Winter Weather in Sommarøy

24/09/2025

We drove from Hella to Sommarøy. We’d been looking forward to visiting this tiny island archipelago with it’s stunning white sand beaches. But our swimming and fishing plans were to come to nothing.

Arriving in Sommarøy

We arrived on the islands via the arching span of a long bridge, narrow enough to require a set of traffic lights to manage the flow of traffic. From the bridge we could see the turquoise water and sandy beaches. It looked ideal for kayaking or swimming.

Our park-up for the night was Sommarøy Camping and Marina which sits centrally in the islands just before the bridge to the higher and more rugged Hillesøya. It’s a campsite really with facilities including toilets, showers, laundry and kitchen, so the cost of 250 NOK with an extra 50 NOK for electricity seemed reasonable. We paid at the terminal which gave us a code for the toilet block, but when we explored we found out that showers came at an extra charge and required coins. We decided to use our on-board shower given that our hot water was being heated with the electricity we had already paid for and getting coins was going to be a bit of a faff.

Beaches of Sommarøy

After settling in we took a walk to the shops where Paul bought doughnuts – he’s incapable of walking past a jam Berliner. Then we tried to walk back along the coast to see some of the lovely beaches. This was not so easy. Many of the houses had gardens all the way to the foreshore and it was difficult to work out whether we were able to access the shore. In desperation we decided to walk along the garden border of a house that seemed unoccupied, figuring that it was probably a holiday home and hopefully no one would take exception.

The beaches were glorious and in the increasing winds they felt gloriously wild, despite the nearby buildings. In hindsight this was our best opportunity for a swim, but although the photographs look idyllic it really didn’t feel very inviting.

The stunning double beaches of Krevika

Back at the van, we checked the forecast again. Heavy rain, strong winds, falling temperatures—everything was on its way. We put the silver screen on the van to provide a little more insulation.

Weather and Work

Morning brought heavy grey skies, cold air, and a steady, dispiriting rain. I settled in to work while Paul grew increasingly restless. Eventually he relocated to the shared kitchen and spent a couple of hours cleaning and cataloguing the random items left by previous guests. He must have been very bored.

We watched the boats rocking in the marina, slowly gathering water as they tipped from side to side. Around midday the weather cleared and we got a view of mountains dusted with a fresh layer of snow. Was this the start of Norwegian winter?

By the time I finished work, the weather had closed in again, bringing back the gloom. Cabin fever won out, and we trudged out in full waterproofs for a short, bracing walk. It wasn’t far, but it helped.

Later a German couple set out their BBQ to cook outside. I have some sympathy with people who like to cook outside and keep their vans free of food smells, although we’re far too lazy to bother and our van frequently smells of onions or bacon. Paul mentioned to them that there was a fully functional kitchen but they were adamant they wanted to BBQ despite the wind and rain. That was definitely going beyond my understanding.

Aurora Alert

Later that evening we got an Aurora alert on the forecast app. We weren’t very optimistic but we ventured out anyway.

This had to be the best aurora of the trip. The sky danced with ribbons of sky-fire. As the clouds scudded overhead we saw ripples of undulating green reaching high into the sky. The display continued for over an hour, our neighbours put their chairs outside so they could lean back and see the spectacle without suffering the cricked necks we developed.

Our stay in Sommarøy may not have been quite what we planned, but the aurora display more than made up for it.