Nordland
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Nordland is a county in Northern Norway. Nordland has an endless and very rugged coastline with thousands of islands. Further inland there are high mountains, glaciers and plateaus. Summers have non-stop daylight (and sun at midnight) while during the darker season there is frequent display of northern lights (aurora borealis).
Cities
- 1 Bodø pop 42,000, the county capital with the main airport
- 2 Brønnøysund pop 6,000. Features Torghatten, a mountain that has a large hole that goes all the way through it.
- 3 Fauske pop 7,000
- 4 Leknes pop 3,000
- 5 Mo i Rana pop 20,000
- 6 Narvik pop 15,000
- 7 Stokmarknes, pop 3,400
- 8 Svolvær pop 5,000
- 9 Ørnes pop 1,600
Other destinations
- 1 Lofoten, postcard looking small fishing villages nestled in fjords, dotting a very rugged coast with abrupt peaks rising directly from the ocean – one of the most scenic parts of Norway.
- 2 Sulitjelma, village and former mining town in the fells, trailhead for hiking, skiing and glacier treks.
- 3 Tonnes, small coastal village in Helgeland area, hiking trails in beautiful mountains.
- 4 Vega village and archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape area, realm of the eider.
- 5 Vesterålen, archipelago north of Lofoten, with much wilderness to explore. The small town Stokmarknes hosts the headquarters of the Hurtigruten and the Coastal Express Museum.
Understand
Nordland occupies the relatively narrow strip of land between the border with Sweden and the Atlantic Ocean, in addition to a myriad of islands. At the most narrow point there is only a few kilometers of Norwegian land from the sea to the border. At the same time the county is 700 km from south to north, like London to Glasgow. Nordland mainland has a coastline of about 5,000 km – more than most countries in Europe. If islands are included, Nordland's coastline is longer than the coastline of USA or China.
Norway's mainland is largely protected by a belt of countless islands and skerries. The waters between these are often navigable and create a sheltered sea lane. This belt is particularly wide on the Helgeland coast (southern Nordland) where the belt stretches some 50 kilometers into the ocean. On the islands and coast of Helgeland there are countless sea birds. The eider is particularly valued for its delicate down and the eiders of Helgeland have been semi-domesticated for centuries. The eiders and their nests are watched by locals and should not be disturbed. On Vega island there is even an eider museum, presumably the only one in the world.
Nordland county consists of several traditional districts
- Helgeland (south of the glacier and Saltfjellet mt pass), including the Vega UNESCO site
- Salten including Bodø (north of the glacier)
- Ofoten including Narvik (around Ofotfjorden and Tysfjorden)
- Lofoten (archipelago)
- Vesterålen (archipelago)
Lofoten and Vesterålen together constitutes a wide archipelago including some of Norway's largest islands. Part of this group is in Troms county.
The arctic circle cuts right across Nordland. Even if there is no proper midnight sun south of the circle there is no darkness during summer, there is 24 hour daylight. The coast of Nordland has an unusual mild climate for its latitude. The climate is fairly temperate thanks to the Gulf Stream. Along the coast and on islands summers are mild or cool, in winter temperatures hover just above or below freezing. The coast is most affected by western winds. There are great differences in rainfall. The outer islands have modest rainfall while the mountainous areas near the coast receives 3 times as much rain, notably in autumn. The sheltered inner valleys like Saltdal have modest rainfall and a dry, continental climate. Inner valleys have relatively wamr and pleasant summers and cold winters.
Get in
By boat
Hurtigruten connects Nordland to Tromsø and Finnmark in the north, and Bergen, Trondheim and Ålesund in the south.
By plane
- 1 Bodø airport (BOO IATA). Norway's 6th busiest and serves primarily domestic routes to Oslo and Trondheim, as well as the regional airports in towns such as Leknes, Brønnøysund, Svolvær, Mo i Rana and Mosjøen. The central location of the airport makes even a short stopover an opportunity to go sightseeing.
- 2 Evenes (EVE IATA Narvik/Harstad airport) (Road E10). Evenes serves both Narvik and Harstad, and offers several daily direct flights to/from Oslo Airport by SAS and Norwegian. Except some charter flights there are no international connections (as of 2017). About 45 minutes by car from either town.
Because of long distances and fragmented landscape there are numerous smaller airports in Nordland:
- 3 Brønnøysund airport (BNN IATA). Small airport that takes smaller aircraft. Connections to Oslo, Bodø and Trondheim, flights often include nearby airports too. Relatively frequent flights as the airport also serves the offshore oil fields. Only 5 minutes by car from Brønnøysund.
- Røssvoll airport (MQN IATA) in Mo i Rana
In Southern Nordland there are airports in Mosjøen, Mo i Rana and Sandnessjøen, with flights from Trondheim and Bodø. In Northern Nordland there are airports at Leknes, Røst, Stokmarknes (SKN IATA) and Svolvær, with flights from Bodø. All these are operated by Widerøe. Furthermore there is a helicopter from Bodø to Værøy, operated by Lufttransport.
Narvik city airport was closed in 2017.
By rail
- The Nordland railway (Nordlandsbanen) has NSB from Trondheim to Fauske and Bodø.
- 4 Ofotbanen (Iron Ore Railway). The railway between Kiruna in Sweden and Narvik (Ofotbanen or Iron Ore Railway), with SJ trains from Stockholm. This rail was built primarily to transport iron ore from the mining towns in Northern Sweden to the port of Narvik. As part of the line runs through the very steep and inhospitable Narvik mountains, the construction was an engineering achievement. Control of this railway and the Narvik port was one aim of the German invasion of Norway in 1940.
By bus
Express buses, often the cheapest alternative, go further north to Narvik and Lofoten from Fauske and Bodø.
By car
The E6 road is the main road, running along the entire county. From Oslo to the southern border of Nordland it is around 800 kilometers (10 hours plus stops), and from Copenhagen around 1400 kilometers (16 hours plus stops). E6 through Nordland is 650 km.
Get around
By train
- Nordlandsbanen runs between Southern Nordland and Fauske/Bodø north of Saltfjellet. Diesel powered locomotives.
- Ofotbanen (Iron Ore Railway) connects Narvik port to the Swedish border in the Narvik mountains. Electric.
By plane
Time can be saved by air travel inside Nordland. See the Get in section for more.
By bus or boat
The easiest way to get around is by bus or boat if you don't have a car. Search on En-Tur.
By car
A drive through Nordland from the southern county line to the far end of Lofoten will be more than 1000 km, similar to a drive through the length of Italy's mainland. Traffic is generally light, but landscape is complicated and roads are of varying quality. There are no motorways. The E6 is mostly two-lane undivided. Driving is a fine way to experience Nordland's grand and ever changing landscape.
In the north-south direction there are basically only two roads:
- The E6 is the backbone road of the county. Distances are long, 650 km including one ferry crossing, between the northern and southern county borders (takes around 10 hours plus stops). North of Bodø the E6 is the only real option on the mainland.
- The road 17 (Helgeland coast road) is a partly spectacular tourist road, connecting the coastal settlements. The coastal road runs through very fragmented landscape. It is much more time consuming than E6 and has several ferry crossings. Road 17 has been named national tourist route because of its scenery and natural beauty.
In the northern part the E10 runs east-west from the border with Sweden to the end of Lofoten. There are an additional 3 main roads east-west crossing the border: E10, 77 and 73.
See
- Old fishing cabins in Lofoten.
- 1 Saltstraumen (Road 17, Saltstraumen bridge). Strong tide current in Saltstraumen by Bodø. The world's strongest maelstrom (tidal whirlpool), with some of the best fishing in the world. International fishing competitions are often held there, and there are possibilities of renting fishing gear or staying at the camping place. A must-see if you are in the region. free.
- A spectacular hole in a mountain called Torghatten, at Brønnøysund.
Do
In Lofoten, and along the entire county, you can go fishing, diving and mountain climbing.
A whale (orca) safari with snorkeling is also an option in the Tysfjord area. Whale watching tours to the nearby continental shelf, where sightings of sperm whales are common, are arranged from Andenes and also Nyksund in Vesterålen.
Near Halsa south of Bodø you can attend guided glacier climbing and glacier walks.
Eat
Buy
Alcohol
Beer can be purchased in the supermarket. Supermarkets stop selling beer after 8pm each day, 6pm on Saturdays, and 3pm on holiday weekends. It is not possible to buy beer in a shop on a Sunday. Hard liquor or wine can only be bought at state-owned shops called Vinmonopolet.
Stay safe
If you stay on land you ought to be safe most of the time. If you go out on the sea for fishing or diving, check the local weather forecasts as rapid weather changes can occur, as if you go trekking. The North Atlantic weather can be rough and waves can be treacherous particularly beyond the protective islands and skerries. If you go in the winter or up in the mountains, you should have some knowledge about when you need special skills.
Go next
| Routes through Nordland |
| Oslo ← Trondheim ← | S  N |
→ Narvik → Kirkenes |
| Mo i Rana ← | W  E |
→ Umeå |