Day:248, Words:248

Rise and shine campers, it is glacier day. Øksfjord is home to one of the largest glaciers in Europe. As the autumn creeps in, the white and blue ice sits proudly upon the mountain and is viewed by thousands of tourists each year. A clever marketing approach was surely behind the idea to position a sign pointing towards Øksfjord that read 'Øksfjord Glacier'. Technically the signage is correct as the glacier is in this direction, yet the far better veiwing area is on the other side of the mountain in Jøkelfjord. I have personally guided many disappointed German tourists back to where they had driven from.

The boat journey started in Øksfjord at 9 sharp and collected people at Nuvsvåg, Bergsfjord and Sandland. The first leg is rough on the old stomach and a few were toilet bound. Eventually, the group hopped off at an equally quaint, yet much quieter village than Øksfjord. Longfjordhamn shut down its school in 1997 and has remained a ghost town inhabited by only a handful of pensioners. One of those pensioners owns the school and leases it out as accommodation to various groups, mostly visiting on glacial business.

The first of six smaller groups made their way towards the icy mass. There was a lot of equipment to attach to feet, heads and waists, before a safe entry into glacial territory could begin.

It was a remarkable and surreal experience and I will be sure to tell you more about it tomorrow!!

 

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