By Riccardo Marca
Photos: Adam Sims
I had heard many times about the Lofoten Islands but I never really considered to go there. Now though, I have to say the Lofoten Islands are one of the most amazing places I have ever travelled to. It wasn’t easy to get there for sure but it has all been worth it.
A stand up experience in the… Lofotens
I used to look for just warm locations to travel to, but this year I felt it was the time to try a new adventure that was 4,000 kms away from home and a 43-hour drive. I have to be honest and say that when I firstly checked the route out I wasn’t that sure anymore about getting into this adventure. The drive from home to Oslo was just really tedious and the landscape was nothing special, just a long straight road.
However, it all changed driving from Oslo up to Bodø, the scenery was just amazing. From Bodø, the ferry to Lofoten would take four hours to cross the treacherous Vestfjorden and we arrived in the early hours for a drive down to Å, the most southern town in the Lofoten Islands peninsula. It’s a beautiful place, with impressive scenery.
We moved on up to Reine, the most iconic town in the region, where we had our first accommodation booked. Reine sits across a handful of small islands, interconnected with bridges, surrounded by snow-capped mountains that plunge vertically hundreds of metres straight into the ocean. Our house was one of those classic Norwegian red houses, right in front of the sea, it was like living a dream.
best sessions
Whilst being totally overwhelmed and consumed by the scenery, we quickly realised that the fast changing tide wasn’t really making it easy and safe to get on the water, so we drove around searching for the best spots. The best sessions were actually the ones in the early morning, when the sunrises were two to three hours long. It’s amazing to be out on the sea with that special light – the water was usually really calm without any breeze and the only noise you hear are the ones of your board sliding through the water and sometimes the birds singing.
After a couple of days searching, I discovered a lake just above the sea in a mountain facing the ocean. It was a pretty long climb with the board but once there, the scenery was insane. SUP’ing there was an incredible experience, paddling in a lake and looking at the ocean at the same time was just amazing! Over the next few days we kept on driving through the islands, where every corner was very different and special. As the days passed we found the Reine and Flakstad areas were the most impressive places and we managed to score quite a few sessions there.
The life there is so much different, everyone is really far from that stress and chaos of the city. On the one hand it made me think that many things we consider essential on a day-to-day basis, are actually unnecessary and yet on the other hand after a few days, I started to miss a little bit of that connection with society and the people who you know within it. It was really cool to meet local people living in Lofoten. but I found the decision of living in such a beautiful place as a bit crazy.
Stand up paddling in the Lofoten Islands has been one of the best experiences in my life, I felt closer than ever to the ocean, just being out on the sea alone, without any external sound, lost in it. In every corner of this place you were connecting with nature and its purest elements, this is what made it so special for me. Nowadays we are not that used anymore to be so closely connected to nature, without distraction and it has been a totally new feeling for me.
Looking back now, I’d personally say that the Lofoten Islands are one of the most stunning places I have visited and can’t wait to return in the future.
