Why this ride
From Melbu it runs 385 km to Melbu; allow about 6 h 59 of riding. The stops in between: Svolvaer, Leknes, Reine and A i Lofoten. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lofoten Norwegian Scenic Route starting at Melbu
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 385 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 59
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Road summary
A island coastal route from Raftsundet, Norway to A i Lofoten, Norway, via Svolvaer. Key character: jagged peaks; beaches; fishing villages. Surface: paved.
Scenic road chapters
Norwegian Scenic Route Lofoten
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 41 km this is Norwegian Scenic Route Lofoten, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 41 km
- Named road
- Norwegian Scenic Route Lofoten
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Raftsundet
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.
Read the complete Raftsundet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Raftsundet is where the day begins. Next is Svolvaer.
2. Svolvær
The Svolværgeita, the Svolvær Goat, is a pair of rock horns on a peak above the town, and climbers jump the gap between them for the thrill of it. That is the sort of place Svolvær is. It is the largest town in the Lofoten islands, with some four thousand people on the island of Austvågøya, and it sits on the edge of a harbour surrounded by jagged mountains that rise straight out of the sea.
Read the complete Svolvaer write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Svolvær comes up 35 km in. Next is Leknes.
3. Leknes
Leknes is the practical heart of Lofoten, a modest town with a lot to be grateful for. It sits on Vestvågøy, the flattest of the larger islands, and has the airport, the biggest supermarkets and the hospital, so everything you forgot to bring can probably be bought here. If you have ridden the long, scenic road from Svolvær, the sight of a proper grocery store is welcome.
Read the complete Leknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
71 km in you reach Leknes. Next is Reine.
4. Reine
Reine is one of those places that looks unreal in photographs and looks better in life. A cluster of red and ochre fishing cabins, the rorbuer, stand on stilts at the edge of a narrow fjord, with the sheer spire of Reinebringen rising straight behind them, and the whole scene sits at the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago, a long wall of peaks that rises out of the Norwegian Sea well inside the Arctic Circle. Only a few hundred people live in the village, and in summer the number of visitors dwarfs them.
Read the complete Reine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Reine, about halfway. Next is A i Lofoten.
5. Å i Lofoten
Å is the last village on the Lofoten road, at the very end of the E10, and it has the shortest name in Norway. The village is a collection of red and ochre fishing huts, called rorbuer, on rocky shores, with drying racks for cod and a small harbour. About a hundred people live here, and Reine, a few kilometres back, is a little larger. The mountains behind are steep and jagged, and the sea is deep blue, with the outer islands of Værøy and Røst visible on clear days. Beyond Å, the road simply stops, and the sea goes on.
Read the complete A i Lofoten write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Å i Lofoten sits at 141 km, about halfway. Next is back through Reine.
6. back through Reine
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Reine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Reine comes up 176 km in. Next is back through Leknes.
7. back through Leknes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Leknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
212 km in you reach back through Leknes. Next is back through Svolvaer.
8. back through Svolvaer
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Svolvaer write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Svolvaer, late in the day. Next is Raftsundet.
9. Raftsundet
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Raftsundet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 385 km.