Today we were leaving the Lofoten Islands and making our way into Northern Norway. Five hours and many tunnels would see us reach today’s destination of Bardufoss.
The weather was much improved today and the lovely sunshine allowed us to see the beautiful colours that the islands are so famous for. It was a long trip but with the midnight sun at play we felt absolutely no time pressure. We simply enjoyed the view and stopped to take loads of photos.
About half way to Bardufoss, just outside the small town of Kongsvika we saw some reindeer on the side of the road. No doubt locals were used to them being there but for us it was pretty magical.
As we moved away from the incredible coastline the journey was no less beautiful. The terrain was more mountainous and rocky as we followed the River Barduelva. This river is not just popular for fishing brown trout and arctic char but also a large source of hydroelectricity.
Just prior to the Tjeldsunbrua Bridge the scenery was incredible and we again came across some reindeer.
We crossed the Tjeldsundbrua Bridge leaving the E10 and joining the 825 road. The views across the Grovfjorden were beautiful and we stopped at the rest stop known as Brattebergan Rasteplass to have lunch.
Along a discreet path from the road and perched on the coastline is another incredible sculpture from the Skulpturlandskap project, known as “Seven Magical Points”. Made from iron and 550cm wide the sculpture is a rust coloured circular artwork. It blends in beautifully with the landscape.
As we walked back to the car we heard a very loud noise that seemed completely out of place in this sparsely populated and virtually untouched part of Norway – an F16 aircraft! Whilst they looked out of place, we couldn’t help but think of the amazing views that the pilots would be enjoying.
During the last hour of our trip the weather turned quite dramatically. The sky became dark and ominous and by the time we’d reached our hotel at Bardufoss it was absolutely pouring with rain.
After checking in we ran across the road and had a late dinner at a busy Italian restaurant. Whilst there we did a bit of investigating and found that the town was the home of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. So the mystery of the F16 was solved!
After dinner and before getting some sleep, we couldn’t help but go through some of the photos to relive the most amazing journey we’d experienced today.
Cool Stuff We Did 