4 days in Værøy, Norway
How we got there and back
Getting to Værøy requires a (free!) ferry ride from either Moskenes or Bodø with Torghatten. We left from Bodø.
The huge benefit of visiting the two remote-ish islands— Værøy and Røst— off of the main Lofoten peninsula is that the cost of the ferry is waived and you get some priority when boarding. Most of the car travelers leaving from Bodø were headed to Moskenes, the main ferry terminal for reaching the quintessial Lofoten views.
There are five ferries leaving from Bodø every day during the summer months, some direct and some more circumnavigating (like ours), but the cost to get to Moskenes is steep: at time of writing, it was 563 kr for a passenger vehicle, and it’s 250kr more if you reserve a spot in advance. Zero emission vehicles get a significant discount though!
Leaving Værøy was surprisingly difficult. We left on a Sunday, when there was only one departure at 22:45 (ahah). I think we spent 6 hours in the ferry terminal line to ensure we got the only boat off of the island that day. Other days of the week there is a ferry at 8:45 as well, but plan ahead. I joked to Jacob that travelling in Norway be painfully slow at times because you’re at the whims of ferries and low speed limits and look at where we ended up.
Where we stayed
We stayed at an adorable A-frame Airbnb just on the edge of the main town Sørland. It was a tiny house with a loft, amazing views, and dog friendly as well.
Sørland was a perfect home base for our stay on Værøy, but if we had been looking to camp, there is only one free camping site on the other end of the island, about 15 minutes away. It looked incredible— sandwiched between soaring cliffs and white sand beaches on a grassland.
Food & Drink
Having a kitchen at our Airbnb was a godsend— there are very, very few places to go out and eat in Værøy, even during peak tourist season. Across the street from the only grocery store, there is a place called the Kiosk with expensive pizzas and burgers and odd Norwegian candies. We only indulged in their ice cream. Further down the street, it looked like the dockside hotel hosted a fancy restaurant miles outside of our budget, but it was unclear whether it was open.
Coop is open 6 days a week and quite a bit more expensive than the mainland (no surprise there). We ate a diet heavy on the frozen fishcakes.
There is one bar on the entire island, ironically called Lofoten Pub 1. It’s located directly behind the Kiosk. Run by a couple, it’s like stepping into your grandma’s living room that happens to have a draft beer and liquor service. Most of the furniture is mismatched, comfortable armchairs with crocheted headrests. We were able to watch the tailend of the Euro Cup on their tv. They also loved dogs— Asa was treated like a king and sat on a plush cushion himself.
Hikes
When we weren’t playing Maxi Yahtzee, we were hiking. Here are the hikes we did:
Håen Observatory
Distance: about 6 km out and back
Time it took us: 3 hours of leisurely hiking (but much sweat)
Håen is the location of the island’s observatory and also a viewpoint for the most stunning perspective of the abandoned fishing village, Måstad.
You can trek up and down Håen a couple different ways. There is a paved road (closed to public vehicle use) that provides the most direct and least technical ascent/descent to the top. There is also a trail that skirts the right side of the road and forks in every direction about halfway up. Other peaks are accessible from here, as is the ridge trail, which we chose. Finally, there is a literal vertical bog path that goes straight down the left side of the road. I do not recommend this route despite its direct route (all three of us fell at one point or another and ended with soggy feet and bums).
The actual viewpoint of the photos is tucked behind the observatory. If you just walk straight up the road to the very end between buildings, there is a singletrack that hops a fence and ends up on the cliffside. I thought that it was extremely sketchy out there, so we didn’t stick around too long, but there were others who were fearlessly prancing around with 360 degree cameras and whatnot.
Måstad
Distance: around 14 km from the camping area
Time it took us: 5-6 hours, with lots of oohing and ahhing
Technicality: Surprisingly difficult. Lots of boulders to traverse and uneven ground.
The abandoned fishing village of Værøy lore, Måstad’s last permanent resident moved out in the 1950s.
Måstad was a hub for puffin hunting in the early 1900s because of its excellent habitat for breeding birds in the steep cliffs. It is also the birthplace of a dog bred for hunting puffins specifically— the Norwegian Lundehund. There are very few puffin dogs in existence now (in the hundreds) but ironically a Lundehund meetup was happening the week after we visited.
And DID WE SEE PUFFINS. Oh man, I was excited. They came shooting out of the cliffs like little cannonballs, easily identifiable by their rapid wing beats and football shape. Occasionally we’d see a flash of orange feet or beaks as they speared sun beams. I even saw one skimming just under the water surface to fish. It was probably the highlight of this hike, but we did also see a sea otter on the north shore.
Kvalnesodden
Distance: 3,7 km roundtrip
Time it took us: 1 hours at a slowwww pace
Technicality: Easy, with some slippery sections
This mini hike is only a 2-minute drive from the ferry terminal. We strolled down to the lighthouse right after getting off the ferry, delirious from a lack of sleep but amped to see sealife.
There were tons of shorebirds screeching warning calls about their chicks, but it was easy to avoid them. I think they were mostly weary of Asa. Side note: dogs are required to be on leash on Værøy, especially during the summer months.
I’d recommend this hike for a gentle walk to stretch the legs. No hiking gear required— I hiked in jeans.