Category: Senja

Senja is Norway’s second largest island, with an area of 1,586 km2 and around 8,000 inhabitants.

The island has a varied landscape, and has been called ‘a Norway in miniature’. Southern Senja is mountainous with an archipelago, rocky cliffs and pine forests. The inner/eastern parts consist of a friendly lowland with fertile hills and birch forests, while the outer and northern parts are wild with deep fjords and high mountains that run straight down into the sea.

Sometimes, the row of mountains are broken by the uttermost beautiful, white beaches. The most splendid of them all is perhaps the beach in the Erik’s fjord, or Ersfjorden as it is also called.

We have bathed here many times. It is basically a ‘must’ to go here and swim every time we visit Idun’s older brother Frode in Sørreisa.

This time, however, there were far more people watching than bathing. Strange…

Their loss, ‘Tobatheornottobathe’ think. We had a great bath!

The 40 inhabitants in Ersfjord have experienced a big change when the Geitskar tunnel opened in 2004. Previously, it was a 115 km drive to Senjahopen (the nearest village, with 300 inhabitants). Now it is 3 km. This has led to much more tourism, as it became possible to drive around Senja. What else is there to do in the Ersfjord? Visit Gulldassen (the Golden Toilet), of course! They are quite good at spectacular toilets at Senja. Square meter price for this one: NOK 300,000! Quite a price. But nice? Oh yes, it is.

A little ironic, though, that the architect had put in a window in the roof, to enable seeing the northern lights while contemplating and doing your business. But currently the toilet is closed both at night and in wintertime…

Bathing and rest room visits are just right in Ersfjorden!

Look at this hill.. Check out this beach..

There is a reef.. There is a house..

Bedrooms: 1, 2, 3, 14. What is this??

West, on the outer side of the island Senja, in Bøvær, is the Crow Castle. This place is a pearl! We were celebrating a number of covid-postponed milestones in the family of Idun’s older brother Frode. As the family is quite big, we needed some space to meet. And both space and atmosphere you can find in the Crow Castle. There are several living rooms:

… and bedrooms. Many bedrooms. Or, in fact, some of the bedrooms are probably what you could call sleeping places. Check out this favorite:

Yes, you can actually sleep here. With a beautiful ceiling made from an old door:

… and when you put down your foot in the morning, there is a direct view into the sea.

Bøvær is a tiny community. The population has decreased from 17 in the year 2000 to only 8 people in 2015. The fish house is no longer used for unloading fish, it is used for art, concerts, cafè, events and celebrations. And swimming! Here, it is easy peasy to bathe – just jump into the beautiful sea from the quay. For those of you who are afraid of cold water – there is a sauna at Kråkeslottet. With a small hint concerning where the disperse water for the sauna oven should NOT be collected:

Another poster made it very clear that shouting in or by the water after 9 pm is not very popular among the neighbours. There are plenty of them, as you already know.

We were at Kråkeslottet for a whole weekend, and did bathe both night and day. Without shouting! It should be possible to enter 13 degree celcius water without yelling, right?

Some did more advanced diving than others: (Ulvhild salto)

A bath or 5 at Kråkeslottet is just perfect!

Senja is Norway’s second largest island, with an area of 1586 km2 and almost 8000 inhabitants. The name possibly comes from the Norse ‘sundr’ = ‘separated, apart’, and in that case refers to the strongly divided coast. The nature at Senja is spectacular: High mountains, deep fjords and beautiful, white beaches.

On the south side of Senja island is the small island Tranøy (Crane island). On Tranøy, people settled some 2000 years ago. Remains of 3 boat houses from Viking times have been found, and also burial mounds. There we wanted to go kayaking!

Idun’s big brother Frode has vacuumed the second hand market of kayaks for years, so he is well equipped. Knut was corona sick and stayed home, so the seventh kayak was not in use this day.

Tranøy is an old church site, and was under the Archdiocese of Nidaros from 1270. Today there is a rectory on the island, with a museum in the old house.

Several exciting stories are presented in the museum. Here is a picture of a women’s brooch from around the year 900, which was found in the former Tranøy municipality.

There is a beautiful white beach on Tranøy, but for practical reasons there was no bathing done here this time (‘Someone’ had become hungry, and the food was forgotten in the car). Well back on ‘Mainland-Senja’, however, a bath was just the right thing to do, even though the sea was not quite as shiny as at the start of the trip.

A bath in front of Tranøy is just perfect!

North east on Senja (Norway’s second largest island) there is a cape and close to it a hillside with a chip in it (chip – skår, hillside – li, cape – odde: Skorliodden). It is a good view to the seaway in to Tromsø, which means it is a good place for a fort. Skorliodden fort was put up by the Norwegian Defence Forces with pre-german materials. The fort is now gone, but the pier is still there.

The weather forecast predicted some wind this day, so instead of the planned kayak-tour we went for a walk to watch the waves.

We parked at Vangshamn and went by foot out to the fort, a nice half hour walk. And plenty of time to look forward to a bath in the extremely clear water!

From Skorliodden you see over the fjord towards Kvaløya wind mill park. Doesn’t look too bad, considering there are still plenty of untouched mountains left in Troms and Finnmark.

On Skorliodden they have made a bonfire house after plans from Furøy Velforening. It is rather windy out on the cape, so some shelter is rather welcome.

After food it was time for a bath, but strangely enough no one else than Idun and Knut wanted to have one. Most were happy just walking along the pier and looking at the waves. No closeup studies wanted.

Quote from big brother: ‘’If you give me 50 kr, I’m happy to deny you to bathe today!’’. An offer we easily could refuse, who can withstand such a tempting bathing spot?

They waves weren’t as big as expected though. So then we could return to the bonfire house.

It is always a good time for a bath at Senja!