Grøtøya, Norway
To the west of our island there is another one, our neighbors. Actually there are lots of neighboring islands as Manshausen is apart of an expansive cluster of islands, an archipelago: some occupied by humans, others by moose and sea eagles.
Two islands to the west are home to humans, and connected to one another by an old wooden bridge. One is called Naustholmen and is privately owned by another explorer, Randi Skaug. The other called Grøtøya is shared by a small community.
One incredibly clear day, I asked my friend Toby to drop me off at these islands for an afternoon hike. Randi’s boat docks are just across the channel from Manshausen, a two minute boat ride when the seas are calm. Toby dropped me off at Randi’s docks and agreed to pick me up in a few hours.
Randi spends winter down south in Oslo so her island, Naustholmen was empty, her barn and home locked up. I walked town the path that contours her island to the bridge. The bridge links Naustholmen and Grøtøya in a somewhat sheltered bay where the occupants of Grøtøya keep their boats docked. The view from the bridge was incredible, the peaks and traditional red cabins reflected perfectly in the calm sea.
I had heard that from the highest point on Grøtøya you could see all of Lofoten, and I was eager to catch a view of the entire archipelago. After four days on the island I was also enjoying the change of scenery, island fever I guess.
First, I poked around the unoccupied houses on the island and fell in love with these two charming red cabins topped with dreamy, whispy grass. Then I found a lovely little beach and walked along it for some time, hunting for interesting shells and admiring various ice sculptures. It was a clear and very cold day.
With the discovery of a trail, I began to look for a way to the top of a little hill. From there I would be able to see Lofoten in all its glory.
Lofoten: an archipelago of mountainous islands stretching out into the Norwegian Sea for 300km. Perhaps one of the most coveted destinations in Norway offering mountains for climbing and waves for surfing.
Since arriving on the island, there had been whispers among the volunteers of spending a week there. Our lovely managers, Astrid and Jasper, were heading off on a holiday and we were invited to do the same. Finally seeing the epic snow white mountains rising quite dramatically out of the sea, my fingers were crossed that our trip across the Vestfjord (sea) to Lofoten would come to fruition.
The most beautiful hammock
I had twenty minutes left before Toby was due to pick me up.
I continued to wander around until my aimlessness was interrupted by the most epic hammock, near the Inn. Hung between to birch trees, this hammock offer the perfect place to enjoy the sun with an uninterrupted view of the distant mountains. Feet up, eyes closed, swing back and forth, I had myself a little cat nap.
