Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nyvågar Rorbuhotell
CABINS €€€
( 76 06 97 00;
www.nyvagar.no
,
in Norwegian; Storvåganveien 22; 4-bed rorbuer
2000)
At Storvågan, below the museum complex, this snazzy, modern seaside place owes
nothing to history, but its strictly contemporary
rorbuer
are attractive and fully equipped.
Guestscanalsorentbikes(Nkr55/200perhour/day)andmotorboats(Nkr200/590perhour/
day). Its acclaimed
Lorchstua restaurant (mains Nkr175-300, 3-course menu Nkr395)
servesprimarilylocalspecialitieswithasubtletwist,suchasbakedfilletofhalibutinacod
brandade.
Præstengbrygga
PUB €€
( 76 07 80 60; Torget; mains around Nkr150)
In central Kabelvåg, this friendly pub
with its all-wood interior and dockside terracing, front and rear, serves sandwiches, pizzas
and tasty mains, including a rich combination platter of marinated salmon, smoked whale,
shrimps and salad. There's often live music and, for Nkr25, you can drink coffee all day
with free refills.
GLORY BE TO COD
For centuries, catching and drying cod has been a way of life in Lofoten and by far
its biggest industry.
Although cod populations have been depleted by overfishing, the overall catch is
still substantial: an estimated 50,000 tonnes annually (30,000 tonnes without the
heads). The fishing season peaks between January and April when the fish swim
round from the Barents Sea to Vestfjorden to spawn. Around the end of March each
year the unofficial World Cod Fishing Championship is held in Svolvær, attracting
up to 300 entrants.
There are two ways to preserve cod. For saltfish, it's filleted, salted and dried for
about three weeks. For klipfish
,
the saltfish is cleaned, resalted and dried, originally
on cliffs (
klipp
in Norwegian) and nowadays in large heated plants.
However, Lofoten is all about stockfish. In this ancient method, 15,000 tonnes of
fish are decapitated each year, paired by size, then tied together and, dangling in pairs
like sleeping bats, hung to dry over the huge wooden A-frames you see everywhere
on the islands. The fish lose about 80% of their weight, and most are exported to
Italy, with some to Spain and Portugal.
