The trek to Kvalvika Beach is one of the most popular in all of Lofoten. The beautiful beach can only be reached on foot and the sight of the beach nestled between the mountains is a sight to behold.

Kvalvika Beach is also a popular spot to camp, providing extra time to enjoy the magic of the location once the day hikers have left.

Combine the trip to Kvalvika with a hike up to Ryten for more famous views of the sandy beach below.

This is one possible route to Kvalvika. Another popular and slightly shorter route is from the east. That trailhead is 2.5 kilometers south of Fredvang, where there is a small parking lot.

Veibeskrivelse

Just south of Ramberg on route E10, cross the two bridges over towards Fredvang.

Continue straight, and then take the first turn to the right. Park by the school, which is a couple of hundred meters up the road. Parking here is free, and helps keep the local roads from getting blocked up with parked cars.

Turbeskrivelse

From the parking lot, walk back down the road and turn to the right, following the road towards Yttersand. After 750 meters on this road, the trailhead will be on the left-hand side.

The trail is well-trodden and easy to follow. The beginning can be a little muddy but work is ongoing to add boardwalks.

Beginning from the roadside, walk across the paddock towards the mountain to the south. Once you reach the mountain, follow the trail to the right-hand side.

The trail starts to climb alongside the mountain, taking you up to two small lakes. From there, the trail turns west, and heads through a rocky area.

Stay to the left of the hill with the hut on top (Fredvanghytta) and wrap around to the backside. Just before you arrive at Forsvatnet Lake, you’ll come to a fork in the trail. Stay to the left and walk past the lake. The trail descends alongside a stream down to the beach.

The trail to the right heads up to Ryten, well worth a detour for views of Kvalvika Beach and the surroundings.

Return along the same route.

Overnattingsmuligheter

Kvalvika Beach is a great spot to camp. There is a big grassy area around the beach perfect for pitching a tent. Find water from the stream on the right-hand side of the beach, where the trail is.

It’s also possible to stay at Fredvanghytta.

Photo: Vibecke Markhus

Skottevik ligger på et 300 dekar (!) stort område i skjærgården, rett innenfor Blindleia. Informasjon hentet fra vg.no.

Telt- og vognplassene ligger mellom knauser, hekker og trær og du har følelsen av å bo intimt og skjermet. Skottevik har dessuten er stort utendørs badeanlegg.

Siden testen av de norske campingplassene ble utført i 2008, har det skjedd mindre endringer ved noen av plassene.

De viktigste endringene er at Dvergsnestangen Senter har byttet navn til Kristiansand Feriesenter og fått nytt toalettanlegg, og to endringer i stjerneklassifiseringen: Marivold, som var firestjerners, har mistet stjerneklassifiseringen, mens Moysand Familiecamping har oppgradert til fem stjerner. Marivold mister derfor tredjeplassen i testen til Moysand.

Les testene av topp tre under bildet.

Skottevik Feriesenter: Intim skjærgårdsdrøm

Skottevik Feriesenter er en enormt stor, men likevel intim og idyllisk campingplass rett innenfor Blindleia i Lillesands skjærgård.

I tillegg til den naturgitte, flotte beliggenheten (med fem strender!) har Skottevik et fantastisk aktivitetstilbud: Svømmebasseng, dykkersenter, store lekeområder, volleyball- og basketballbaner, hoppepute, hinderløype, gratis kano- og båtutlån og minigolf. Du kan også leie fiskebåt og det finnes egen «sløyebu» i havnen og frysemuligheter.

I tillegg til en stor TV-stue (projektor-TV) med kiosk og gatekjøkken, finnes det en hyggelig restaurant med utsikt utover fjorden, med à la carte meny.

Artikkelen fortsetter under grafikken.

Kristiansand Feriesenter: Koselig i skjærgården

Kristiansand Feriesenter, tidligere kjent som Dvergsnestangen Senter, ligger flott til i skjærgården, sør for Kristiansand.

Campingplassen består av 230 plasser, hvorav bare 90 er «fastboende». Plassene ligger naturlig til mellom svabergene og du ligger derved relativt skjermet.

Her var det masse tilbud til ungene: Sklier, hoppepute, fire sandvolleybaner, gravemaskin og mye mer. Det er også dykkersenter og en fin strand med sklie og stupebrett.

Det finnes ingen restaurant, men en koselig utekro hvor de serverte enkel grillmat. Derimot finnes det en stor kafé med projektor-TV og gatekjøkken og kiosk, i tillegg til egen internettkafé. «Butikken» var bare en hyllevegg med varer i resepsjonen.

Artikkelen fortsetter under grafikken.

Moysand Familiecamping: Strandmoro for ungene

Moysand Familiecamping i Grimstad har det meste barna vil ha i campingferien.

Her har du «lekeland» med fire trampoliner og sklietårn, en stor strand med sandvolleyball og to flytebrygger med sklie og stupetårn.

Skulle været bli dårlig, er det bare å sette seg inn i strandkafeen og se film på en stor flatskjerm. Vi ble imidlertid litt skuffet over kafémenyen, som bare besto av gatekjøkkenmat.

BILDESPESIAL:Se bilder fra alle campingplassene

Moysand har to lekre sanitæranlegg. Her har barna fått eget dusjanlegg hvor alt er i «barnehøyde».

Selve plassen er flat og åpen og du ligger på et stort «jorde» med mange folk rundt deg. I likhet med mange campingplasser har de fastboende gjestene fått de fineste plassene.

This post is written by SILVIA. You can read more about this trip and her fabolous blog Heartmybackpack here

My friend Alicia came to visit over Thanksgiving, and while mostly we just wanted to hang out in Mosjøen and binge Christmas movies on Netflix, I also wanted to show Alicia a bit more of Norway. I mean this was her third time visiting me in Norway, but her first time coming up north!

She flew into Trondheim and we spent a couple of days there before getting the train up to Mosjøen.

If you’re curious what we got up to in Trondheim, I’ve written up all of my favorite things to do in Trondheim here. This time we stayed at this Airbnb in Bakklandet, which is probably the prettiest area in Trondheim. 

We then spent the rest of the week here in Mosjøen, but before Alicia left I wanted to show her our famous Helgeland coast. I had her fly out of Bodø so that we could make our way up north along the coastline, and I figured what better way to experience the Helgeland coast than with a night on one of the many tiny islands here?

Last December I visited Støtt and absolutely loved it. So this time I was excited to visit another small island just south of Støtt.

At least, I was excited until I told two of my friends in Mosjøen about our plans to visit Bolga and neither of them had even heard of the island. And like, they grew up here so know the area pretty well.

Either Alicia and I were about to discover a hidden gem, or I had totally messed up.

One thing I at least knew for sure was that the drive up the coast to Ørnes, where we’d get the ferry to Bolga, would be beautiful. This is one of the 18 National Scenic Routes in Norway, and for good reason.

You do have to time out this drive with the car ferries as there are three ferries between Mosjøen and Ørnes (or two if you drive via Mo i Rana), but luckily we made the first ferry, which meant that we would make all the subsequent ferries. And since everyone always asks, no, you don’t need to book the ferries in advance, and you pay once on board by credit card. 

I parked my car in Ørnes (there’s free parking by the ferry terminal) and we then got the express boat across to Bolga, which took about an hour. You can check the ferry schedule here.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit an island with Alicia was actually just so she could experience the express boat. There’s always such a cosy atmosphere on the boats and it’s one of the best local experiences in Norway I know. In fact every time I take one of the express boats I get a sudden urge to move out to one of these islands. There just seems to be such a nice sense of community amongst the islanders.

We stayed at Bolga Brygge, which is right on the water – as in we could hear the waves crashing at night. And ahh I was so excited when we arrived. Coming here definitely wasn’t a mistake.

They also have an Arctic Dome (like the one where Danielle and I stayed in Narvik), though the weather was too stormy for glamping when we were there. In fact the next evening the ferries were canceled because of the storm, so we were lucky to have made it on and off the island!

We were also lucky that a music group was visiting Bolga Brygge for their annual Christmas party while we were there, and they gave us a little Christmas concert.

And then we had the most delicious dinner.

We were visiting the day after Thanksgiving, so it was the perfect way to kick off Christmas.

Though I would love to return in the warmer (and lighter!) months to experience a bit more of Bolga.

The manager Helen was telling us about her favorite hikes on the island, and it looks like it would be such a beautiful place to go kayaking in the summer as well. She said that they organize tons of different activities throughout the year, and you can just email her when you make your booking and she’ll help you come up with a plan for what to do.

Again that’s one of the things I love about visiting Helgeland’s islands. The experience always feels so personal, and in fact it seems like each island here (or at least each that I’ve visited) has something unique to offer its guests.

I’ll definitely have to return again for longer. Or actually I’d love to do an island hopping trip and spend a few days on each of the small islands in the region.

I was a little sad that we were arriving on Bolga after dark and leaving in the morning before sunrise (because winter in northern Norway), but we did still get some really nice views of the island in the blue morning light. The landscape here really is stunning.