Cycling holiday in Norway, The islands north of Lofoten

Planet

Our Tour in Vesterålen is self-guided. Our guests are not followed by a service car. The trip runs on fixed dates, so that luggage transfer becomes as energy-efficient as possible. Bicycling does not make any sort of pollution itself. Where other transportation is possible, like between Bø and Stokmarknes we use local public transport or/and providers transportation. This never includes air transport.
Our guests follow the main roads and do not run through vulnerable nature.
Plastic waste entering our oceans is a big issue all along the Norwegian coast. In Vesterålen you’ll find dedicated garbage disposals at some of the beaches. Local volunteers and students help keep the beaches pretty and free of garbage. We urge all our guests to participate in the effort to keep the shoreline free of plastic and waste.
Vesterålen is in the process of being certified as a Sustainable Destination. Becoming a sustainable destination takes years of work, with the whole community working together. Vesterålen is aiming to be certified in 2025.
The certification Sustainable Destination is a seal of approval given to destinations that work systematically to reduce the negative impact of tourism. In addition to providing visitors with enjoyable experiences, the destination must preserve the local nature, culture and environment, strengthen social values, and be economically viable. The municipality and the travel industry must cooperate closely to assure that a destination is a great place both to live in and to visit.

The Norwegian Nature Diversity Act
The act has the purpose of protecting biological, geological and landscape diversity and ecological processes through conservation and sustainable use, and in such a way that the environment provides a basis for human activity, culture, health and well-being, now and in the future.
The act allows you to ski wherever you want, as long as nothing else is announced. This gives numerous possibilities for exciting excursions! Private ground and cultivated land, however, should not be trafficked, and…
- Nature must not be damaged!
- Always bring back your litter, never throw rubbish outdoors
- There might be stricter access to protected areas
- Show respect for people and animals

People

We are a small, privately-owned company, located in Lillehammer, Norway. We have our office in “FABRIKKEN”, an office community that houses 30 small businesses within art-, culture- and adventure industry. This is a low-cost community with high interest in supporting and maintaining good cooperation within creative industries. Our premises are close to public transportation, and we all focus on low energy consumption and recycling.

In Vesterålen our guests stay two nights in Nyksund. This way we support the owners and help them keep and restore the historic community. Nyksund has gone from being a large fishing village with approx. 250 permanent residents to be completely displaced, and then resurrected and now house several businesses in arts, culture and tourism. Several of the old docks in this colourful fishing village are restored or about to be restored. In Vesterålen there is a great awareness of preserving the culture and the small communities.
Our activity in Vesterålen contributes to employment-related to accommodation, dining and bike rental. We also encourage our guests to visit local museums. We also provide some information on local arts and crafts.
We support the local economy by recommending guided excursions and activities.
We focus on finding good restaurants, offering traditional food of local ingredients. Small farms, producing organic food, are more and more common in Vesterålen, and you can be sure to get fresh fish and seafood from the waters just outside the islands.