Hamarøy: Hiking, Literature and Culture

For a trip to Hamarøy, you can plan hiking and culture as separate focuses. Glimma rundt is a marked, moderately difficult 12-kilometre circular trail. It starts at the Hamsun Center, and its highest point is 140 metres above sea level. Its length, circular route and elevation provide concrete details to help you decide whether the hike fits into your itinerary. Local conditions may change; check them before setting out.

Trails with different focuses

Straumstien passes through an area with cultural monuments dating from the Bronze Age to the present day. This trail therefore highlights the monuments’ broad historical span; for Glimma rundt, the stated distance, circular route and difficulty help you plan your hike. This lets you weigh up cultural history against a hike with clearly specified trail details. The hike at Ulvsvågskaret is well suited to pushchairs, bicycles and wheelchairs. Check local accessibility details before your visit.

Hamsun in Hamarøy

The Hamsun Center in Hamarøy is the national centre dedicated to the writer and Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun (1859–1952). His dates of life provide a different historical reference point from the cultural monuments along Straumstien, which date from the Bronze Age to the present day. If you organise your trip around themes, you can consider the literary connection to Hamsun and the far-reaching cultural history along Straumstien as separate interests.

Getting there and practical planning

The E6 is the main road through Hamarøy. Hamarøy also has express boat connections to Bodø and Narvik. The road and express boats offer two different options to consider when planning your journey. Express boat timetables and routes may change; road conditions and temporary closures can also vary. Before travelling, check the latest information for the connection relevant to you.

Hiking in the wider Lofoten destination

In the wider Lofoten destination, hiking options range from peaceful shore walks and gentle routes across grassy moors to challenging summit climbs, such as Hermannsdalstind or the distinctive Vågakallen. While Glimma rundt in Hamarøy is described as moderately difficult, the hiking options in Lofoten cover a range of difficulty levels. This places a specifically described circular trail in Hamarøy alongside the wider variety available across the broader destination. Terrain and conditions vary.

Culture in the wider Lofoten destination

The wider Lofoten destination also brings together different cultural themes. The Jekt Trade Museum in Bodøsjøen, Bodø, tells the story of coastal culture and how jekt boats connected Northern Norway with the rest of Europe. The museum houses Anna Karoline, the only original Nordland jekt in the world to have been preserved. At the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg, Vestvågøy, an actual chieftain’s farmstead from the Iron Age has been confirmed; visitors can experience a living Viking Age environment there. The museum also displays a reconstruction of an 83-metre-long Viking Age longhouse, recreating the largest longhouse ever found from this period. These examples offer different thematic emphases from Hamarøy’s literary connection to Hamsun.

When looking for a hotel in Hamarøy, you can first decide whether the circular hike, Hamsun’s literature or the cultural monuments along Straumstien should shape your stay. Consider whether you plan to arrive via the E6 or by express boat as a separate part of your trip planning.

Discover more destinations: Ulvsvåg, Hamarøy, Innhavet, Presteid, Tranøy, Skutvik, Dønna, Værøy.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Nordland.