📍 Favourite place: Lovund

Along the Helgeland coast, the region of northern Norway’s coastline just before and after the Arctic Circle, we were travelling on our Norway trip in the summer of 2025. With all the fantastic places this stretch of coast has to offer, it wasn’t hard to find favourite spots. If you ever make it there, don’t miss Lovund.

🧭 Where exactly?

• just below the Arctic Circle, around 15 miles off the mainland coast.
• Lovund, Norway

⚓ Why we love this place

You can see the small island, which mainly consists of the distinctive Lovundfjellet, clearly from far away. The massive mountain rises more than 600 metres out of the sea. And to say it straight away: we didn’t climb it, even though we summited many peaks during our trip. We skipped this one. Because even on the Norwegian hiking scale from green (very easy) to black (really hard), this one was pitch black. The route climbed so steeply over scree fields that we turned back and opted for another hike instead. There are several worthwhile destinations on the island with easier paths. And that’s what makes Lovund an absolute gem for us among the many islands: as small as it is, it’s just as diverse in how you can spend your time there – hiking, birdwatching/photography, swimming, kayaking or simply letting your soul unwind.

⛵ Coming with your own boat

Lovund Arkipel harbour (066° 22′ 20.5″ N / 012° 21′ 27.8″ E) 

• sheltered, though with southerly winds not quite as good as it first appears due to downdraughts.
• excellent sanitary facilities
• busy in summer, so arrive early.
• if it’s full, you can alternatively anchor just outside.

Novvika anchorage (66° 21.30′ N / 12° 20.83′ E) 

• paradisical little dreamy bay below Lovundfjellet
• 5 to 10 m deep, sandy bottom and partly seagrass
• in our view only usable in settled weather
• offers no protection from northerly winds and with southerlies there may be swell

🏝️ What to do ashore

• hike to the puffin cliffs (Lundeura)
• hike to the summit of Lovundfjellet (only suitable for experienced hikers with good equipment and in fine weather)
• swimming day at the artificially created beach at Strand (the largest settlement on Lovund). It’s very shallow, which gives it a pleasantly warm water temperature – at least by Norwegian standards.
• kayaking/SUP: if you don’t have your own equipment, you can hire it from a self-service shop right in the harbour.

💡 Our extra tip

If you can’t or don’t want to come with your own boat, take the ferry from Stokkvågen, route 836.