The coastal road along the Helgeland coast from Namsos or Brønnøysund to Bodø is one of the most beautiful road trips in Norway.
The road winds in and out of fjord arms, with ferries to islands and bridges to cross. All the way, you have the sea on one side and mountains on the other. If you drive the entire route, you may need to take up to seven ferries, in addition to any ferries out to the islands.
We drove along the coast from the north in 2015, after first driving north through Russian Karelia, which you can read about here: Russia – Karelia
The road along the coast is beautiful enough, but it is recommended to take a detour out to one of the many islands. If you are lucky, you will find a secluded beach where you can drive down and camp. If you are especially lucky, you can then sit back and enjoy the midnight sun in peace and quiet with your preferred refreshment by your side.
By “extra lucky,” I mean with the weather. There’s no denying that the weather along the coast can be unpredictable. You might catch a spell of good weather with temperatures up to 30°C, but it could just as easily be foggy and rainy with temperatures of 8°C. So keep an eye on yr.no before you go.
Tomma
You can reach the island of Tomma by a small ferry from Nesna. The island has three prominent mountains, with opportunities for great hikes in the valley between them or up to the highest peak, Tommskjevlen, at 922 metres. We drove to the outer side of the island, where there are several places you can drive right down to the sea. But first, we stopped to shop in Husby, where the island’s only shop is located.
First, we tried driving up Finnvikdalen to camp, but it was not a success. The road was very overgrown, and we could not find anywhere to settle down. But what on earth were we going there for?
Instead, we went to the beach at Kvitnesan, where we could drive all the way down to the sea. We had the beach to ourselves and could admire the midnight sun as it barely touched the sea directly to the west.
Other islands worth visiting
Lovund and Træna
Lovund is a small island on the outer edge of the open sea off Tomma, best known for its many puffins. If you want to come out here, it may be best to leave your car on the mainland, as there is not much road on the island.
Træna lies even farther out.
Dønna
Dønna is part of a group of islands that can be reached by ferry from Sandnessjøen. Apart from Mount Dønnamannen, the islands are relatively low-lying, with many beautiful beaches and excellent fishing in the archipelago.
The trip is about 600 km, but you can easily make it longer by continuing from Bodø to Steigen. Steigen is like Lofoten—an archipelago where mountains meet fjords, but without the mass tourism found in Lofoten. After that come Vesterålen and Senja, with their breathtaking scenery, if you still have time to spare.
You can find ferry timetables at Travel Nordland, and can read more about the area at Visit Helgeland
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