VESTERÅLEN

"Vesterålen is a fairytale land descended from heaven down to the Arctic Ocean when the earth was created, a landscape shaped by divine imagination, one of the unknown Creator's great masterpieces. Vesterålen is a rich and secluded world of its own..." (Edvard Welle-Strand, 1932)

Here one finds frothy seas, mild skerry shorelines, long fjords and narrow straits, babbling brooks and gushing watercourses.

Vesterålen has cacophonous bird rocks and mute marshlands. Multi-coloured moors and green fields. Soft hillsides and craggy peaks.

Here you will find small sandy islets side by side with Norway's largest island! And mountains that jut straight up out of the ocean.

The weather is varied - not to say unpredictable and ever changing. Here you can experience several annual seasons on one and the same day, with all the excitement that this has to offer. Light plays an important role in all of our experiences of nature.

During summer - with the midnight sun and the pink hues of night, crisp and cool air, arctic greens from shoreline to mountaintop. Incessant light!

During winter - with its sparkling northern lights, snow flurries thick as porridge and storms that tear the rooftops off houses and lift boats onto land. A colourful dark season!

Nearby and accessible
Outdoor wonders are close at hand and accessible - and the natural surroundings are used actively.  Several natural attractions have also been made accessible to wheelchair users. Nature in Vesterålen is the real thing, and it is always the right season for various experiences of nature:

- Fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing, biking
- Paddling, rowing, scuba diving
- Experience whales, seals and birds
- Ski the high ground or the lowlands
- Pick berries and mushrooms
- Play golf
- or simply take snapshots and film
- Experience - plainly and simply

The people of Vesterålen are known for their hospitality, and they gladly welcome visitors. They also have a lot to tell visitors - either face to face, or through museums that depict the islanders' way of life, their love of nature and their exposure to the whims of nature's fluctuating resources.

The greatest resource of all is fish, which has been the livelihood and nourishment for Vesterålen residents for thousands of years. A uniquely special coastal culture was developed and left its traces on society here - traces that are found still today.

The settlement pattern in Vesterålen is scattered. Isolated single dwellings without road communication alternate with small communities and large urban centres.

Here it is still possible to find quiet oases for rest and relaxation, side by side with active experiences and entertainment.

Vesterålen is more than a holiday - it is a feast, manna for body and soul, medicine for the modern, busy traveller!