After leaving the Matmora area, I traveled west, deeper into the most populated areas of the Lofoten Islands, the areas known to be flooded with tourists.
The first tourist hotspot I came upon was the town of Svolvær, an incredibly scenic and walkable town. Check out photos of Svolvær here.
I also briefly journeyed into the town of Henningsvær, an iconic and popular little town that is only accessed by a one-lane bridge connecting the main island with a handful of smaller islands that comprise the town. It was a sight to behold but unfortunately, the volume of vehicles and crowds of people instantly repelled me from the area. This is Henningsvær.
And so I continued on and eventually found myself near Haukland Beach. I too had read that Haukland was extremely popular but decided to give it a go! The main parking lot was completely full, with people swarming everywhere. I did not see anywhere else to park and was preparing to leave when a spot opened up along the road. Perfect. I backed in, had some lunch, and set off on an exploration.
After taking in the incredibly scenic white sands and aqua waters I began the hike up Veggen, a climb recommended on the travel blog: 16 Stunning Hikes in Lofoten. The initial climb followed a lush green valley filled with sheep.
After the gradual climb up the valley, the vertical section began. Once again, I was astonished at the steep grade and remembered that the hike was listed as easy/moderate. Seemed a stretch! But the views and the crowds were well worth the effort.
The total climb was just under 2 miles (3.18km) and ascended 1,673 feet (510 meters).
I enjoyed the summit for several minutes before noticing a giant storm rolling in. I then made a quick and exhilarating descent back to the van, racing the black clouds!
A day that had begun lackluster quickly transitioned into another energizing and incredibly fulfilling day in the Lofoten Islands.
Lessons from: Haukland Beach + Mt. Veggen
- There is not a lot of RV parking at the Haukland Beach parking lot. The vast majority of the parking is allocated to passenger cars only- there is a height barrier erected to keep RVs out. If traveling in the busy summer months, arriving very early would be the only way to ensure parking in the lot or along the road.
- The lot does require paying a fee. The side of the road is free to park but there are few spaces available.
- The first section of the hike traverses through private property. Make sure to close the gate so that the sheep do not escape!
Something interesting: The problem with tourists in the Lofoten Islands.
Another town I passed through before arriving at Haukland Beach was Nusfjord. Nusfjord is located several kilometers off the main road- E10. I only discovered it by accident, in that it was where the road I decided to journey down ended.
I parked in one of the few remaining spaces in the small public lot and began to walk around. It was beautiful! But I also quickly realized that I had to pay an entrance fee to explore the main stretch on foot. This was not something I had ever run across in Norway. I opted to explore only the periphery. When I returned to my van, I began to investigate why this town charged an entrance fee.
What I learned was this Nusfjord’s 22 residents had had enough of the tourism explosion in their small town. There was a point where 50 tourist buses would arrive at the small town daily! There had been a big push to rein in the overwhelming toll this was taking. Like so many other towns in the Lofoten Islands, Nusfjord was never built with many cars, people, or buses in mind. One of the solutions was to charge an entrance fee to limit the amount of people visiting the area.
In 2018 Norway received a record number of tourists. Many of the roads and infrastructure are simply not equipped to deal with the massive number of people visiting certain areas and unfortunately, the locals have had to endure the brunt of the stress.
I never felt any negativity from locals in response to my presence but this knowledge made me hyper-aware of my footprint on these small bits of land in the most visited areas of Norway.
A look behind the curtain.
One aspect of Norway that I appreciated and admired was that it did not have a touristy or commercial feel, even in these heavily touristy areas. By comparison, in the United States, areas that are inundated with tourists inevitably get flooded with shops, restaurants, hotels, parking lots, and tourist activities to extract as much money as possible from the industry. Norway is nothing like that.
Before I entered Lofoten, where tourism is such a large feature, I did note that traveling through Norway felt like I was passing through local communities, not tourist hotspots. In fact, I saw no billboards, signs, or advertisements summoning tourists the entire time I was in Norway. This astounded me when it continued into the Lofoten Islands where tourists make up the overwhelming majority. The only indication of the area catering to a growing tourist crowd was a giant campground called Lofoten Beach Camp located in the heart of this popular area. (It is a lovely campground with an amazing sauna).
Soon, I will cover my time in Reine, the most astounding town I have ever visited and one that was nearly impossible to leave. Reine is considered by some to be the heart of the Lofoten tourist scene. Yet Reine boasted only a handful of small, locally owned restaurants, zero large hotels, and only one nick-nack shop that doubled as an art gallery. Reine remains a modest little town seemingly reluctant to bloat into a tourism machine. Norway seems reluctant to bloat into a tourist machine.
I never imagined how much I would appreciate this aspect of Norway. It felt as if the culture rejected all the consumerism that tends to come so freely in the West. It was refreshing.
She Simply Wanders 
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