2026 North to the Nordics and Nordkapp, Wed July 01, 2026

Mosjøen, Norway → Bodø, Norway

The Bodø → Moskenes ferjekai (ferry) takes 3h15m and departs at 1:15am, 3:15am, 6:00am, 10:00am, etc.

It's reasonable to take the 10am landing at 1:15pm and then make 2h20m more to one of the several hotels in Lofoten (e.g. Nordis Hotel Lofoten, Austnesfjordgata 36). From there it's an easy day to Tromsø.

But that doesn't work because there are 3 ferries on Fv17 on the way to Bodø, so no way to make the 4pm ferry or even the 6:30pm

Bodø to Moskenes (ferry) then on to Lofoten (5h35m, 124km driving) Ferry info Timetable for Jun 30

The Polar Circle

Today I cross the Polar Circle AKA The Arctic Circle. I'll be on the Kilboghamn → Oldervikais ferry when I pass Polarkreis Denkmal, a globe monument at 66.555° N, 13.215° E. In the summer of 2026, the Arctic Circle is at 66°33′51.0″ N (66.5641°), but it is drifting north at 14.5 meters per year. Google Maps doesn't have a precise position of the monument. No aerial photo for that location, just satellite without sufficient resolution to see the monument itself. Also, many of the user-supplied photos for that location are wrong — many Nordkapp pics uploaded for the Polar Circle. Earth currently has an axial tilt of about 23.44°, but the tilt is decreasing at a rate of about 46.8″[9] per century. This means the Arctic Circle is moving North at about 0.00013° per year. A degree is about 40,075 km / 360 = 111.3km, so the Arctic Circle is drifting Northward at 14 meters per year.


Blåfjell → Bodø

Blåfjell to Bodø (6h47m 350km) 3 ferries and crossing the arctic circle

Ride Log