Segla

Segla is the mountain that has come to stand for the island of Senja in northern Norway: a single blade of rock rising 639 metres straight out of the sea on the island's outer, northern coast. From the shoulder of the neighbouring peak it looks almost unreal, a narrow fin with a sheer wall dropping towards Mefjorden, the fjord at its foot. The name, from the Norwegian word for a sail, describes exactly what the profile resembles when seen across the water.

Senja itself is the second largest island in mainland Norway, around 1,586 square kilometres, and its outer side is a coast of steep alpine peaks, narrow fjords and small fishing villages. Segla stands on one of the northern headlands, just west of the village of Fjordgård. From the summit the view takes in fjords, open sea and the jagged ridges of northern Senja; on the Mefjorden side the drop runs roughly 600 metres down to the water.

The usual route starts in Fjordgård and climbs about 590 metres over a distance of roughly 2.3 km each way, ending in a steep final ridge of loose gravel and sand. Many walkers choose instead the neighbouring summit of Hesten, at 556 metres, precisely because it offers the classic view of Segla's vertical face, the image by which most people know the mountain. In summer the midnight sun keeps the ridge lit through the night; in winter the same skyline sits under the polar night and, often, the northern lights.

Getting there

Segla rises above the village of Fjordgård on northern Senja. The nearest larger town is Finnsnes on the mainland, connected to Senja by the Gisund Bridge; the trailhead is about 54 km by road from the bridge. Harstad lies about 90 km away in a straight line. The nearest airport is Bardufoss Airport (BDU), about 63 km away in a straight line and reached by road via Finnsnes.