Mannen - Northern Lights

Climbing Mannen above Hauklandstranda, a seal in front of our cabin and, at night, the northern lights for the second time in the Lofoten.

Annina & Nicolas 10 September 2021 · 4 min read

In short

In fine weather we climb Mannen and look down on the sea, mountains and several beaches. In the evening a seal visits the bay in front of our cabin. At midnight we drive to a beach with camera and tripod and see the northern lights in the Lofoten for the second time.

Country:

Norway

Date:

10 September 2021

Photos:

Nice weather is forecast for today! We are going hiking again, this time we have set our sights on Mannen. Below this mountain lies Hauklandstranda, and we can park for free at its car park. A steep ascent begins, and some scrambling over large boulders is needed too. At the top, though, we are rewarded with a wonderful view of the sea, lots of mountains and several beaches. Of course we take quite a few photos again and have a picnic.

View from Mannen of Hauklandstranda with the road and car park, sea and mountains behind — View from Mannen · 6 photos

A green peninsula with staggered mountains behind it above the calm sea — View from Mannen · 6 photos

Then it is time to descend again, which is somewhat easier than the ascent. Once at the bottom we also go and have a look at Hauklandstranda.

At Hauklandstranda a puddle in the pale sand reflects the sky, with a boulder and dark mountains behind — At Hauklandstranda · 3 photos

A large boulder in the shallow water, in the foreground sand with washed-up kelp — At Hauklandstranda · 3 photos

Suddenly, however, it starts to rain and we flee into the car. After a shopping stop we drive back to our accommodation. There we rest a little and, from our big window facing the sea, watch something swimming in the water. It turns out that a seal is looking around the bay and has come to visit us! When we go outside, we also see a beautiful pink jellyfish drifting past in front of our cabin. After that we cook rice with sweet & sour sauce, with a salad on the side. We keep checking the northern lights forecast for tonight, and it looks good! So we rest a little longer and get ready for a long night. We are going on a northern lights hunt! We found the best spots online for seeing northern lights in the Lofoten, and they include a beach that is less than 20 minutes from us by car. Armed with camera, tripod and torch, we drive there at midnight. And sure enough, we see the northern lights dance above the sea, right on the beach, for the second time in the Lofoten! The lights are not as strong as the first time, though. Around half past one we drive back to our cabin and still see some beautiful northern lights there too, before we go to sleep.