Safe Return Doubtful

The Nordøyvegen, which I wrote about yesterday, that connects the Nordøyene island group was completed in 2022, though it doesn’t connect the last island in the chain, Harøya, to the mainland. That would be one step too many at the moment, to great a cost, as the ferry that makes the journey covers the 14 kilometres in 55 minutes. It only runs 3 times a day, and to make the 12:35 pm crossing, I needed to get out and experience the finer parts of Fjørtofta island before 9 am.

The stopover place at the harbour had been excellent, though today was the Pentecost Bank Holiday, the fourth day of the long weekend, and nobody was working. Had it not been, I suspect there would have been a lot of movement from early.

I drove to the west tip of the island, which is just 9 square kilometres, and set out with Roja, to trek to the west most point, an automated light. The air flow was still from the north, but barely, this was a fine spring cloudless morning, with a calm sea.

A kilometre down the track we passed something I have never seen before, a ramshackle Wild West style Saloon, with no vehicle access, and clearly a place that locals occasionally gather.

I was once part of the construction of a ‘pop-up’ or temporary bar for the stag hike of my friend, Frank. 250 metres above, and a few kilometres on a trail above HawesWater we had concealed a barrel of beer in the rock the previous day. The Small Water Tavern was hence named, and the stag group greatly enjoyed their hour or so there. One day we plan to return. Seeing this Saloon Bar, inspired me to consider something similar.

The headland of the island was a tremendous place, and we duly loitered, enjoying the morning. In the return, I met the only other person I saw on the track, an older guy, who told me he was a retired carpenter, who had worked on specialist projects on wealthy residences all around the country. I mentioned the Saloon to him. He told me that he had worked on its construction as a teenager, with his father and grandfather almost fifty years ago. The group of local friends use it at least once a month, and in all weathers. These days, he is retired, just doing the odd project that takes his fancy, like for example, constructing a treehouse for his grandchildren solely out of driftwood, something he would return to this afternoon.

We made the ferry in time, then travelled across the island of Gossa, and on another free ferry to the mainland, and then north over the island of Averøya to the town of Kristiansund. I was in half a mind to stop on Averøya, which has some excellent hiking on high mountains, but the fact is that it just isn’t possible to do everything. I will travel this coast again on a future course, there are many journeys that could be made experiencing different islands. At this time of year, these islands, that are quite close to towns, are quiet, even on a long weekend, but in a few weeks (23 June is when summer officially begins), they will be a lot busier.

Connected to Averøya by a 7 kilometre sea tunnel with a depth of 350 metres, is the island of Nordlandet, whose centre is the town of Kristiansund. I have found a place to the north of the town at the parking for a trail called Sandvikstein, above Kalika Beach. We walked a section of the trail for an hour or so tonight, and will investigate more fully tomorrow.