Senja is Norway's second-largest island, and its outer coast is the closest thing the country has to Lofoten without the crowds: steep peaks rising straight out of the sea, small fishing villages tucked into the bays, beaches of pale sand, and a road that threads between them through tunnels and along ledges. The village of Skaland sits on the Bergsfjord on that outer side, and the road east of it climbs toward Bergsbotn, where a long wooden viewing platform reaches out from the hillside over the head of the fjord.
Skaland is unusual in having an industry most people would not expect in such a setting: a graphite mine, one of the richest deposits of crystalline graphite in the world, which has been worked here since the early twentieth century. The mine buildings are part of the village, and it is a reminder that this beautiful coast has always been a working place, where people made a living from fish, rock and whatever else the land offered.
The road is the Senja National Tourist Route, which follows the outer coast from Gryllefjord in the south to Botnhamn in the north, and it is a fantastic ride. Expect narrow sections, single-lane tunnels, tight bends around headlands, some steep climbs and descents, and views that keep stopping you in your tracks. The surface varies from good to rough, and frost damage is common. Traffic is light, though camper vans and tourist cars are increasingly common in July. The wind on the exposed sections can be strong, and the weather changes fast. The midnight sun, from late May to mid-July, means you can ride at any hour, and the light at night is extraordinary.
The Bergsbotn platform is worth a stop, with a view over the fjord and the peaks around it. There are small shops in some villages, but services are limited. Finnsnes, on the mainland side, is the main town for Senja, with fuel, shops and hotels, about thirty kilometres away, and Gryllefjord has a summer ferry to Andenes on Andøya. Plan fuel carefully, and carry warm clothes, because even in July it can be cold.