Reinebringen and Northern Lights

According to the forecast, today is the nicest day of the week. We make the most of it to climb Reinebringen, the best-known viewpoint in the Lofoten. We were up there once before in August 2022, when the weather held just long enough.

On the way to Reinebringen we first stop for a beautiful reflection. The grey peaks, the orange autumn leaves and an orange house on the shore are mirrored in the calm water.

We also stop briefly in Hamnøy and from the bridge take a few photos of the red rorbuer standing on stilts over the rocks by the water.

In Reine we first stop at the tourist shop in the Lofotodden National Park visitor centre, because we need the toilet. After our 15-minute stop we are surprised: EasyPark shows a little over 8 Swiss francs. The rate there is about 8 francs an hour, and the app does not show the price before you park.

So our tip: For the Reinebringen hike, it is better to park at the Steffenakken car park on the E10 south of Reine. It is free. From the car park it is about 15 minutes along the road to the trailhead.

The way up leads over 1976 steps. The stone staircase was built by Sherpas and climbs steeply almost without a break. It does take some energy. The climb up the stairs takes us about 45 minutes. Because of the beautiful weather we are not alone, though. There are plenty of people on the stairs and at the top.

The view is worth it a thousand times over. Below us lies Reine with its small islands, linked by bridges. On the other side a long fjord reaches inland between the mountains, and towards the sea you can see the road running along the coast. We stay up there for a long time and take photos of each other against this backdrop.

Back down, we drive to Reine, Sakrisøy and Hamnøy and take a few more photos in the fading sunlight. In Sakrisøy the sunbeams fall over the mountain onto the rorbuer by the water. In Hamnøy the red cabins on the rocks now glow in the warm light.

Then we stop at Anita’s Café in Sakrisøy for cinnamon buns and chocolate cake. On the drive back we make one more short stop at Rambergstranda. We want to photograph the red house, and the very last sunlight is reflected in the pools of water on the beach.

In the evening we make fajitas in our cabin. The Aurora Pro app predicts good chances of northern lights tonight, so afterwards we head off in high spirits to a viewpoint right next to our Airbnb.

We really do see northern lights. But they are very faint. We have seen much stronger ones before. With a long exposure, the camera shows the green more clearly than we can see it with the naked eye. Even so, we really enjoy seeing them again.

Later that night, at 02:15, we also see very strong northern lights. They only last a short while, so we only capture them on the phone, not with the camera. And right by our cabin, in the middle of the night, a few very large wild hares are sitting and eating herbs.