By Boreal Yachting crew, Skippers and guides, Tromsø
Publication date not available
Senja is Norway's second-largest island, with a west coast of steep granite ridges and few roads. A week aboard reaches the outer bays by sea and walks from the anchorage, which is the only practical way to link several of these ridges in one trip.
Norway's second-largest island is the size of London but home to only 15,000 people. Senja's Ånderdalen National Park holds 500-year-old pine trees, more than 200 plant species, and moose roaming freely. The route combines coastal sailing with daily treks, from the sandy beaches of Ersfjordbotn to the peaks of Segla and Hesten.
Senja is sometimes called Norway in miniature, since it contains most types of Norwegian landscape on one island: mountains, farmland, deep fjords, sandy beaches and dense forest. The outer coast is exposed and rugged; the inner coast is sheltered and pastoral.
Day 1–2: Depart from Finnsnes and sail along Senja's inner coast to Hamn i Senja, a restored fishing village. Hikes in the surrounding hills give views across the sound to the Lyngen Alps on the mainland.
Day 3–4: Round the northern tip of Senja and head south along the outer coast. The climb up Segla (639m), a blade-like summit rising steeply from the sea, is steep, and the summit looks straight down to the water.
Day 5–6: Explore the Mefjord area and climb Hesten (556m), the neighbouring peak to Segla. Ånderdalen National Park, Northern Norway's oldest, holds Scots pine forests up to 500 years old that shelter birds, plants and mammals.
Day 7: Sail back to Finnsnes through Gisundet, stopping at small fishing villages and beaches along the way. A week of contrasts: exposed outer coast, sheltered inner fjords, and mountains that rival anything in Lofoten.
Related experience: Sail & Trek.
Where this sails: Sailing Senja.
About the author
Skippers and guides, Tromsø
Written by the Boreal Yachting editorial team using operational knowledge from the skippers and guides who sail Northern Norway and Svalbard.
Tromsø to Lofoten is roughly 200 nautical miles of coast, normally sailed in ten days. The route runs south through Kvaløya, Senja and Vesterålen before crossing to Lofoten, with sheltered inside passages available in most weather.
A week of sailing and trekking in Lofoten pairs short passages between fishing villages with walks that start at the waterline. The boat carries the group to trailheads with no road, and the season runs from June to September under near-continuous daylight in midsummer.
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