Lofotr Viking Museum

Saturday 18^th June 2011 – Day at Anchor

Relaxing day at anchor, we did however change our anchorage in the early evening not because we had youngsters watering skiing around us but because the wind had changed direction and we were worried about being blown into the shallows, particularly as James had masses of chain out and the anchor went into 3 metres of water and we were generally in 5 – 6 metres.  We only moved a couple of bays further out and closer to the sea.

Sunday 19^th June 2011- Viking Ship

We left our anchorage after breakfast and motored out between various rocks and in again between rocks to have a look at Mortsund, nothing of interest except lots of fish farms with fish jumping. 

Mortsund - fish farm

 However, we spied a Viking ship a mile out to sea, so we went to have a look.  It was from the Viking Museum and they were all dressed at Vikings, I have since learnt that they were heading to meet the Hurtigruten coastal ship when it went into Stamsund as for five days the ship has a webcam on the bow which is sending film to a TV station.

Having photographed the Viking ship we headed up the fjord to Leknes, because it is the closest place I could find to visit the Lofotr Viking Museum from, either by bus or on our bikes.   There is nothing pretty about the place, a 12 metre guest pontoon at NOK 30 or 100 p.d. with electricity.  Water is available.

Distance motored: 12 nm

Leknes Marina & Guest pontoon in the back ground

 We put the folding bikes up and cycle 1 km to the town centre, where we found a Coop open, so I was able to replenish the fresh fruit and vegetable stock.  In the early evening we then cycled 4 miles around the bay to Gravdal, which also has a small marina and an imposing looking church, which we walked around.

Gravdal Church

Monday 20^th June 2011- Viking Museum

We were up early to prepare a picnic lunch for our visit to the Viking Museum at Borg, a cycle ride of 10 miles into the strong northerly wind which slowed us down, James in particular did not enjoy the ride, he said he felt exhausted (complained my snoring and the wind had kept him a wake) and his back was painful.  I certainly had to keep stopping to let him catch up. 

Reconstructed Chieftain's House

The Museum lies within the original Iron Age (Viking) settlement, where they found the remains of the largest Viking house in Northern Europe and have reconstructed this chieftain’s house just a few yards from the original.  There are regular tours around the house in a variety of languages, on arriving we were told that an English tour would begin in 3 minutes so we rushed straight up to the chieftain’s house for the tour and had the guide to ourselves.  We were told how they would have lived and shown the various implements that they would have used.  The house was split into 3 – the living / working / sleeping area for up to 70 persons, the banqueting hall and a barn attached for the animals, they kept domestic animals like cows for milk and sheep for wool and meat.  All the workers were dressed as Vikings.  After the tour we returned to the Museum which provides an audio guide to go round it and a film about the Viking Chief they know most about.  On show were various excavated finds from around the area.

Chieftain's Dining Hall, where I had my soup.

James very quickly had had enough so he cycled back to the boat for his lunch.  I stayed on to continue with the museum and then returned to the banqueting hall for a traditional Viking lunch of lamb and vegetable soup with sour cream and flat bread which was delicious if expensive at NOK 100! 

Our tour guide showing me a Viking game

After the Viking area, there are remains of 3 possible church buildings and today there is a very modern church with lots of natural light nearby, which I was able to walk to and it was open.  My cycle ride back to the boat was much easier, with the wind from behind and the sun trying to come out, the trip back took only an hour as opposed to the hour & half in morning.  I even found some wild rhubarb to pick, the meadows and verges are now a picture of yellow buttercups, red campion, lady’s mantle, cow parsley and pretty grasses and dandelion seed heads, also wild lupins are now in flower along the roadside and I saw a few areas with orchids.  I spotted 2 curlews pecking around the newly cut hay fields, not far from lakes and a heron.

The lovely sunny days of the last two weeks seems to be coming to an end, rain is forecast along with a strong north easterly wind.

Tuesday 21st June 2011 - Strong winds and rain


Our plans to move on to day were dashed when we awoke to strong winds and rain, in the end it seemed safer to stay here, with extra warps on as the force 6 raged around us.  We did venture out this afternoon with a walk into the town a little over a mile each way for a little shopping.  The forecast for tomorrow is not much better.

Wednesday 22nd June 2011 - More of the same - wind and rain

The weather has not changed so we stayed tied up to our pontoon with electricity and water.  A day to forget.  There was a large cruise ship at anchor in the bay, tenders going back and forth to the main quay - I pity the poor b...... sightseeing in this weather - you would not know we have mountains all around! 

Thursday 23rd June 2011 - We are still in Leknes!

Paddington on the otherside of the pontoon,

The wind changed directions from the strong northerly wind to a strong south westerly during the night so that we were blowing on hard, I was out in my nightie at 4.30 am putting out more fenders!  When James got up, he checked the forecast and it was for force 5 - 6 for most of the day with rain in the morning.  We really thought what is the point in heading out into wind to see some of the supposedly prettiest fishing villages on these islands in these conditions, so it was another day in paradise ... not!  At least with no other visitors here we were able to move the boat to the other side of the pontoon, so that we are blowing off again.  Also it seems as though Leknes has been more sheltered from the strong winds than all the places on the coast as we are up the top end of a fjord.

Silver Whisper alongside the harbour

I can't say that Leknes has many attractions other than being a good place for cruise ships to bus their passengers to some of the interesting spots .... there is another cruise ship in today - Silver Whisper who is small enough to berth alongside the Harbour, at least the passengers will have seen part of the mountains today!

However, the town does have an amazing amount of supermarkets to chose from, so this afternoon we walked the mile plus into town for more fruit etc.  James being energetic went in this morning for bread rolls for breakfast, as he did yesterday. 
 This evening the sun has even come out and the wind has dropped so we will be off on our hols again tomorrow!  The original plan for tonight - Midsummer Eve was to have gone up to the north coast to Ramberg where the Turf museum was having an evening 'do' to celebrate the midsummer and the nearby Flakstad church had a choir singing, but it would have meant going up the Nappstrummer yesterday, which has strong tides so you have to chose your time carefully but then we would have had the near gale winds against us which would have been very unpleasant so we passed up that celebration of the midsummer.  Leknes had no celebration although across the bay at Gravdal we have seen a number of bonfires, which is certainly now the Danes celebrate.

The only bonfire I saw - not a very lively one!