Lofoten is a wonderful place to visit. We had a pleasant day exploring, and even managed to fit in a trip on a replica Viking ship. Lofotr museum was fun. As well as sailing around the lake, we tried archery and axe throwing. We didn’t sample the lapskaus cooking in the cauldron outside, but it was interesting to see inside the reconstruction of a Viking chieftain’s longhouse.

The ship we sailed in was a replica of the Gokstad ship that is in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. She went surprisingly well. I was interested to see that unlike the yachts I have sailed in before, which had a boom that swung across, the sheet hung before the mast, forward on one side and further back on the other. When we went about, it was pulled forward on on the other side. She had ballast under the boards – lots of rocks to keep her stable. The guide explained that if she capsized, the rocks fell out and the boat didn’t sink. Not much of a problem when the ballast was stone, less good on the voyage home after a raid on Scotland, when the rocks had been replaced with whisky.

Having looked at the weather forecast, we knew the grey skies were to clear in the afternoon, and so we drove down to Å, at the southernmost tip of the island.  There were mountains and lakes, fjords and islands, but for now, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

And now our journey to the north was almost over, but our new life is just beginning.

More soon, kind friends.