Reine and Nusfjord, Friday, September 18, 2026
The N’s hosted a nice breakfast in their cabin, and off we went. The idea was to explore the islands north of Moskenesoya…but the southernmost island is so big that it turned out that half of our day was spent there.
Our day started with a peculiar incident. As we drove through Sakrisoya, a cop was standing in the middle of the road, waving northbound traffic onto a parking lot on the side of the road. Another cop signaled me to wait. When he finally came to us, it turned out he was conducting breathalyser tests at 10 AM. Not to leave you in suspense; I passed! Although such stops are apparently common in the afternoon and evening throughout the country, no Norwegian with whom we spoke had ever heard of morning stops.
The E10 routes you over a series of tiny islands, then over a long bridge onto Flakstadoya, another large island in the chain. A side road led us to the little fishing village of Sound.
Back on the main road, we travelled north before crossing the Feldvang bridges, two iconic structures that took us back to Moskenesoya.
Our initial goal was Sandbotnen Bay, a stretch of white sand at the northern end of the island.
Swimming isn’t allowed on the beach, perhaps to maintain the peace and isolation of the tiny fishing village. From there we drove south along the lovely Torfjord.
Returning across the twinned bridges, we drove north to the larger town of Ramberg, site of a famous white sand beach.
There were actually a couple of swimmers, or dunkers anyway, despite the 45 degree water! The view looks back across Torfjord to the bay from which we had just come.
From Ramberg we drove north, then turned off the main road toward the village of Nusfjord. The ride there was spectacular, the hills ablaze with fall colors. As we approached a long wall of mountains, we drove directly toward a huge glacial cirque.
The town of Nusfjord is known as the best preserved fishing village in the islands. That’s the case largely because the entire village was purchased by a family in 2018 with the aim of preserving every structure. A small admission fee is charged, but it doesn’t feel like an amusement park.
The village still has a smithy, a smokehouse, an icehouse, several boathouses, a sawmill, several buildings for the preparation and storage fish, and even one of Norway’s first hydroelectric plants. The original Rorbuer stand alongside the docks.
A beautiful day had by now turned spectacular, with brilliant sunshine bathing the town. Who could have imagined that we’d have lunch al fresco above the Arctic Circle?
Although the entire village was interesting, the dock areas were particularly beautiful.
There is a small rock outcropping at the end of the dock with a good observation point over the mouth of the harbor. As we stood there, this came sailing around the bend.
From Nussfjord we drove further north to the village of Viktek, not so interesting in itself but interesting for its location at the foot of a large glacial moraine. This is the entrance to the village.
The drive home opened new perspectives on sea and land.
When we arrived back at Reine in the late afternoon, the mountains were bathed in a golden light.
We really hadn’t sampled Lofoten cuisine, and tonight was our night to rectify that omission. We ate at Gammelbua, our hotel’s restaurant. Like the cabins, it is a historic space. The wood and low ceilings give the place an unusually intimate and charming feel.
We had a truly unusual tasting menu. The appetizers are served as two courses: first Reindeer tartare and smoked whale carpaccio, then pan-seared scallops, crispy fried cod tongues, and a stockfish dumpling. Mains similarly came in twos: first whale steak and scallops with trout roe and then reindeer steak and Lofoten lamb. The mains all had individual sauces; the bordelaise for the reindeer and mushroom for the lamb were exceptionally tasty.