Horrible on Hinnoya, acceptable on Andoya

We got up this morning after a night of the wind buffeting the van, our spot was perfectly acceptable but a little exposed to the elements, it had rained hard through the night and was also very windy. It was dry at breakfast time and actually looked quite reasonable and Logan was keen to go out for a walk, however soon after the heavens opened and it was definitely foul, even going out to turn off the gas and cover up the water heater flue was rather bracing so any walking idea were shelved. We dropped down to sea level and passed through a very driech Sigerfjord, a very spread out town. One poor man was trying to cut his grass in the terrible weather and one lady was out walking her dog and pushing a pram and not looking filled the joys of life. I am sure the residents are well used to it up here however. This road was also seriously in need of attention, there is a big tunnel that cuts this bit of coastline out and clearly the budget was all spent on that, pot holes, cracks and rutted it had it all.

So, based on what we saw and given how bad the weather looked further west we decided to omit the island of Langoya, it would take a good couple of days to do the area justice and for us it will need to wait for a future trip, when that will be who knows. Further north had a glimmer of something better weather wise, it still looked blustery but there were gaps in it so we headed north on the 85 road through Strand and up towards Andoya, the scenery along all this stretch of road is very like areas of the west coast of Scotland, more gentle slopes on the hills and a more gradual shoreline also, the were some interesting marshlands that would have been great for bird watching. We passed the MV Lofoten coming down the fjord, batting the wind and with a fair list on. We had seen this vessel while waiting on the ferry at Bodo. The weather was still mixed but improving as we went, big squally showers came and went and there was a dusting of snow on some of the higher hills which appear to be around the 700 to 800 meter mark. It was taking a bit of effort to keep Bessie on the straight and narrow with the strong northerly wind that was blowing. We were passing a lot of cyclists all heading south, big sets of front and rear panniers on and they were all happed up in all their waterproof and warm clothes.....our first day cycling the Hebridean Way on Vatersay was nothing compared to this. We crossed over the Risoysundet the channel that connects Hinnoya to Andoya and for us and the unfortunate 2 cyclists ahead of us this meant a very steep climb, the bridges are built very tall to allow ships to pass under them. We waited a good bit back and watched a the 2 poor cyclists battled the north wind into a squall and also up and onto this bridge, they were off and pushing quite quickly, we felt sorry for them and Joyce suggested stopping to make them a coffee but when we got to the other side there was a sign for a coffee shop, I am sure they would be heading there to warm up.

Once on Andoya we tried to go south and around a little peninsula before heading to the north, this went well until about three quarters of the way round where the road seriously degenerated and a sign post stated the road was in bad condition and forward travel was "at your own risk". Bessie was definitely not designed for this and breaking something on the van this far from home would be very bad news, so I was very grateful to find a little space to get turned and head back round the way we had came. We had our lunch overlooking one of the stunning little bays that looked out over the Gavlfjorden, white sands, turquoise water and snowy hills in the back ground, again all very Scottish....I am sure that any Norwegian visitors to parts of Scotland would say the opposite and that parts of our country are "very Norwegian".....lol. We headed back and onto better roads again and followed the road up the west cast of Andoya, it is a beautiful drive with spectacular cliffs and little beaches and coves, the weather was markedly better now, the sun was out but it was still a cold and strong north wind blowing so stops were brief. Theres quite a few place on this road where one could park up for the night. There are also however many what we think are military installations and antenna, they don't appear to be guarded but there are no entry signs and I think they are definitely listening to and watching something. We aren't so far from Russia up here and this is quite an important strategic area, the Andoya airport and Air Station is guarded, there are also a few uniformed people in the town. I am not sure if the air station and civilian airport are the same place.

On approach to Andenes we passed Andoya Space station, there is a tour and exhibition here and we may visit this but it was a bit late today, we passed at 4:15 and it shut at 5.30pm so tomorrow or Monday will be better options.


 We found the Bobil parking area and also checked out the ferry port to Senja, we will be going over there in a couple of days, there is a huge colony of Arctic Terns with young nested all around this industrious area, getting out the van to get some pictures was a highly risky strategy, I don't have much protection on top and those beaks are very sharp. We actually toyed with the idea of just heading over today as the ferry was due in 40 minutes or so, but we elected to stay on Vesterålen for a bit longer as there is lots to see and do here-weather permitting. we took a wander and got ourselves booked on a wee trip that will happen tomorrow or Monday, more on that later. Back to the van and it was time for a tasty curry washed down with some beer and time to get the dishes done and sandwiches made up for tomorrows adventures. I am typing the blog, enjoying a whisky and a beer, looking for a gap in the clouds to see this elusive sun not setting but here comes another squall, oh well, maybe by 12pm it will have cleared. And of course, there's always tomorrow!!