Safe Return Doubtful

Havøysund on the Måsøy peninsula is missed by many visitors to Finnmark, the large majority of which are headed to North Cape. Some may take the 75 kilometre detour to Hammerfest, but the additional 85 kilometres to Havøysund deters most. I was in North Cape way back in 1987, and that was enough, it was busy with tourists then. On courses since, I have been to most of the other northerly points, but not here. My plan was to cross by ferry to Rolvsøya. I was in line for the ferry at 7:45 am on a wet Monday morning. Unfortunately there was a van from an internet company that took priority, and the ferry only fits one van. The next would be Thursday morning, so I made other plans. There was a wintery week to come also, with a strong northerly wind, 5C feeling like minus 3, and frequent heavy showers. It wasn’t hard to find alternatives though. 

For three days the dog and I explored some smaller trails around town. We headed out to Storvika cliffs which are just a few hundred metres from the community, and then headed out to the Arctic View cafe, which is in an incredibly wild place, up a steep road out of town that winds its way through windmills for 10 kilometres before finishing at some 100 metre cliffs and the cafe, which was closed, only to open at 1 pm. I wasn’t there for the cafe though, and we had an excellent hour out on foot at a rare time when the mist had cleared. 

On Wednesday we began our journey back down the peninsula and stopped off at the beach at Selvika. It was low tide, which meant it was possible to get walk the rocky tidal causeway to a small island. The wild weather enhanced the atmosphere. 

Unlike Hammerfest, Havøysund does not attract cruise ships. It is a functional fishing village, though it has also suffered from depopulation in the last thirty years, its population currently around 900. It has a fish processing plant, an impressive boat yard, and a fishing museum, though that was closed. I met a few people when wandering about, and as usual, asked them in an indirect manner whether they liked where they lived; they were amongst the most enthusiastic about their own home as I have met on this course. It attracts some testing weather at all times of year, driven by strong Arctic gales that give heavy freezing precipitation, and polar lows that cause high winds and rough seas.

Havoysund is the extremity of my travel on this course. I’m a few days early on the rough schedule I had mapped out, but that is traded for a few extra days in the Finnish national parks of the Arctic. 

The cold spell of weather finishes today, for a warm weekend. I travelled south this morning and am back around the town of Alta, just above it at a hiking car park. There are clear skies, and this afternoon is about 14C. The weekend is supposed to be a few degrees warmer.