characterizing the landscapes of the Lofoten. There are others, obviously, e.g. beaches, fjords, skerries…
During today’s ride I explored the plaines west of Kabelvåg, very well overshadowed by the 943m high Vågakallen. This massive peak appears even very impressive from Skrova.
These plaines also include some pretty wet swamps after all the rain we had.
Fair winds…
It was this traditional sailboat under norwegian flag which came in late yesterday and made me curious. Promptly greeted upon my arrival and invited to come on board, despite a bit of a language barrier. While getting an intro into the history of the boat, I suddenly had an icecold Nordpils in my hand and we kept chatting.
Nordlandsjekta Brødrene represents 400 years of trade history in which Northern Norway got connected via Bergen with Northern Europe through these cargo sailing vessels. Although being a replica, the tradition is being kept alive and provides another proof how much effort it took to get the stockfish to its main customers in Italy and Portugal. The story goes on and on…as does my reading and research. Nice encounter including participating a short harbour manouver.
I went on with the walk in an even better mood feeling a bit dizzy in my head knowing Nordpils before noon will not become my regular habit. It was nice though not forgetting to emphasise the norwegian welcoming openness and hospitality. The scenery keeps offering endless remarkable motifs.
The artwork on Skrova is presented in a very diverse manner. Divers in the sense of location, type of art, posh or rough, political or not, historical or modern, etc. I believe, I have seen most of it by now but would not be surprised, if there is a bit more not detected yet.
Fair winds…
Today’s agenda is short:
Crazy Lofoten, insane.
Looping Wookiefoot…♫ Happy to be here ♫…
Fair winds…
There is not a much better way than letting another gale pass through while sitting in a cosy pub. Well, the pub here on Skrovøya is called HeimBrygga and the peak of the gale at 9pm was perfectly matching the start of the farewell jam session attributed to the Conroy brothers. Irish Folk(s).
I knew about the strong Norwegian-Celtic relationship between Shetland and Bergen area got intensified during WWII but learned now, that the baseline was set already 1000 years ago, at the time of the Vikings.
Nice evening, nice walk home along some illuminated photo artwork, nice gale.
Fair winds…
We left Skrova Fyr behind with the already second daily ferry to Svolvær sailing at around 8:35am for another unpaid and unsupported bike ride. The weather forecast did not leave me with another option. There is less traffic but still tourists around.
It was a long ride along the E10 until we turned right onto the Brennaveien leading to our final destination. There is interesting history around these fishing farmers and their life in remote places, not without constraints.
Today, over 30 people live in Brenna with many children while Lille Festvåg got finally abandoned around 1955.
Fair winds…
Skrova Island is also know as Photographers Island and it’s not only because it offers plenty of good photo opportunities but also due to the SOPS initiative – Skrova Outdoor Photography Spot. I discover more and more during my daily island walks but also chatting with locals allows me to understand life on Skrova Island a bit better.
Another near gale going through tonight, gusting 35kn only.
Fair winds…
Skrova Island seems to have its own micro climate. Only 5nm off the Lofoten mountain ridge and even more exposed to the sea. It is hard to find consistent and conclusive information on the net about this but officially Skrova Island claims to be the place accumulating least rain and most sunshine hours over the year within the whole Lofoten Archiplago.
Today´s observation, while strolling around, might support this marketing kind of attraction and it can be illustrated in the photos above, taken in a promptly manner. I will keep monitoring.
There are many other aspects to be considered while evaluating the best winter spot for us and The Lady and my assessment continues.
On the downside, windspeeds seems to be around minimum 5kn higher at Skrova Island compared to Svolvær with respect to the prevailing wind directions. Protection against swell in a specific location, moored to a wall or a ponton, power & water supply available throughout the winter, are just a few more criteria besides social aspects, mobility and cost, etc. to be considered. Once locked in, it will be hard to adjust at days without daylight (polar nights), at temperatures we are not used to and potentially one storm chasing the next without waves in the Vestfjord taking a break.
I think we are almost there.
Fair winds…
We are settling in at Skrova Island for a while to take a break from the past busy months and sort out a few things. Nevertheless, after the gale has passed through, I took the ferry today into Svolvær and the two photos reflect that we are between summer and autumn. Burning sunshine and refreshing drizzle going hand in hand.
We are tied up to the wall. Johan, running this place in the third generation, showed us how to properly fix the lines in order to compensate for the 2.5m tide level going up and down and still have peace of mind.
We got some interesting neighbours. There is this Norwegian legendary Whitbread Racer Berge Viking (a SWAN 57), which came in late with Skipper Martin, who same time runs the Oljetanken next door on this island. What a beautiful lady. Goosebumps.
My stern-side neighbours Anna and Patrick live their dream and purchased an old traditional fishing vessel, which was already restored by the previous owner to allow a live-aboard-life. I got the chance to look at it and sit in front of the wood fired stove. Own ideas are getting implemented. Big project in its 2nd year. Still leaving time to go fishing and share some delicous fish cakes.
Then I bumped into Knud, a legend of information and very nice person. Living in the old Icehouse, which used to store the baits for the fishermen…
Getting to much. Good night.
Fair winds…
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