Kvalvika

On the outer, ocean-facing side of Moskenesøya in Lofoten, a cove of pale sand opens between steep green mountains straight onto the Norwegian Sea. Kvalvika has no road: the only way in is on foot over a pass from the fjords behind it, and the reward is a pair of beaches framed by peaks, with nothing beyond them but open sea.

The bay measures roughly 1.2 by 1.9 km. Ryten rises over it to the north and Kjerringa to the south, while Måltinden and Torsfjordtinden stand behind it to the southeast. Inside the bay a steep slope called Hellan divides two sandy beaches, Nordvika and Vestervika. A trail of about 2 km leads from Nordvika over to Torsfjorden, and another of about 3.5 km runs from Vestervika to Markjorda on Selfjorden. The crossing between the two beaches over Kuhella has been fitted with chains. The ridge of Ryten, 543 metres high, gives a view straight down onto the sand and is often combined with the walk to the beach.

Kvalvika was once a small inhabited place. Its exposed coast and poor harbour made fishing from the bay itself impractical, so the people who lived here fished on the sheltered Vestfjorden side of the island instead. The settlement was abandoned in 1938, and today the bay is one of the most popular summer hiking destinations in Flakstad municipality.

Lofoten is a chain of mountainous islands in Nordland county, well north of the Arctic Circle, where peaks rise directly out of the sea. Moskenesøya lies towards the southwestern end of the chain.

Getting there

The usual trailhead is at Torsfjorden near the village of Fredvang, from where the walk to the beach is about 3 km. The nearest airport is Leknes Airport (LKN), about 24 km away in a straight line on the neighbouring island of Vestvågøy. The nearest larger city, Bodø, about 104 km away, lies across the Vestfjorden on the mainland; the ferry from Bodø to Moskenes crosses in around three to three and a half hours.