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Moskenesøya

South-to-north crossing of Lofoten's 🇳🇴 southernmost island

By Northern Adventures

Introduction

(Mon Aug 1ST - Sat Aug 6TH, 2022)

There is no need to introduce the Lofoten islands; they have been on tourist radar for years. The islands' tall, craggy mountains stand majestically against the grey sky and made first-time visitors stare in silent awe.

Lofoten offers everything that their adventurous visitors seek for: sea-bird colonies, beautiful sandy beaches, towering peaks, and picturesque fishing villages. The mountains are set so close together that there seems to be no way through, but in fact the islands are riddled with straits, sounds and fjords.

Inspired by the Long crossing of the Lofoten Islands, we focused on the archipelago's arguably most diverse and rugged island, the southernmost Moskenesøya.

Besides well-known spots like Kvalvika bay, we were attracted by the scarcely populated west coast of the island, with no roads and (almost) no villages. On top of that, the southernmost tip of Moskenesøya seemed to offer real wilderness hiking since there is in fact no other way how to reach it except for a chartered boat transfer.

Our week-long itinerary was the following: Buvågen -> Gjerdvika -> Ågvatnet -> Forsfjorden -> Stormarkpollen -> Kvalvika -> Fredvang.

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How we went

The journey

I’ve experienced the lengthy and painfully slow car drive all the way up to the Lofoten islands once (back in 2006) and given that experience, we only considered flying (combined with ferry crossing) as the only reasonable travel option for us. After some meticulous planning, we managed to squeeze all the travel legs into a single day, having flown from Prague to Bodø via Oslo (Norwegian), and then taking a ferry to Moskenes.

(Planning of the return route took some effort too, yet finally we managed to book three flights onto a single ticking, flying from Leknes to Oslo (Widerøe) and then continuing to Prague via Amsterdam (KLM).)

In Moskenes, we stayed overnight in the large campsite (overcrowded in the summer season, yet with decent beer 🍻 on tap served), and took a morning bus to Reine on the next day.

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From Reine, we continued with the most exhilarating experience of the overall transport journey, a chartered speedboat ride to Buvågen bay, the very southwest corner of Moskenesøya (arranged with Aqua Lofoten Coast Adventure).

The weather forecast for the first day was mixed, with sunny conditions prevailing till the mid-afternoon, yet with wind and rain taking over afterwards.

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Day 1: From Buvågen to Gjerdvika

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Having been dropped off at the southern tip of Buvågen, we followed the coastline in the northern direction and quickly started to warm up as part of the ascent of Gongskardet pass (280m). Here in the pass, a tricky passage followed, first with a scramble under a big boulder, and then by a rope-aided steep descent to Refsvika bay.

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We had a quick look into the mighty Refsvikhula cave from the outside (the cave cannot be entered without a guide), and continued hiking along the coast, sometimes following a visible footpath.

Despite the fact that all the maps show a footpath between Buvågen and Ågvatnet, it’s a pure wilderness hiking most of the time – which isn’t that much surprising given the remoteness of the Moskenesøya southwest coast.

There was a nice campsite in the middle of Refsvika (though without an apparent water source), and we also came across a large whale carcass.

In the slowly deteriorating weather, we reached the southern tip of Turtnbakkvika bay only to realize that the footpath crossing the sea on the map is not a mistake – it’s a low-tide only footpath. (I’ve experienced similar “paths” on the southern coast of Hornstrandir peninsula, Iceland). Having bad luck, it was a high tide when we reached Turtnbakkvika, and after some terrain scouting we opted for somewhat dangerous traverse higher on the hillside. Progressing slowly and having taken proper care, we finally completed the traverse successfully. (Retrospectively, I would say that traversing the unnamed pass (80m) east of Steinberget (154m) would be an easier and safer option.)

In persisting rain, we continued hiking on the coast of Turtnbakkvika passing through a bolder maze. Then we had to bushwhack to another unnamed pass (100m), still following the non-existent path shown on the map. It was somewhat exhausting exercise, and the persisting (and rather surprising) lack of drinking water didn’t help either – there were simply no streams on the coast or were dried out, despite being shown on the map.

The final descent to Gjerdvika bay across slippery boulders and branches brought another challenge, yet finally we managed to get back to the sandy cost, even finding a tiny water stream (that apparently only appeared thanks to the continuous rain).

With low morale and being quite exhausted, we pitched our tents on the wet overgrown grassy shore. Having tucked into our sleeping bags after quick dinner, there was only one thing we could do in the continuous rain besides a decent shot of Scotch – to hope for better weather and terrain tomorrow.

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Day 2: From Gjerdvika to Ågvatnet

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The weather forecast promised sunny weather for the whole day and luckily it was exactly the case since the early morning.

This wish of ours was thus fulfilled, however the other one regarding the terrain simply wasn’t. What we were facing now was the cruel steep ascent in overgrown grass all the way up to an unnamed pass (570m), in the direction towards Ågvatnet lake.

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The steep ascent took us about four hours, lunch break included. The steepness itself possessed a challenge, yet it was the waist-long grass that made our progress desperately slow.

We took a few breaks during the way, and these gave us the opportunity to enjoy marvellous views across the rugged coastline with the beautiful sandy beach in Gjerdvika.

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It was a great relief when we finally reached the pass - Ågvatnet lake and the interestingly named settlement of Å now finally looked very close.

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Yet, the challenge was still far from being over – now a steep descent through a narrow couloir followed.

The terrain in the gully was muddy and with loose rocks, so we carefully walked one at a time only not to cause any injury by loosened rolling stones. Also, there was a short yet steep rope-aided section to negotiate.

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Later in the afternoon, we completed the descent through the Ågdalen valley, reaching the beautiful Ågvatnet lake.

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We continued hiking on the northern shore of the lake following the well-trodden footpath crossing numerous muddy roots and boulders, aiming to camp at a shelter not far from the westernmost tip of the lake. Unfortunately, the place was already occupied by a group of French hikers, so we decided to push it further, finally finding a beautiful camping spot on a small peninsula west of few summer houses (not far from the small Tjønntjønna tarn).

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Day 3: From Ågvatnet to Vindstad

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We woke up into a beautiful sunny morning. Though the weather forecast was mixed with occasional rain showers (as was the unfortunate case for the rest of the week ahead of us), we didn’t lose good spirit. First, the most difficult part of the trail was luckily behind us. And second, a well-deserved treat awaited us in Å – a bakery 😊.

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The bakery in the picturesque Å set among red-painted rorbuers (former fishermen cabins) offered a real magic with hot coffee and walnut cakes.

Then, we took a bus to Sørvågen, avoiding a boring 3km-long road walk.

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The well-trodden footpath towards the Munkebu hut we then followed led us along Stuvdalsvatnet and then above Tridalsvatnet lakes, with a short climbing section aided by staples and chains.

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We were gaining elevation continuously, finally reaching Munkebu hut (elevation 400m) situated on a small ridge above Fjerddalsvatnet and Tennesvatnet lakes.

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In slowly deteriorating weather, we crossed the pass between Fjerddalsvatnet and Tennesvatnet, finally emerging onto a small plateau above another lake, Krokvatnet.

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The ascent of Hermannsdalstinden (1029m, the highest mountain of Moskenesøya) was out of question given the continuous drizzle and low clouds. (It’s fair to say that even in sunny weather we wouldn’t probably try to summit the peak, given the limited time we had and the fatigue after the first two days on the trail).

Yet, we mistakenly followed the footpath to Hermannsdalstinden for a while, so we had to return and subsequently steeply descend to the northwest tip of Tennesvatnet lake (luckily the descent was easier than it looked on the map).

From there, another steep descent followed, now to a water powerplant in the southern tip of Forsfjorden fjord.

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How foolish we were thinking that by these two descents we successfully covered the most challenging part of today’s section! Nope.

The coastal 3km-long rambling across roots, a big boulder maze and following a muddy footpath contributed to an unexpected and unwanted evening challenge we had to overcome.

Finally and luckily, hiking closer to the small hamlet of Vindstad became more bearable despite it started to rain more intensively. Having found a convenient camping spot at a small stream near Vindstad, we called it a day, having pitched our tents on wet grass (and in continuous rain).

To sum the third day up, it wasn’t easier than the first two days of the trip; we had only been three days on the trail yet it felt like we had been hiking for a week.

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Day 4: From Vindstad to Stormarkpollen

The first morning task was rather unusual – to call a ferry operator that operates the Vindstad – Reine route and ask for a stop in Kjerkfjorden, as was suggested on the ferry timetable.

After a few unsuccessful attempts (no one picking up the call) I finally managed to confirm the stop at Kjerkfjorden, to our great relief.

(It’s fair to say that we originally planned to hike from Vindstad to Kjerkfjorden though there is no marked path and one has to reach a saddle (elevation 430m) east of the Brunakseltinden peak. It has been done before though some online sources do not really recommend this route given the steep and thus dangerous terrain. Anyway, since it was raining the whole night, we ruled this option quickly out, not really wanting to hazard on slippery steep rocks).

We hiked to Vindstad hoping to have a morning coffee in the community-run café, however it was closed. The small ferry that arrived was packed despite the unpleasant weather (at least it ceased to rain now). I realized there was no need to confirm the Kjerkfjorden stop – simply there were more people going there, not just us. Surprisingly, the ferry did also stop at the water powerplant in Forsfjorden we reached yesterday – taking a ferry from the powerplant would save us the exhaustive coastal hike yesterday, yet on the other hand we would have to sleep at the noisy plant in its rather uninspiring surroundings.

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Having reached Kjerkfjorden, the sun broke through grey clouds, illuminating the picturesque coastal hamlet beautifully.

We started to hike towards Horseidvika bay, crossing a pass (elevation 200m) half of the way.

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Unfortunately, clouds soon rolled back in, so we discarded Horseidvika with its sandy beach from our itinerary, and followed a path in the eastern direction instead, eventually reaching an unnamed pass (elevation 400m) with fine view of Laukvik bay.

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From here, we continued hiking to the north, passing the beautiful Fageråvatnet lake along the way.

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Then, the final descent to Stormarkpollen followed.

Here, we came across a beautiful camping site at a creek on the northern shore of the bay, and despite it was still quite early in the afternoon we didn’t hesitate to call it a day and happily occupy the tranquil spot.

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The evening in Stormarkpollen was beautiful.

With no wind and clear skies, we enjoyed a refreshing dip in the water stream, being warmed up by the evening sunshine afterwards. Coffee, freeze-dried meals, cigar, shot of Scotch or rum… surely the most pleasant evening of the overall trip!

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Day 5: From Stormarkpollen to Kvalvika

The morning weather was as beautiful as in the previous evening, yet soon rain clouds rolled in with an intense rain shower.

We started to hike in the eastern direction following the coastline, and having crossed a wet marsh, we reached the end of the road leading to Fredvang.

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Having hiked on the narrow road for a few kilometers, we left it entering a marked trail towards the Instagram-famous Kvalvika bay.

We passed along Markvatnet and Ågotvatnet lakes and having reached a pass above Kvalvika (elevation 110m), we were greeted by a rainbow across the sandy bay, in a miracle-like short-lived performance of stunning natural beauty.

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Perhaps inevitably, Kvalvika was full of day-trippers who often didn’t hesitate to take a dip in the cold sea in an Instagram-driven movement of mind, yet fortunately the northern part of the bay where a secluded natural campsite is located was not that crowded, with just a dozen of tents spread across the grassy hillside.

In the meantime, rain showers prevailed once again, and having pitched our tents in the campsite and tucked into our sleeping bags, we patiently waited for the weather to hopefully improve.

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It was around 6PM when the weather finally seemed to be more stable. With two more pals from our group, we took last pieces of courage that had left and set out on the well-beaten path towards the prominent cliff of Ryten (elevation 543m), which offers superb views of Kvalvika sandy beaches and surrounding cliffs.

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Not surprisingly, it started to rain again soon after we started and the wind got stronger, too.

Yet, in the decisive moment when we were discussing whether to prematurely return or not, we finally decided to push it further to the viewpoint - being rewarded by a rainless and windless weather spell, which was later spiced by a few glorious moments of late evening sunshine.

Lucky were our adventurous souls, and we were thankful to have a chance to witness such beautiful moments high up on the cliff.

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Day 6: From Kvalvika do Fredvank, and back to Hamnøya

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The last day of our trail was straightforward – we hiked back to Fredvank road using another well-trodden path from Kvalvika, and then continued with a lengthy road walk across Fredvank to the bus stop on the main E 10 road.

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We had a pre-booked accommodation in a rorbuer in Hamnøya near Reine (Eliassen Rorbuer).

Having washed up the dirt from the week-long trail, we held a closing session in the Gadus Nordic Trattoria in a splurge that lasted till midnight. The delicious 5-course dining menu (whale carpaccio was our favourite) was washed down by tens of beers (not joking); I still have the bill somewhere however prefer not to look at it once again 😉.

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Afterword

Even with just six days spent on the trail, it’s fair say we felt it’s just enough, being pretty worn out.

The combination of mixed weather, significant daily elevation gains and difficult terrain during the first three days on the trail took its toll.

Yet, retrospectively, it was a perfect adventure.

The area between Buvågen and Å is literally a no man’s land, and beautiful sandy beaches located within its secluded bays rival the world-known Kvalvika.

The mountainous section between Sørvågen and Munkebu is well-trodden, which, however, doesn’t negatively impact its attractiveness.

And then there is the picture-perfect Kvalvika with its notoriously known viewpoint on the impressive Ryten cliff.

A few advices:

- there are almost none reliable water sources on the east coast between Buvågen and Gjerdvika;

- the coastal route in the southernmost tip of Turtnbakkvika is low-tide only;

- descents from Buvågen to Refsvika and from Gjerdvika to Ågvatnet are steep and (luckily) rope-aided;

- the bakery in Å is a delight;

- coastal rambling between water powerplant and Vindstad in Forsfjorden is a nightmare;

- the most beautiful campsite we found was the one located on the northern shore of Stormarkpollen;

- when in Kvalvika, do the Ryten hike;

- beer in Lofoten (or generally in Norway) is ridiculously expensive, so take a smile and don’t be afraid to get a few during the farewell dinner 🍻😊.

Throwback Thursday

2006. 16 years ago... seems like in a different century. Back then, we spent two weeks on a road trip across the whole Norway all the way up to Lofoten (and back).

Looking at the pictures from the trip now, we were quite lucky with the weather.

Reine, Ågvatnet, Å, Nusfjord, Rørvikstranda beach, Henningsvær fishing village. All these beautiful places are still in my memory.

In fact, my very first trip to the Nordics.

It all began here, years ago.

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Footnotes

All photographs are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

FootNotes

All photographs are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

© 2026 Northern Adventures

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