norway Archives

climbing-veggan-from-uttakleiv-beach,-lofoten,-norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

My best campsite in Norway was at Uttakleiv beach. $20. The only time I paid for camping in a nation where you can camp almost everywhere free.

Early next morning I had to decide whether to climb Veggen or the more popular Mannen.

For no particular reason, I decided on Veggan (“the wall”) which is a bit higher at 489m. Starting early morning, I had the summit to myself.

Like many day hikes in Norway, it’s an unrelenting climb with one good photo stop at lake Vasskarvatnet.

On departing Uttakleiv, I enjoyed the walk along the coast to Haukland beach rather than try to walk through the automobile tunnel.

BONUS ➙ more footage of the beach. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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climbing-holandsmelen-hill,-loftofen,-norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

On leaving the famed Haukland beach, I walked to the nearby trailhead of Holandsmelen.

The unmarked, but well worn trail is easy to follow and relatively bog-free by Lofoten standards. That means it takes 20 minutes before your shoes are soaked rather than the usual 10 minutes.

I found a possible campsite close to the trailhead parking lot — then hid my gear in a waterproof bag in the trees.

What I liked about Holandsmelen, relative to other Lofoten peaks, is that the going is not an unrelenting climb. There are flat sections on this half dayhike.