We were anticipating another long day ahead of us, starting with our first stop at Ørnfløya. This little hill, only 150 meters high, offers a spectacular view of Sommarøy and its surrounding islands. You don’t need to set aside too much time for this stop, but we did have a bit of trouble finding the parking spot since our GPS led us to private property. However, we eventually found a small parking area next to the road, parked there, and headed to the top of the little hill. The weather was pleasant, but the more we moved toward the top, the more windy it became. On the top, it was already super cold and windy, so we couldn’t stay for too long. Norway never fails to surprise with its rapidly changing weather patterns. We originally planned to hike Segla as well, but since it started to rain and it seemed it would rain all day, we decided to skip it. We knew we’d have plenty of opportunities to hike later on during our trip.
For lunch, we stopped at Anne Grete Jensen Havfrua Kro in Sommarøy. The restaurant was charming and offered reasonable prices. After a warm meal, we continued our journey towards Brensholmen to catch a ferry to Botnhamn. From there, we drove to Gryllefjord and took another ferry to Andenes. The views were simply breathtaking. However, since we lost a lot of time waiting for the ferry and driving, we arrived a bit late at our accommodation for the night – Stave Camping & Hot Pools in Nordmela. We checked in and reserved the beach sauna for the evening. Our room had a pretty ocean view and a private bathroom, with everything we needed for a comfortable stay. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was perfect for our needs. We decided to treat ourselves and stay for two nights at this location, and this was the first time we stayed in one place for more than a night during our trip. The evening was chilly and windy, so we relaxed in our room, enjoying a few drinks while taking in the beautiful view of the sea.
Day 13: Hiking Stave Blake Coastal Trail to Måtind & Sauna beach run to the Norwegian sea
After breakfast in our cozy shack, we fueled up with some energy bars and set off on the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail towards Måtind. The weather was sunny and we were able to fully appreciate the beauty of the Vesteralen islands. The trail was marked as an easy family hike, but I’m not sure if we got lost or if Norwegians consider a via Ferrata without ropes an easy family hike.
The ascent was a bit steep, but the spectacular views made us forget the challenging climb. Once we reached the summit, we decided to take the coastal trail back. We followed the red dots, but for some reason, the markings on the rocks seemed randomly placed. Several times we found ourselves in dangerous positions, scrambling over slippery rocks just meters above the sea without any secure footing. Thankfully, we made it back to Stave Camping in one piece, although my leggings were ruined and we were covered in dirt and adrenaline.
Our next activity was a visit to a beach sauna with a view of the Norwegian Sea. The plan was to take a dip in the cold sea after heating up in the sauna. To our surprise, the swim wasn’t as unbearable as we thought it would be, and we quickly warmed up again in the sauna afterward. We then returned to our cabin for the evening, taking in the beautiful sea view once more.
