Life in Lofoten

In 2018 I accepted a job in the Arctic Circle and in January 2019 drove my thirty four year old Syncro two thousand miles in winter storms to begin work ( this journey was viewed over 160,000 times on Youtube and can be watched HERE or alternatively check out the full blog ‘ Journey to the Arctic ’. In this instalment I take a look back over a year of adventures in the Arctic Circle and offer my thoughts on the truly magical Lofoten.

I was initially planning to work in Lofoten for three months but this quickly escalated into a more permanent situation and these remote islands became my home for the next ten months. Vanlife in the extreme cold is challenging and during this period I got a lot of questions asking how I coped. It’s also worth mentioning that my Syncro was barely insulated ( I’d made some small improvements before leaving but not enough ). However, those of you who read ‘ Journey to the Arctic ’ will know that just before leaving the UK I replaced my old Propex with an Eberspacher B1. At the time I really didn’t have the money for such an expensive heat source but in retrospect it was the best decision I made. This one decision is what made arctic vanlife possible and comfortable. I had a totally rubbish battery system in the van ( check out the new fancy set-up in Apocatron 6.0 ) so I was only able to run the Eber for fairly limited periods ( e.g. after work until bed and when I woke up in the morning for thirty mins ). Nevertheless, it was these hours of warmth/comfort that made living in sub zero doable. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that with a good heater living in sub zero really isn’t too bad as the ambient temperature in the van is very comfortable ( it is worth mentioning that without proper insulation as soon as you turn off the heater the vehicle temperature drops rapidly ). The cold is not without its challenges of course, particularly in a van with 30+ year old electrics. In fact, my Syncro has a habit of being absolutely faultless in the warm dry months and once it hits the cold/wet winter season it begins to have all sorts of weird electrical gremlins ( this is unfortunately a common trait of most old vans ). That said, the Syncro never actually broke down in the winter but came very close when my alternator died. Anyway, back to life in Lofoten.

  Lofoten is unquestionably a paradise. It is all the hype and then some. I have explored most of Norway ( broadly speaking ) and objectively I’d say that in terms of beauty per square mile Lofoten is the jewel in Norway’s crown ( although in Norway that’s just saying it’s more notable than all the other natural perfection ). Living in Lofoten is ultimately living in a bubble. It’s island life ( it’s connected to the mainland in the north but the ferry is for the most part easier/more convenient ). I can honestly say I knew less about the rest of the world during this period than any other time in my life. Life in Lofoten is busy, very very busy. This is a good and bad thing. On the one hand tourism ( alongside fishing ) is Lofoten’s biggest source of income ( and one that makes a lot of locals very wealthy ). However, on the other hand platforms such as Instagram have made much of the world see Lofoten as the only place in Norway worth visiting and as a result the number of tourists far exceeds the islands capacity ( in my opinion ). Mass tourism on this scale may offer a source of revenue to locals but it also causes them a lot of aggravation and puts huge amounts of strain on the modest infrastructure. Furthermore, the sheer footfall in places of natural beauty means landscape erosion and large amounts of trash both on land/at sea. I visited a few remote areas in the mountains that have become ‘ insta famous ’ and as soon as you ventured away from the main trail you had to tread carefully around human faeces/used tissue ( I will stress that these areas are few and for the most part Lofoten is very clean/looked after ). This is unacceptable behaviour by visitors but I also believe the local municipalities should be doing more to improve the situation. If tourists are being allowed to camp in certain areas then there’s a responsibility of the local councils to decide how this is managed responsibly. Ultimately all countries need to do more research into sustainable tourism. The thing is, Lofoten is a paradise. Millions of people visit and I don’t blame them. As a photographer/adventurer you’re completely spoilt with more hiking/kayaking than you could ever manage and landscapes that are so beautiful you simply can’t take a bad photo. Reine is the ‘ postcard photo ’ and after exploring Lofoten from top to bottom I can’t argue with that. I would recommend doing your research and not simply visiting the famous spots as there’s some truly life changing hikes that aren’t in the standard tourist itinerary ( whilst also recognising your personal level of experience/confidence in the mountains ). I will say that if you like MTB/bikepacking there are far better places to ride in Norway ( Hardangervidda comes to mind ) as trails are few and most cycle routes follow the main roads. However, for kayaking it is arguably one of the most exciting locations in the world ( although planning is everything and I do NOT recommend attempting any sort of kayaking trips in Lofoten without proper research/training – conditions can become extremely challenging very quickly ). That said, I feel that kayaking is the best way to see Lofoten and it’s well worth investing in a local guide to show you the fjords and perhaps spot an Orca!

Norway is one of the safest countries in Europe and is well suited to vanlife. There are plentiful free camp spots, beautiful campsites, good roadside facilities and in Lofoten you’re never far from other adventurous folk. I will reiterate that Lofoten is not the only incredible location in Norway and if you’re planning on heading north in your camper/motorhome be sure to check out some of the other national parks ( one of my personal favourites is Jotunheimen ). Vanlifing in Lofoten, particularly in the summer, is an opportunity to meet other likeminded travellers every single day. Personally, I like the mainland a little more for full time vanlife only as I missed the space to explore ( Lofoten has very few roads ). These islands maybe objectively the most beautiful ( in my opinion ) but it’s also very busy and once I’d seen all the sites I did feel like I was getting  a touch of island fever (…in paradise ).

  I keep extremely busy and fill every single day. If I’m ever in one place more than a couple of weeks then I’m generally working. The big adventures you see on my channel cost money and 9-10 months per year I work 60-80 hours per week to allow me to take the rest of the year off. There are far better ways to sustain yourself full-time on the road and I’ve been working on those, but for now this is my method. I also make sure that my work never disrupts my physical training/adventures. Consequently, during the winter I’m at the gym five days a week and in the summer I drop that down to about three sessions and instead kayak/hike/run/ride most days. Consequently, in 2019 I crammed in more micro adventures than I have in any year previous and these are documented below. As always I like to tell stories visually so in this article you’ll find an extensive collection of photos organised into different activities alongside a number of notable engagements with other adventurers/friends ( head over to A Year in 35mm if you’d like to experience my year through the rangefinder of my Leica M6 film camera ). I hope these offer you a little escapism in these crazy times and perhaps offer a little inspiration for your upcoming adventures.

What’s next?!

In the next instalment I’ll be sharing photos taken on a nine hundred mile road trip with one of my best friends down the length of Norway. Check out the video below for a sneak preview…