The following are some of the most effective ways to get in touch with each otherE land on a white sandy beach beneath jagged black mountains. A sea eagle, surprised to see humans, flaps away over the only house with a roof on it – the rest are in ruins. Vidar says that hundreds of people lived here in the past. In the old days, when people had to row or sail to get to the fishing grounds, it was very important to live near them. Now there’s just one summer cabin.”
We walk on the beach after jumping off the boat. Maddy, my daughter, points out some tracks. Vidar: “The new marks are wild redeer.” “The older ones could be moose – they come along here too.”
Beyond the end of the beach are the small fields that the inhabitants once cultivated, now covered in wild flowers. In winter this would be an inhospitable place, but at the height of summer the flora and fauna are booming under a sun that never goes down. Vidar explains to us that they hunted an unusual type of cod. skrei, which migrates west from the Barents Sea to breed off Arctic islands such as this one, Skogsøya. This is the northernmost tip of Europe, separated from the rest by twisting fjords. From this beach, head west and you will reach Greenland.
When did everyone leave? “When did everyone leave?” I ask as I watch an otter diving into the kelp bed and swimming around the cove.
The terrible Arctic storm that killed so many in 1893 was the beginning. They didn’t have to live here anymore when the marine diesel engine was invented. By 1952, the people were all gone.
Rudolf Diesel didn’t mean to redefine “remote”, yet his engine of the same name did just that. In 1893, when his invention was patented, it would unintentionally redraw this coast’s map. Places that were once inaccessible due to long fjords now flourished as safe havens. However, exposed outer-island villages, which had been inhabited solely because they could be reached by sailing or rowing boats, returned to wilderness.
We jump back onto the boat and head north, weaving through rocky islands and puffin rafts. Three sea-eagles are watching us with caution. Maddy then spots a group black fins cutting through the waves towards us. Vidar turns off the engine. “You’re lucky,” he smiles. Seconds later four orcas come rolling past, blowholes blasting – three adults and one calf, heading for a local seal colony. Vidar says that orcas eat herring most of the time. “But some do know how to catch seals.”
After spending a few minutes with the orcas we return to Vidar’s base in Nyksund. We make a tight turn through the narrow gap created by two craggy isles, and then enter the small harbour. Both sides of the tranquil harbour are lined with clapboard-style houses, fish storage facilities and rusting cranes. Kittiwakes are nesting in every corner; there are gaps between the decking and wharves; and the paint on the wharves is peeling. But this is a pretty spot, not gentrified – not yet. Nyksund is another abandoned fishing village, but with a difference. People are returning.
Dan and Johanna are our guides. When they arrived in the 90s, there was only one old resident. They left in 1970, because of the small harbour and winter storms that were a nuisance. But now, there are more than 20 residents.
We set off with Johanna in the afternoon. Dronningruta The Queen’s Route is the most popular hike in Nyksund. It’s a breathtaking 15km (9 mile) hike. The path leads to a ridge from which I can begin to understand why Norway’s Queen Sonja chose this route as her favorite. First, there are views south to the soaring mountains of Skogsøya, then a vast panorama of snow-capped peaks and islands opens up to the north. The lower slopes of the mountains are emerald-green all the way to the azure ocean. We walk on a carpet of flowers, leaves and grass. The juniper trees grow horizontally on the windswept summits. They are hidden behind crowberry plants that measure 5cm tall.
Finally we descend into the fishing port of Stø, taking a detour to see the church at LangenesThe Lord’s Prayer in Old Danish is written on the wall, using Gothic script. It dates back to 16th century. On the wall in Gothic, the Old Danish Lord’s Prayer reminds visitors that Norway had been under Copenhagen’s control for centuries. It only became independent in 1905 following its 1814 cession to Sweden.
We choose to take the boat back to Nyksund instead of the return trip along the coast. There is no second sighting of orca, but the ride is still an exciting rollercoaster through the swell, with an audience of seals and black guillemots. We drink a beer at the cozy pub in Nyksund. Holmvik Brygge bar, then eat a plate of local seafood in the Ekspedisjonen restaurant. Specialties include tørrfisk (skrei cod, air-dried then soaked in running freshwater for a week before cooking), black halibut and torsketunger, tempura-style cod’s tongue.
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Dan and Johanna ask themselves what their village’s future might be. Dan: “It is in need of some development.” “But what? The plans for a hotel with five stars fell through. Nyksund couldn’t handle the crowds, no matter what. But the community spirit is strong. DugnadA Norwegian tradition of voluntary collective action to pave a village square.
Richards, our guide and myself were the only ones present at the scheduled kelp forest swimming session. Swimming in the Arctic may sound scary, but it’s not as cold as you think when you are wearing 7mm thick neoprene. We spend an hour snorkeling through a colourful world of bronze-coloured kelp fronds, vast schools of fish and dazzlingly coloured coral reefs. We see bright pink sea urchins holding onto golden stalks and in the distance we can make out the shape of large grey fish. Orcas, dolphins seals and whales are hidden behind them. They inhabit a fertile world unaware of the human interference.
I dived down into the forest pushing through golden stems and turning to watch air bubbles slowly sliding up the silky, fronds until they reached the glittering surface.
Atle Valland is the unofficial guardian of the spirit and soul of the village. We meet in a café that also doubles as an antiques store. Born here in 1944, Valland remembers a harsh environment where children were expected to work from the age of seven, their nimble fingers handy for slicing out the prized cod’s tongue. Having left, aged 16, to become a ship’s engineer, Valland returned in 2022 to find a few brave souls moving in. He proudly shows me his collection of Russian porcelain. “I’m just a caretaker,” he laughs. “I only take care of things that are old.” “I just take care of old things.”
Our last night we dine with a group of good-humoured people, including Gry the vicar and Radar her husband who is originally from the Lofoten Island, 100 miles away to the south. Radar warns Nyksund residents about the future: “Lofoten is so crowded with tourists that people complain they cannot leave their homes.” The streets are crowded.
Diesel engines changed the coastline of this coast in a previous generation. Now, another technological innovation is driving even more changes. The Lofoten tourism tsunami powered by social media is bringing vast crowds to villages unused to visitors. Nyksund art gallery owner and photographer Svein Erik Tøien was moved to create a surrealistic collage of a giant cruise ship squeezed into Nyksund’s diminutive harbour. “I wanted to ask a question,” he says. “Is that what we want?”
When Maddy and I leave, we drive across the bumpy Nyksund causeway, then down 5.6 miles of narrow gravel track on the island of Langøya before we reach asphalt. Perhaps in the past, remoteness was just as abundant as fish. The challenge now is to turn this most volatile of commodities into something that can be sustained.
Travel services are provided by Discover the WorldThis self-drive holiday offers seven-nights of fun. Around Vesteralen, from £1,227pp including B&B accommodation (three nights in Nyksund), car rental and whale-watching. More information about the Northern Norway tourist board
