Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
KJERRINGØY
It's easy to see why this sleepy peninsula, washed by turquoise seas and with a backdrop
of soaring granite peaks, is a regular location for Norwegian film-makers.
Bus 10 connects Bodø and Kjerringøy twice daily. In summer it's possible to squeeze a
return trip in on the same day which allows a good 2½ hours browsing time. Check the
current timetable at Bodø's tourist office.
Whether by bus or car, the trip includes the 10-minute ferry crossing between Festvåg
and Misten. Along the way, you pass the distinctive profile of
Landegode Island
, the
white sandy beaches at
Mjelle
(whose car park is some 20 minutes' walk away) and the
dramatic peak
Steigtind
, which rises a few kilometres south of Festvåg.
Around Bodø
Saltstraumen Maelstrom
You need to plan your day to take in this natural phenomenon, guaranteed to occur four
times every 24 hours. At the 3km-long, 150m-wide Saltstraumen Strait, the tides cause one
fjord to drain into another, creating the equivalent of a waterfall at sea. The result is a
churning, 20-knot watery chaos that shifts over 400 million cubic metres of water one way,
then the other, every six hours. It's an ideal environment for plankton, which in turn attract
an abundance of fish and therefore anglers. In spring, you can also see the squawking
colonies of gulls that nest on the midstream island of Storholmen.
This maelstrom, claimed to be the world's largest, is actually a kinetic series of smaller
whirlpools that form, surge, coalesce, then disperse.
At its best - which is most of the time - it's an exhilarating spectacle. Should you be un-
lucky enough to hit an off day, it may recall little more than the water swirling around your
bath plug. The experience is more immediate from the shoreline, but for the best views,
stand on the north side of the arching Saltstraumbrua bridge, overlooking the strait at its
apex, and watch as the waters swirl like emerald nebulae.
