Safe Return Doubtful

On its secluded half-moon bay Honningsvåg is a delightful village to hole up for a couple of days. The odd vehicle passes, perhaps one an hour, but almost always slows, and its occupants wave a greeting.

Round the coast are the surfing beaches where a few hardy souls are on the sea. Both beaches, Ervik and Honnevik, will be busy in a few weeks time, with vehicle campers directed to their respective campsites, which charge in excess of 350 Kroner (about £28) for a pitch. Wild camping in those areas is forbidden, but ten minutes around the coast, over the hill and through a tunnel, nobody ventures – except me.

I am here for different reasons though, and this morning, Roja and I set off to get some perspective on the head of the Leikanger peninsula by gaining a bit of height. That involved walking round the half-moon of the bay, about a mile, before branching off on a narrow and steep path that diagonally scales the wall of mountain that curtains the bay. That wall is about 300 metres high, and having gained that initial elevation, there is a flatter expanse of rocky butts and small lakes or lochans. One peak dominates this peninsula, Varaldsfoten, another twenty minutes of steady climbing to the peak at 398 metres, immediately rewarded by a panoramic view, shown in the short documentary below..

We were back at the van for a late lunch, at almost 3 pm. I should have taken lunch with me, though it’s not a warm day, and stopping is only pleasurable for short periods of time. At the summit it was 3C, with a northerly wind blowing, down at the van 9C.

Now I know Honningsvåg bay so much better, having observed it from above, I can settle in and enjoy that late afternoon, the 10:20 pm sunset, just before the end of the last round of Premiership rugby, the last Friday evening game until mid-September..