A hike from Vinstad to Bunes

An eerily deserted village with just one permanent inhabitant and a few holiday homes, the settlement of Vinstad is the starting point for the ninety-minute hike over to Moskenesøya’s northwest coast. The first thirty minutes of the hike, along an old dirt trail, are not especially enjoyable, but things improve thereafter as you proceed along the west shore of the narrow and very steep Bunesfjord with jagged mountains rearing up in every direction. The dirt trail ends abruptly just past the cemetery and you have to make a sharp left, continuing up a steep grass path that takes you over a ridge between the mountains. An hour or so on from here, you’ll reach the sandy cove of Bunes, the epitome of isolation and a smashing place to watch the midnight sun. It isn’t a difficult hike, but given that this last section can get very slippery and the weather can change in minutes, you’ll need to be properly equipped.

To get to Vinstad from Reine, pick up one of the small passenger ferries that run up the Reinefjord to Vinstad (2–3 daily; 50kr each way; t99 49 18 05).