Stunning Senja
Gonna try and keep this blog a little shorted and let the photos do the talking. Apparently my blog entry's are a little long winded, according to a certain Aunt anyway 😳😂😂.
The weather was a little grey this morning and for a while it looked like it wouldn't clear, but we had breakfast, sorted the van and the boys played for ages on the campsite trampoline-I wondered if maybe they had used up a bit too much energy in there. We then hummed and hawed about which hill to climb, I wanted to climb Keipen but with around 900meters of ascent the boys would not manage it and it looks steep and rocky, so that wasn't happening, I did consider going up myself but the carpark didn't have anything much else for Joyce and the boys to do while I was away, and besides we are here to do things together-although when it come to hills I think Joyce would prefer not to join in sometimes.
We thought about a small peak near the campsite but I figured the views might not be so good, so we decided (late) to head back along the road we travelled yesterday and climb a coastal peak called Husfjellet that from everything we had read had stunning views, it did not disappoint. The ascent would again be around 600 meters, distance 4km each way and the guidebook time was 3 to 4 hours so that's within the boys remit and we hoped it wouldn't be too difficult. The lower half of the hill was a total mud and bog fest, and the fly's were brutal, not biting flies but just thousands of normal flies, others were coming down with all there hood tops up and we were constantly flapping our arms to keep them off. Once out the trees things improved, it became drier and finally the flies went also. It was a busy wee hill and our boys did fantastic. The received a lot of positive comments about their achievement.
The views at the top were superb, we could see over to Andenes where we had come from yesterday, and all the north western peaks on Senja, it really is a beautiful island. None of the hills are really high, the highest called Breidtinden is just over 1000 meters but does not look easy. I think the difference between these hills and Scottish his is that more of them are much more sheer and pointed, the climate, length of time since glaciation and the fact they rise mostly straight out the sea has a lot to do with their look. A lot of summits would be hard to reach without a guide book. We lingered for a while and took a good few pictures, the boys had a bit of fun messing around on a patch of snow near the top. The decent went easily, Joyce looking after Callum who in all fairness is doing great and did most of the decent himself, me and Logan sauntered down at the back, taking his hand at times is better as a wee trip on wearied legs could be bad.
It was about 6pm when we got back to the van, so finding somewhere to park up for the night soon would be good. Logan had already asked to park near a beach and we new exactly where there was a good one. We headed there and were parked for free along beside a few other vans at Ersfjord, one of the most beautiful places we have parked. Joyce quickly rustled up some tuna pasta and after that we sat outside in the warm sun with our coffee's, and beer and ice cream. The boys had a ball playing in a little burn next to the van and then I took them for a walk along the beach as the sun lowered, people were in swimming. This was the boys latest night, it was 10:45 before they went to bed, had the sun been visible here at midnight we would have kept them up to see it but there was a headland in the way and the sun disappeared behind it at 11:30 unfortunately, still it was a fantastic place to end another good day. There wasn't even a murmer once their heads were on their pillows.
The weather was a little grey this morning and for a while it looked like it wouldn't clear, but we had breakfast, sorted the van and the boys played for ages on the campsite trampoline-I wondered if maybe they had used up a bit too much energy in there. We then hummed and hawed about which hill to climb, I wanted to climb Keipen but with around 900meters of ascent the boys would not manage it and it looks steep and rocky, so that wasn't happening, I did consider going up myself but the carpark didn't have anything much else for Joyce and the boys to do while I was away, and besides we are here to do things together-although when it come to hills I think Joyce would prefer not to join in sometimes.
We thought about a small peak near the campsite but I figured the views might not be so good, so we decided (late) to head back along the road we travelled yesterday and climb a coastal peak called Husfjellet that from everything we had read had stunning views, it did not disappoint. The ascent would again be around 600 meters, distance 4km each way and the guidebook time was 3 to 4 hours so that's within the boys remit and we hoped it wouldn't be too difficult. The lower half of the hill was a total mud and bog fest, and the fly's were brutal, not biting flies but just thousands of normal flies, others were coming down with all there hood tops up and we were constantly flapping our arms to keep them off. Once out the trees things improved, it became drier and finally the flies went also. It was a busy wee hill and our boys did fantastic. The received a lot of positive comments about their achievement.
The views at the top were superb, we could see over to Andenes where we had come from yesterday, and all the north western peaks on Senja, it really is a beautiful island. None of the hills are really high, the highest called Breidtinden is just over 1000 meters but does not look easy. I think the difference between these hills and Scottish his is that more of them are much more sheer and pointed, the climate, length of time since glaciation and the fact they rise mostly straight out the sea has a lot to do with their look. A lot of summits would be hard to reach without a guide book. We lingered for a while and took a good few pictures, the boys had a bit of fun messing around on a patch of snow near the top. The decent went easily, Joyce looking after Callum who in all fairness is doing great and did most of the decent himself, me and Logan sauntered down at the back, taking his hand at times is better as a wee trip on wearied legs could be bad.
It was about 6pm when we got back to the van, so finding somewhere to park up for the night soon would be good. Logan had already asked to park near a beach and we new exactly where there was a good one. We headed there and were parked for free along beside a few other vans at Ersfjord, one of the most beautiful places we have parked. Joyce quickly rustled up some tuna pasta and after that we sat outside in the warm sun with our coffee's, and beer and ice cream. The boys had a ball playing in a little burn next to the van and then I took them for a walk along the beach as the sun lowered, people were in swimming. This was the boys latest night, it was 10:45 before they went to bed, had the sun been visible here at midnight we would have kept them up to see it but there was a headland in the way and the sun disappeared behind it at 11:30 unfortunately, still it was a fantastic place to end another good day. There wasn't even a murmer once their heads were on their pillows.
seriously buddy those photos are some of the best I have seen anywhere to promote the outdoors, I am not saying that because your my friend I am looking at it objectively having seen many a previous less deserving winner in outdoor film competitions, I would enter those photos of the boys on the hills into the Kendal outdoor photo comp they are truly worthy of a win, and that certain auntie can take a long walk of a short pier lol, what is she so busy doing that she cant be bothered reading an epic tale about her families travels seriously !! mind tell her I said it
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