For the past four summer’s, I’ve had the chance to explore different parts of Norway. Four years ago we drove from Trondheim to Oslo, 2013 it was time for the Varanger Peninsula, last year travelling from Trondheim to Mo i Rana and this summer the Island of Senja. I’m just in love with Norway and the nature is amazingly beautiful. Perhaps one day I’ll stay there for a longer time!
This year I really wanted to explore more the area surrounding Tromso. Scanning the area through google maps, I found Senja. Senja is the second largest island in Norway, just above the Lofoten Islands and below the city of Tromso. It seemed like a good place to combine our favorite summer activities: hiking + fly fishing + paddle boarding + surfing + photographing. So we embarked on this journey mid july and spent 10 days on the trip. All in all we ended up driving about 3000 km (Helsinki - Kuusamo - Rovaniemi - Kilpisjärvi - Tromso - Kvaloya - Senja - and back).
Below I’ve collected neat places from the trip, as well as chosen some favorite shots on the way! I would definitely recommend visiting Senja for the views, activities, and the friendliness of the locals. The place didn’t seem so crowded yet, as I felt a bit with the Lofoten Islands. I hope it stays that way!
SUP-Surfing in Grotfjord, Kvaloya. Small and fun waves. I’ll be back when the swell picks up! --> Weapon of choice: Fanatic All Wave 9′6″
Our summer trips always include a bit of fly fishing, so we took couple days to fish at Laukhelle Lakselv, Senja. No catch for me, just couple of bites. It was a beautiful salmon river with only few locals fishing with us. (http://laukhelle.no/)
Mountains & fjords of Senja. No wonder the drive took a bit longer than expected with these views..
Sandsvika. I spotted a beautiful isolated beach just on the outer edges of Senja from the map and decided that we should get there somehow. Advised by the locals, we got a boat (BÅT2) ride from Gryllefjord to the opposite side of the fjord, where we took about a 4km hike to the beach of Sandsvika. We followed a small path leading to the beach with a tent, sleeping gear and two fly rods.
The place was beautiful and the waves rolling in glassy and clean. Wish I’d had my surf board with me, but thats something for the next trip. We set up our tent by the beach and set out exploring the place.
Stranded by a beach far away from everything, with no one around and without any kind of contact to the outside world feels a bit scary and exciting at the same time. We caught some Sei, actually otto caught about 100 Sei with the fly rod, got followed by a curious seal, found a dead orca and were spoiled by the warm sunset.
This trip I also had the chance to participate in the new ‘Halti RoadTrip’ -project, where Halti lends outdoor equipment and supports interesting ‘road trips’ and adventures. I don’t have my own tent at the moment so I was happy to lend the Koli 3 tent, as well as new Halti Outdoor gear. (You can also apply and follow the news about this project from www.halti.fi) #HaltiRoadTrip
Art i Juli, in Kråkeslottet,Skaland. (http://www.artijuli.no/) Photographs, art, music, films and a cute cafe at Skaland.
Paddle boarding in Hamn i Senja. (http://www.hamnisenja.no/) The last days of the trip it got quite warm and the wind calmed down. We took our Fanatic SUPs to the crystal clear waters and explored the Bergsøyan Islands for an afternoon. The water was so clear that at times we would get a bit anxious. The same way as if you were standing on top of the mountain! --> More about this paddle trip and specs here on the TwentyKnots blog (BERGSØYAN ISLANDS - A SUP PARADISE IN NORWAY)
Until the next trip! <3 For more vibes @mikkonenmaria IG
