North from Trondheim to Bodø

North of Trondheim, it’s a long haul up the coast to the next major places of interest: Bodø, the main ferry port for the Lofoten, and the gritty but likeable transport-hub port of Narvik – respectively 720km and 910km distant. Fortunately, there are several pleasant places to stop en route, beginning with Steinkjer and Snåsa in the province of Trøndelag. Steinkjer is a modest little town with a couple of good hotels, Snåsa, a relaxed – and relaxing – village, again with somewhere good to stay. Further north, in Nordland, the next province up, Mosjøen and Mo-i-Rana, two rejigged and revamped former industrial towns, make pleasant pit stops, with Mo-i-Rana serving as a handy starting point for a visit to the Svartisen glacier, crowning the coastal peaks close by. The glacier is on the western rim of the Saltfjellet Nasjonalpark, a wild and windswept mountain plateau that extends east towards the Swedish border. The E6 and the railway cut through the park, giving ready access, but although this is a popular destination for experienced hikers, it’s too fierce an environment for the novice or the lightly equipped.