Tungeneset is a viewing platform on the west side of Senja, set on a rocky point above the sea, and it offers what is perhaps the most photographed outlook on the island. A path of steel and timber boardwalks leads out over the rock to a viewing point, designed to be unobtrusive but strong enough to stand the weather. In front of you, the mountains rise in sharp, bare peaks straight from the water, and depending on your angle and the cloud, you can pick out the pointed silhouettes that appear in every Senja guidebook. Below, the sea works at the foot of the rock, and in the right light it goes from slate to silver to green.
The riding to reach it is a pleasure. The road along Senja's outer coast winds along inlets and across low saddles, and the bends come in a smooth, steady rhythm that makes it easy to relax. Short tunnels cut through rock, and the road in places runs close to the water, with a barrier and a gravel verge between you and the sea. The surface is mostly good, but frost heave and rough patches turn up with little warning, especially in spring. It is a road that rewards a calm pace. Campervans and tour cars are common in summer, so be patient and use the pull-outs.
This coast faces the open Norwegian Sea, and the weather arrives fast. Wind is common, and so is rain. It can be warm in the sun and bitterly cold in the shade. The light in the shoulder months, late summer and early autumn, is clear and low, and it makes the peaks look sharper and closer. In winter the road may be icy, with limited daylight and snow, and the platform may be closed.
Fuel is the thing to plan for, because this part of the island has none. Finnsnes, on the mainland side, is the nearest town of any size, and smaller villages along the coast may have a pump or may not, so do not rely on it. Take food and a flask, and ride on a full tank. White-tailed eagles hunt over these waters, and a patient observer will often see one drift over the cliff. Take rubbish with you, and keep to the boardwalk, as the thin soil on the rock heals slowly.