Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FourtofivebusesdailyconnectLeknesandÅ(1¾hours)insummer,stoppinginallmajor
villages along the E10.
NORDLAND BOATS
You're bound to come across the uniquely shaped, stubby Nordland boat, which has
served local fishing communities from the earliest days of settlement. These informal
symbols of the tough, self-sufficient lifestyle of the hardy coastal folk here up north
are still in use from Namsos, in Trøndelag, right up to the Kola Peninsula in Arctic
Russia, but the greatest concentrations are found in Lofoten.
The smallest versions are known as færing , measuring up to 5m, while larger ones
are called hundromsfæring (6m), seksring (7m), halvfjerderømming (7.5m), firroing
(8m), halvfemterømming (9m), åttring (10m to 11m) and fembøring (11m to 13m).
Traditionally, the larger the boat, the greater the status of its høvedmann (captain).
Whatever the size, Nordland boats are excellent for both rowing and sailing, even in
rough northern seas. Until quite recently, sailing competitions, pitting fishing com-
munities against each other, were one of the great social events of the year.
A good place to see museum-quality examples is in the harbour at Å in Lofoten.
Å
At the southern tip of Moskenesøy and the Lofoten islands, the bijou village of Å (appro-
priately, the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet), sometimes referred to as Å i Lofoten,
is truly a living museum - a preserved fishing village with a shoreline of red rorbuer, cod-
drying racks and picture-postcard scenes at almost every turn. It's an almost feudal place,
carved up between two families, now living very much from tourism but in its time a sig-
nificant fishing port (more than 700,000 cod would be hung out to dry right up to WWII).
Do the village a favour and leave your vehicle at the car park beyond a short tunnel and
walk in.
Sights
Norsk Fiskeværsmuseum FOLK MUSEUM
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