Lofoten Islands: Fredvang village and the Cantilever Bridges

Fredvang: Least explored village in Lofoten Islands.

Fredvang is a village on the island of Moskenesøya in the municipality of Flakstad in Nordland county, Norway. The village is somewhat isolated, with the Fredvang Bridges being the only road connection to the village from the rest of Norway. On the northernmost part of the outermost more massive island of the Lofoten archipelago, 300 km North of the arctic circle, you'll find the small fishing and farming village, where people have been living the traditional life of the fisherman-farmer for thousands of years. The village has a thriving small fishing harbor, where several fishing boats have their home harbor. During the busy months of the Lofoten winter fishing, the port buzzes with life as the ships come in, heavy with catch, and the fishery works day and night to keep up. The village population grows densely during these months as dozens of temporary workers fill every rentable room for the fishing and boats.

Until recently, the isolated village was only reachable by boat or a small shuttle ferry, but it is now connected to the neighbor island with the two spectacular Fredvang Bridges, arching gracefully from islet to islet across the strait between the islands. 

Well! How to reach Fredvang?

There are multiple ways, but I am mentioning the wiser and sensible ones:

Flight:

1. Via Leknes airport: This is nearer to Fredvang, airport code LKN. A busy but small island airport, with many flights to Bodø (BOO) on the mainland. There are also daily flights directly to Leknes from Oslo (OSL). You can rent a car at Leknes airport, but it is wise to pre-book this with the car rental companies. Fredvang is a 1-hour drive from Leknes airport. 

2. Via Svolvaer airport: Svolvaer airport, airport code(SVJ) is almost double the distance compared to Leknes airport. But I picked up this airport to visit Fredvang as I was already staying in Svlovaer. And if you plan to come directly from OSLO to Fredvang, I will advise to use Oslo> Svolaver -> Fredvang. Once you reach Svolvaer airport, hire a car, take a bus or a taxi to Fredvang A taxi will cost around 3500-4500 NOK. I got a bus (check the schedule at the airport) and ended up paying 200 NOK. Cheap :). The bus took 2 hours to reach Fredvang bus station. You can book a taxi from Fredvang bus station on the phone to drop you to the Fredvang village across the bridges.

Car:

When you plan on driving to the Lofoten Islands by car, you can either use one of the ferry connections or drive the E10 from Narvik, which connects the islands to the mainland with tunnels and bridges. Ferries leave several times each day from Bognes to Lødingen, and from Bodø to Moskenes. Most visitors here use a rented or private car to get around the islands. The roads are narrow, so please drive carefully and mind that some ways are a single track with meeting places. 

Ferry schedule: http://www.torghatten-nord.no/english/default.aspx

How about starting with the famous cantilever bridges now?

The panoramic image of a beautiful windy day in Flakstad, with Fredvang Bridges across the sea and a mountain background in Lofoten Archipelago, is what describes the Fredvang. The Fredvang Bridges are two cantilever bridges that connect the fishing village of Fredvang on Moskenesøya island with the neighboring island of Flakstadøya. The decks are in the municipality of Flakstad in Nordland county, Norway. The south bridge is called Kubholmleia Bridge, and the north bridge is Røssøystraumen Bridge. The bridges opened in 1988. They are among many bridges that connect the islands of the Lofoten archipelago.

Few pictures for the build-up, before my detailed post on Fredvang village. 

Check out my post ' Explore Fredvang' for more Fredvang pictures and my Airbnb in there.