This day started once again with an alarm but this was because we had booked in “shifts” every 2 hours to check the sky and conditions for the Northern Lights. The final alarm ended up being mine for work which I STILL hadnt turned off. This time though I managed to get back to sleep and woke up again a little while later.

I started the morning by sitting by our window and admiring the misty view waiting for the others to wake up.

Today was the day we had planned to climb Floya so once we were all up we had porridge, orange juice and coffee, layered up our clothes, packed the backpacks and headed out.

Floya is probably the most popular hike out of Svolvaer and works its way up the mountain pictured above. It is popular with mountain climbers too who climb the pillar that protrudes the mountainside. They also jump from one “horn” to the other. (The two smaller pillars poking out the top). We weren’t going to be doing that!

The trail head starts off immediately rocky and you have to use your hands to scramble up. The rocks are clearly marked with the trail route which provides you with the safest course to take.

The next section has two options. You can either take the steps up or use the chain to pull yourself up the smooth rock.

Whilst the boys obviously took the challenge of the chain climb we took the stairs. These steps then continued most of the way up the mountain. Its a killer on the legs but safe and easy.

After the steps there are more rocks to climb like at the start of the trail. Once again these were all clearly marked out and were obviously well traversed.

Unfortunately as we climbed the rain started coming and the rocks became slippery, my legs became jelly and we decided for safety reasons to stop where we were. Liam and I enjoyed the views and our friends continued up a little further but once again turned around due to poor weather. We were sensible about not forcing ourselves to the top as we had still climbed a mountain in the rain/snow and got some incredible views.

We knew that Lofoten is made up of lots of little islands but seeing it from this perspective was beautiful!

Following our morning mountain hike we grabbed some pizza rolls and coffee as a quick lunch and headed straight for the docks. That morning I had found a sea kayaking tour from Svolvaer so quickly dropped an email to nab us four spaces.

Once at the docks we were given all the necessary equipment which included dry suits, shoes, spray skirt and life vest. The end result was very fetching!

From here we were given a brief, helped into our tandem kayaks and began paddling!

Our guide was called John Kristian and he was super knowledgeable about the local area having grown up there. He led us out of the harbour and onto the open seas, pausing at points to offer us some information on local history and point out different landmarks.

The sea was incredibly clear, very deep at certain points and very shallow in others. At times we were able to see right through to the bottom.

It was such a surreal and amazing experience paddling alongside the mountains and around the islands. We had to pinch ourselves that we were actually here in Norway, sea kayaking in 1.5 degrees and seeing the breathtaking landscape from a completely different perspective.

Kayaking through the harbour was easy on the smooth waters but once we had reached the open sea the waves made paddling alot more strenuous but all the more fun!

The information JK gave us was really interesting. His grandfather had been a fisherman in the area and he had built one of the Rorbuers in the harbour that is still used today. JK explained that before a bridge was built to the main island his grandfather would have to row his children to school every day.

We also learnt that the Rorbuers are traditionally coloured red as the fishermen would paint their houses with fish blood. Only the rich could afford white paint therefore having a house painted white indicated wealth. Even today the larger and more decadant houses are painted white.

JK asked us if we were happy to stay out a little longer than the original tour time and we were having such a good time we obviously agreed. He wanted to take us out to the Fishermans Wife statue that sits alone out on the shore welcoming the men back from sea.

We stayed out until not long before sun down so some of our pictures are getting darker at this point. From here as we paddled back into the harbour he stopped us alongside the fish racks.

These racks have been used for decades to dry out fish that have been caught in the seas around lofoten. The fish are decapitated, cut in half and hung on these racks for approximately 2-3 months. Before being exported out, primarily to Italy, Spain and Africa. Lofoten exports 90% of its catch.

By this time my upper arms had started to ache and Liam was undoubtedly fed up of me paddling out of rythm despite his constant sing song of “left, right, left, right, left, right”.

We made our way smoothly back to harbour, got out of the kayaks not so smoothly and gratefully took off all equipment and warmed up inside.

I would thoroughly recommend this tour, we paid 695 Norwegian Kroner each which is around £58 and we gave JK a tip too seeing as he kept us out for longer than needed and clearly put in alot of effort with his knowledge.

After this we once again visited Rema 1000 and picked up some fish and chips for dinner – so British. Along with some more Norwegian chocolate.

Also the supermarkets are starting to bring out all of their Christmas food and drink and we have been drinking a fizzy drink called Jul Brus. Jul means Christmas. There are a bunch of different drinks designed for children that are sort of “pretend” alcohol. I remember this type of drink from when I used to live in France. We have been having that along with a drink called “Champs” which is like fake champagne. So cute!

Following our activity filled, cold day I was super grateful to have a nice hot shower and get into my PJs and fluffy jumper.

We spent the evening relaxing, planning the next day and sporadically looking for the Northern Lights that once again have evaded us. We went to bed, tired but grateful for having such an unfortgetable day.