The Most Picturesque Village in Lofoten

Day 24: Reine, Lofoten.

A peaceful night by the ocean and we both managed a good sleep. Not sure about those who slept in the tents and cars that were parked around us when we woke up though! Mind you, I could think of worse places to pitch a tent and stay the evening!

After a quick round of showers and some coffee we headed to the ridiculously beautiful town of Reine. Doris needed to empty some of her waste and we needed to have a mooch around what is dubbed to be the most beautiful village on the whole island.

Now, if you don’t now much about living in a motorhome here’s a little down to earth, get to know kinda chat.

Any water we use, be it the shower or either of the sinks gets collected in our waste water tank. This usually holds around 60L and if its full, well water doesn’t go down any plughole. When we go to the toilet it also gets stored in a small waste tank. Similar story, if it gets full we can’t go for a midnight wee or a morning poo.

Fortunately, most towns in Europe have whats called a dump station. A place to empty both the toilet and the sink water and a place to on board fresh water. We’ve lived in a van for over 70 days now, this is common practice and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen my own poo go down a hole in the floor.

HOWEVER, today was a step too far. We were emptying Doris after waiting 15 minutes in the queue. A man comes over with his toilet, right behind Doris and pours it onto THE GRID. That’s weird I thought, theres rope there, why didn’t he just lift the grid like you’re supposed too? A bit weirder out, I walked around the van and come back around the other side…

…TO FIND HIS POO!

The horrible old man had poured the contents of his waste, directly onto the grid, and then left it there.

I was confused, angry and annoyed and didn’t really know what to do. Why would you do that? SO ODD.

 

The Beautiful Towns of Lofoten

Lofoten is a fishing paradise. The worlds biggest cod (103lbs) has been caught in these waters. Each year millions of cod are caught and hung to dry ready to ship around Europe and the rest of the world. The hung cod heads we saw the other day? They go all the way to Nigeria to make an African dish!

That’ll be why there are so many small red cabins on the waters edge. They were used for the fishermen between catches. Now they’re mostly rented out to tourists for an extortionate fee! But mostly, they’re used for pretty pictures and for us to be woo’d by their charm.

 

A, Yes, A is a town.

Just one letter and just one word. Beautiful. The town of A has attracted a lot of attention not only because of it’s usually short name, but for it’s breathtaking smell of cod. I mean view. I mean breathtaking views.

Not just that but it’s old bakery makes one of the most incredible cinnamon swirls I’ve ever had the delight of shoving in my gob.

The funniest thing about this town. Not that it’s a focal point in Lofoten fishing history. Not it’s cod liver oil factory. Not that it’s £9 for two cinnamon swirls. No.

The fact that it’s sign “A” keeps getting stolen!

 

Stunning Reine

Here’s a small white lie but there is a few small villages around Reine, and without butchering their names, lets just call them Reine.

This whole area is bloody unreal. Tall mountains with small red or yellow fisherman huts, or Rorbu as they call them here, at every angle. All slightly different and unique and ALL worthy of a photo and a few seconds admiring their beauty.

Unfortunately the famous hike above Reine is currently closed. It’s received a ridiculous amount of attention in the last few years and its made the surface a little risky in places. Incredibly though, the Norwegians have employed Nepalese sherpas to lay new steps and create a safer, easier route to the summit. Both preserving the trail and the mountain but also ensuring the safety of hikers.

We jumped on the bikes tonight for the first time in a week or so and managed a 12km cycle up and down some of the bridges here. It’s a beautiful way to explore, albeit a little chilly. Being able to stop at any opportunity to admire the view. It’s a really great way to travel. Makes me excited for the America cycle and the opportunities we’ll have whilst we’re out there.

Tomorrow we start our journey back to mainland Norway. A 3 hour ferry and then our journey south begins. Luckily the whole of Norway is equally as beautiful as Lofoten, so we’re excited to see what’s in store.

Tonights camping location: Just outside of Reine, Lofoten. (Park4Night: Click Here)