Sømna
Municipality · Nordland
About Sømna
Farmland and beaches on Kystriksveien, the Sømna bygdetun farm museum at Vik, the Sundshopen rest area and Dorothy Cross's Shark-Cow-Bathtub sculpture.
Sømna covers the southern half of the Sømna peninsula, with Kvaløya and many islets off it. Farms fill the flat west round Vik and Berg, while the east rises to rocky hills up to 648 m, and the Ursfjorden shore is almost empty.
It is an easy stretch of Kystriksveien between the Vennesund ferry and Brønnøysund. Climb Ryptinden for views out to Vega, or find Triborgen, a pebble beach left high in the forest as the land rose after the Ice Age.
Good to know
- Getting there: Fv17 Kystriksveien runs from the Holm–Vennesund ferry, about 20 minutes, to Brønnøysund, about 40 minutes from Vik. Mosjøen is about 2 h 45.
- Season: Sømna Bygdetun opens in summer and on request; Kvennvika and Skålvika are beaches for June–August, and Kystriksveien ferries sail less often in winter.
- Sleeping: Vennesund Brygge & Camping (open all year), Sømna Kro & Gjestegård and Bjørnvika Natursenter.
- Food: Sømna Kro og Gjestegård in Vik serves meals all day and sells local cheese, honey and spice blends.
What to do and where to stay in Sømna
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Sømna BygdetunHistory & culture
Helgeland Museum's open-air site in Vik: twelve buildings, including a rorbu and Signe's shop with original goods, showing farm and fishing life from 1800 to 1950.
Vik, Sømna · 1 h · Summer season, at events and on request
2Sundshopen rest areaViewpoint
A 2023 National Tourist Route stop by Rever & Drage where a 65 m pier of stone-filled log cribs runs out across the foreshore of the brackish lake Sundshopen.
Fv17, Sømna, south of Vik · 20–30 min · all-year
3Shark-Cow-Bathtub (Artscape Nordland)Local oddity
Dorothy Cross's 1993 sculpture at Vennesund ferry quay pairs a granite shark with breasts and a cow's udder; its iron bathtub was washed out to sea in a storm.
Vennesund ferry quay, by the white pier · 15 min · all-year
4RyptindenHike
A 6.9 km trail from Rørmark climbs through forest to open terrain and a summit of about 585 m, with views of the midnight sun over Vega and Brønnøy.
Rørmark, off the Dalbotn road, east Sømna · 4–6 h (13.8 km return) · April–October
5Sømna ChurchHistory & culture
A white wooden cross-shaped church in Vik, completed in 1876 to seat 600; a church in Vik is recorded from 1432, on a site about 225 m away.
Vik, Sømna · 15–30 min · Exterior all year; interior at services
6Sømna Kro og GjestegårdFood & drink
A roadside inn in Vik serving breakfast to dinner and take-away, with a shop selling local cheese, honey, liquorice and spice blends such as Helvetteskrydder.
Vik, on Fv17 · 45–60 min · all-year except Easter and Christmas holidays
7Kvennvika beach, KvaløyaSwim
A popular south-facing beach on Kvaløya, five minutes from Vennesund ferry quay, with toilets, showers and bins.
Kvennvika, Kvaløya (bridge from Vennesund) · 1 h · June–August
8Valleråa / Hælvette beach walkNature
A beach reached on a footpath on Sømna's west side, near Berg and Vik, with open sea views for midnight sun in summer and northern lights in winter.
West coast between Berg and Vik · 1 h · all-year
9Kvervet floodlit ski trailActivity
A 3.7 km floodlit loop through hilly woods outside Berg, with lean-to shelters along the way and a heated cabin at the start.
Kvervet skianlegg, outside Berg · 1 h · Winter when snow
10Skålvika / Jektvika beachSwim
A south-facing beach on Sømna's coast about 10 minutes' drive from Vik, one of the municipality's listed swimming and picnic beaches.
Skålvika/Jektvika, about 10 min by car from Vik · 1 h · June–August
Nearby, also among the best for national tourist routes
- BrønnøyNordlandNational Tourist Routes (among Norway's best)Weird & wonderful (among Norway's best)
- BindalNordlandNational Tourist Routes (among Norway's best)Quiet & remote (good)
- VevelstadNordlandNational Tourist Routes (among Norway's best)Quiet & remote (among Norway's best)
- AlstahaugNordlandNational Tourist Routes (among Norway's best)Hiking (among Norway's best)