Værøy

The island beyond the end of the road, out past Å — mountains straight out of the sea, a small village along the shore, and bird cliffs. A day trip that feels like a different country.

Getting out there

The car ferry from Moskenes — ten minutes past Reine — takes roughly an hour and a half to Værøy; the same route continues to and from Bodø, and there is even a scheduled helicopter from Bodø for the committed. Departures are few and change with the seasons, so build the day around the timetable, not the other way round: morning boat out, evening boat home is the usual shape. Book the car ferry ahead in season — or go on foot; the island rewards walkers.

What fills the day

The classic walk is Håheia (Håen), roughly 438 metres and about an hour up on a good path — a family-friendly climb with a panorama over the village, the Lofoten wall and the open Vestfjord. On the way you pass restored stone eagle houses, where islanders once caught sea eagles with their bare hands. Further out lies Måstad, the abandoned village under the bird cliffs where puffins nest in their thousands — and where the little puffin dog, the Norwegian Lundehund, was bred to fetch them. Between Værøy and Moskenes runs Moskenstraumen, one of the strongest tidal currents in the world; centuries of stockfish trade even gave the island Venice as its friendship city.