After waking up to glorious sunshine we packed our tent and continued our roadtrip in arctic Finnmark, Norway.
With the recent visit to Ingøya and North Cape in mind we were excited to continue east on road 888 to Kjøllefjord and Gamvik.
Would you like to wake up to this view?
Finnmark in arctic Norway is the largest but least populated county with its 76.000 inhabitants – so we were expecting large areas of untouched nature scattered with small fishing villages and were not disappointed.
Old, stranded fishing boat
Try putting into perspective Finnmark county (48 631 km2) is almost twice the size of Massachusetts or a bit larger than Switzerland. Don’t worry, you won’t feel alone. You’ll have the company of more than 150.000 reindeer calling Finnmark their home.
Reindeer swimming out to a small island
Trollholmsund
Our first stop was to visit the Trolls of Trollholmsund. An old sami folklore says a group of trolls were passing through the area but when they came to the waters they could not pass. When the sun rose they did not find any place to hide and turned into stone.
Trollholmsund
Kjøllefjord
After crossing the infamous mountain pass Bekkarfjord – Hopseidet we set course for Kjøllefjord, a fishing village with 927 inhabitants. Kjøllefjord is know for its rock formation ‘Finnkirka’ that looks like a cathedral.
I would recommend to stop by Foldalsbruket and taste their delicious waffles. Foldalsbruket is an old fishing depot that has been converted to a living museum and accommodation. It has been granted protected heritage status and you can learn about local history.
Foldalsbruket
Mural in Kjøllefjord
Kjøllefjord
Gamvik
Our next stop this day was Slettnes Lighthouse, just outside the extraordinarily quiet fishing village of Gamvik. Slettness Lighthouse is the northernmost lighthouse on European mainland at 71°05`33”N. The lighthouse is run by Gamvik Museum and is open for visitors and overnight guests during sommer.
The original lighthouse was built in 1903, but was damaged during WWII and a new lighthouse erected in 1948. The lighthouse sitting in Slettnes nature reserve is breeding ground for a large number of bird species. Other than birds and a handful EU tourists in their small camper vans reindeer seemed to like this wind blown coastal habitat as there were plenty of them feeding in the area.
We stayed watching the birds and reindeer until the sunset and ended the evening catching a sunset photo of the lighthouse.
Slettnes Lighthouse
In our next post we will travel even further east towards our final destination Vardø to visit the bird nesting colony on Hornøya.
Great country, Great story, Great pictures 👍
Beautiful photography.
Would love to wake up to that view!!! Wonderful captures!
Gorgeous. Can’t wait to visit Norway one day.
Wonderful country, such an untouched nature.. and your photographs!! Splendid!
What an incredible adventure you are having! Thanks for sharing.
Glorious photos and wonderful narrative, Inger. What a beautiful country~I want to come back!
I could get used to that view … beautiful country and lovely photos.
I`m still so quiet from so much beauty
What a great view to wake up to indeed! All are wonderful visions of these beautiful places! 🙂
No wonder we always return to Norway – glorious shots!
Lovely places. I like the views of the small village.
Yes, I would love to wake up to that view!💚
What a beautiful part of the world – thanks for sharing!
Beautiful pictures and what a great view to wake up to!
Such beautiful scenery – manmade and natural!
Beautiful clicks..
Wonderful photos, makes me want to see the area. Thanks for sharing
Så vackert som helst. Helt underbart!
Looks amazing and your photos are beautiful, makes me want to visit.
Even the murals are Artic-style!
Wonderful vistas and takes as always!BRAVO!
What incredible scenery! The reds and pinks of buildings and flowers against the blues and grays of water, sky, and stone is stunning. The reindeer are pretty cute, too!
I love the reindeer swimming, Inger!
Inger it is as if you have landed in the middle of a fairytale setting. So beautiful.
Wonderful post.really enjoyed it!!
As some one with Suomi ancestors, what’s not to love. Nice images, nice story. Hope you have good mosquito netting for your heads.
If I look at the pictures, I would like to be there. But the cold keeps me a little away. So the more I enjoy your amazing photos …!
Best regards, Heidi
That first (and last) shot of the lighthouse is incredible. What an immense and open landscape – such a joy to see in the photos and to travel in, I’m sure. Thank you for opening up this new world for me. I don’t know anything about Arctic Norway and hope to drive up there in a small camper one day. Did you drive there in your own car, did you rent a car, or did you hike to all these places?
Your road trip is charming, Inger. I enjoyed the lighting, the outstanding views, and the reindeer, and so lovely to have few people around.
Great collection of photos.
Fabulous!
What a fantastic trip to this big,beautiful country .Thanks for the fabulous information and photowork.
I just love your writing and reading about your adventures. You’ve got a new subscriber!
Isnt it just the most magical place! I went a few months ago and I loved it!! Looks like you had a great time too! 🙂
Great 👍 Visit my place to see the experience from the Lofots, Iceland and some other places
Can’t wait for the day we visit. Really enjoyed your trip. Your pics are lovely!