Lofoten under canvas

From the sea, Lofoten makes a different kind of sense. The archipelago stands in the Norwegian Sea above the Arctic Circle, at the 68th northern parallel, and its mountains rise straight out of the water in a long wall. Read from a deck, the islands arrive as they were first known: as shelter, as harbour, as a place to land fish. The form of trip that suits them best is a short one taken slowly, four days on a 62-foot sloop, routed by weather and appetite alone.

The chain is compact. Five main islands, Austvågøya, Gimsøya, Vestvågøya, Flakstadøya and Moskenesøya, form its spine, with many smaller islands and skerries around them. Vestfjorden lies between the islands and the mainland, and the open sea works on the outer side. Between the peaks lie sheltered bays, small harbours and the fishing villages, Reine, Nusfjord, Henningsvær and Å among them.

Fishing built this coast. Since the Viking Age the islands have been a centre for Norwegian Arctic cod, or skrei, which come here to spawn in the winter months, and the villages grew around that season. The rorbu, the fishermen's cabins at the water's edge, were lodging for the men who came for the Lofotfiske season from February to April. Along the harbours the racks of drying stockfish still stand, and a sailing route passes them at walking pace.

Sailing is how the destination itself presents the islands. Visit Lofoten describes the crossing of Vestfjorden with the Lofoten Wall rising from the horizon, sheltered bays and fishing villages appearing as the boat comes closer, and the freedom to anchor for a hike, stop for a swim, try fishing, or keep sailing when conditions are good. Local programmes are written the same way, as a starting point to be adapted to weather: south from Svolvær toward Reine and Nusfjord, north through the tidal current of Nappstraumen, around to Skrova, and into Raftsundet and Trollfjorden.

Trollfjorden is the narrow heart of it. The fjord is only 100 metres wide at its opening, there is no road into it, and the only way in is by boat. White-tailed sea eagles work the water around Raftsundet and the fjord, the bird Visit Norway calls Northern Europe's largest bird of prey; local safari operators give its wingspan at up to 2.65 metres.

Then there is the light, which is the real itinerary. In summer the midnight sun keeps the islands bright through the night, and a four-day route can be planned around anchorages rather than darkness. In autumn the northern lights return; Visit Lofoten gives their season as September to April. Either way, meals, hikes and anchor watches arrange themselves around the sky instead of the clock.