The cliffs are black and wet, the peaks are jagged, and in winter they hold snow to the shore. The strait is part of the route the Hurtigruten coastal steamer takes, and on a good day a ship can be seen inching between the walls.
The riding in this part of Norway is among the best in Europe. Roads follow the coast, with sea on one side and mountains on the other, crossing bridges and tunnels, with bends, tight and open, and a surface that is usually good. The summer sun does not set from late May to mid-July, which gives endless daylight, while autumn and winter bring the northern lights. Rain and wind are common, and the temperature rarely rises above comfortable, so layers are necessary. In summer, tourist traffic, including campervans, slows progress, so early starts are rewarded.
Off the strait lies the Trollfjord, a short, steep fjord only about a hundred metres wide at its mouth, where cruise boats run in summer. In 1890, a famous battle was fought here, when fishermen in rowing boats blocked the entrance to stop steamers from taking the best cod grounds, and the incident is remembered in local history. Sea eagles nest in the area and are a common sight. Stokmarknes, about twenty kilometres away, is the birthplace of the Hurtigruten, founded there in 1893, and it has a museum devoted to the line.
Fuel is not available at the strait, so fill up in Melbu, eighteen kilometres away, or Stokmarknes, nineteen kilometres, where there are also shops and cafes. Dried cod, called stockfish, and fresh fish soup are local specialities, and fish shops sell prawns, crab and salmon in season.
Stop at a pull-off and watch the water for a while. The stillness between the walls is the heart of Lofoten.