Norway’s dazzling Arctic archipelago
Twin has been a surprise TV hit during lockdown, thanks in part to its remote and magnificent setting
Twin, the nordic noir TV series, has been keeping many of us enthralled during the coronavirus crisis — and audiences have been as riveted by the extraordinary scenery as by the story of twins Erik and Adam, both played by Game Of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju.
The action takes place in norway’s sparsely populated Lofoten archipelago, high above the Arctic Circle.
it is remote — more than 800 miles north of Oslo — and getting there takes me ten hours. After two flights and a three-hour drive with thrilling views of fjords and beaches, i reach the small town of Svolvaer, surrounded by dramatic mountains, where much of Twin is set.
i am staying at the Thon hotel, which is blessedly comfortable after the long journey.
next morning, buoyed by a hearty buffet breakfast that includes cured whale meat (just like bresaola, since you ask) — i set off to explore. But there is no sign of the norse gloom and lowering skies of the TV series. in fact, the sun is shining in this cheerful, friendly place.
Once a quiet fishing village of charming, pastel-coloured wooden houses, over the past decade it has had to cope with thousands of international tourists, so modern hotels and apartment buildings have started springing up by the harbour.
Fishing has been Lofoten’s lifeblood since prehistoric times, so i board a traditional wooden boat to try my hand, guided by skipper Marcel and crewman Geir. i choose a line rather than a rod as Marcel takes us out across the inky, choppy waters to wherever his sonar detects shoals.
My AiM is to catch some of the acclaimed local cod. Apparently there are plenty of them but after two hours of incompetent effort, i have caught nothing. Still, there is an unexpected bonus as i spot magnificent sea eagles. On another day i might also have encountered dolphins and orcas.
This boat is now only for tourists, but fishing is still one of norway’s most lucrative industries. Geir tells me a crewman on a commercial boat can earn £100,000 a year, with a captain on £250,000 in this expensive country, where pricey neighbour Sweden is considered cheap.
They are at their busiest from January to April, when the prized Atlantic skrei cod come down from the Barents Sea to spawn in Lofoten’s waters.
A thousand years ago, the Vikings sustained themselves on their epic voyages with a diet of dried fish, and the tradition lives on today. Lofoten is celebrated for its stockfish — skrei — which are air-dried for several weeks on huge outdoor wooden racks.
Rehydrated, it is ubiquitous in local cuisine. i’m told it has also become a national dish in nigeria, though nobody can explain how, or why, the nigerians acquired a taste for nordic nosh.
Everybody speaks English in this Anglophile country. in the bar next to the Thon, both the music and the football on TV are British. ‘Because,’ says the Man Unitedsupporting barman, ‘norwegian music and football are rubbish.’
Most tourists come in March to hike, climb and perhaps catch a glimpse of the northern Lights. Many come to surf, as Erik does in Twin, which might seem bonkers so far north. in fact, though, thanks to the Gulf Stream, Lofoten is warmer than it might be.
Later, i go to the small fishing village of napp, where i meet Angelita, daughter of a fisherman, and new Zealander Tamara, who set up Lofoten Seaweed four years ago to make products from local algae — including infused salt, soap, cheese and pasta.
i am taken aback by one of their offerings, a seaweed that tastes and smells just like truffles, so i grab a bag to take back home. Then we visit one of the beaches featured in Twin — broad, sandy, utterly unspoilt — where locals forage for seaweed.
ASHORT drive away is the tiny but spectacular island of Sakrisøy, tourism entrepreneur Adam’s home in the series.
Farming is also crucial to the area’s life and the many excellent restaurants are spoilt for highquality local produce, which is put to brilliant use at the Lofoten Food Studio in Ballstad.
it is actually the former garage of semi-retired chef Roy Magne Berglund’s house. A one-man band, he cooks only for small groups but his fare deliciously matches Michelin standards.
The next day, at the airport, i discover that the tempting ‘ocean truffle’ i greedily snaffled is infusing my suitcase and making it reek. it is the only lingering memory of lovely Lofoten i can do without.
TRAVEL FACTS
BA (ba.com) London to Oslo from £140 return. SAS (flysas.
com) Oslo to Harstad-Narvik from £143 return. Svolvaer is a three-hour drive away. Doubles at the Thon Hotel (thonhotels.
co.uk) from £100 a night.