It is the largest raptor I have ever seen. The sea eagle flapping imperiously across the tree line has a wingspan of well over two metres. Each mighty wing is tipped with feathers like huge spatulate fingers, while the white plumage at its rear resembles exhaust smoke – fitting for this B-52 of avians.
The Steigen archipelago in northern Norway is almost as remote as it gets in Europe, lying 62 miles inside the Arctic Circle. Among other dramatic features, it is home to the continent’s largest colony of sea eagles. My base here is the tiny island of Manshausen, where a resort and activity centre has been created by polar explorer Børge Ousland – the first person to reach the North Pole in a solo and unsupported expedition – as a place for exploring “the harmony between people and nature”.
The resort’s design plays its part in this, with a strong emphasis on natural materials, chiefly wood. Its main feature is four sea cabins that look like outsize sound-system speakers jutting out from the island. The cabins have walls clad in larch and are of modular construction, with floor-to-ceiling glass wrapped around their fronts. Placing minimalist boxes into natural settings has become an architectural cliché. No matter. Manshausen’s designer, Snorre Stinessen, won several prizes at the Architizer A+Awards in New York for the cabins – and deservedly so. To go inside is to get as close as possible to all that is Arctic on the outside.
There are opportunities here for hiking, climbing, kayaking and diving, all of which can be organised by the resort. And then there’s the hot tub or the spa to relax in afterwards. Nevertheless, for many guests, simply sitting and gazing from the cabins will be top of the list of activities here.
Because there is a lot of space near the end of the world. The sea around Steigen has many shallows and it is sheltered from the full force of the Atlantic by the spiky crescent of the Lofoten islands on the horizon. The water is embossed with small waves and it has a chill glassiness which throws light back up at the sky. Dominating it all are the mountains, rearing up all about like the vertebrae of drowned giants. With nightfall come icy stars, in constellations the Norsemen worshipped and navigated by. And later – sometimes – there are strange sights in the heavens.
Prising myself from my cabin, I take a hike on the adjacent island of Grøtøya, which is larger than Manshausen and is where I see my first sea eagle. On the five-minute boat ride over, I watch sleek cod and herring flipping about in water as clear as anything, before noticing that I am under observation myself from a big fat heron perched on a buoy.
My youthful guide from Manshausen, Sebastian, wears an eagle feather in his hat and has a deep acquaintance with local fauna and flora. Despite their formidable appearance, he tells me the eagles are not fearless. “Two days ago, I saw a crow chasing one of them away,” he says.
Grøtøya’s beaches are pale crescents of coral fragments. We crunch over them before walking inland to find groves of ash, birch and rowan, all trees which have been celebrated in Norse mythology. It’s not hard to see what inspired Viking scribes: the island has pockets filled with silences that feel intensely charged.
The rowan’s red berries, meanwhile, are out of reach (and unpalatable when raw) but there are alternatives lower down: redcurrants, bilberries, black crowberries and wild raspberries. Not to mention the juniper berries. “If you see a juniper bush with all of its berries ripe, it’s a sign that Doomsday is coming,” warns Sebastian. Fortunately, some of the fruit on our bush is immature and so earthly existence remains safe – for the time being.
We happen upon clumps of meadowsweet, also known as the mead plant. “The Vikings used its white flowers to make a spice for their mead,” explains Sebastian. There is a hut with a wildly overgrown turf roof, which is coated in lichen. Many lichen species are named for the shapes they suggest – Sebastian shows me beard, trumpet, coral and reindeer lichen.
Historically, Grøtøya was a supply and trading centre for fishing boats en route to Lofoten, 30 miles north. The Schøning family controlled much of the area’s trade. The last of their mansions dates from 1870 and was one of the most expensive homes north of the Arctic circle. It is now a museum, with original furniture and fittings on display in rooms that could double as stage sets for a production of Ibsen.
There is a bigger stage set up above. The northern lights often come out to play over Manshausen, but they can never be guaranteed. On the night of my arrival, they were outstanding – apparently. “Mainly green, with some red and orange,” says Sebastian. “I have never seen all those colours before.” Unfortunately, tired from my journey, I slept through the show. The next evening, I was more fortunate. At half past one, ribbons and streamers of pearly light were tossed down from Valhalla and glowed over the bay.
I visited in autumn but going in late spring or summer will mean experiencing white nights, rather than seeing the northern lights – at this latitude, night never falls from mid-May onwards, and the sun does not set at all in June and for a large chunk of July. And have I mentioned food? Manshausen provides self-catering facilities but meals are available from its main house on request – I enjoyed the freshest fillets of local halibut.
As well as winning plaudits for its architecture, Manshausen is bringing more tourists to Steigen. The archipelago receives less attention than the Lofoten Islands, but it is starting to gain in popularity, both because of the commercialisation of the latter and because of the ease of access by ferry from the mainland town of Bodø. There is plenty of room for visitors here and my trip made me hungry to explore more of this of heady combination of mountains, sea and wildlife.
On the morning of my departure, a pair of sea eagles swing by, high over my boat, as if in farewell. It was a fitting end to my sublime northern adventure.
Way to go
The trip was provided by Visit Norway. There is a variety of accommodation at Manshausen (manshausen.no), including sea cabins (from £350 a night for two adults and two children) and the island’s little red hut (£55pp), including breakfast. Children can take part in most activities. SAS (flysas.com) flies from Heathrow to Bodø via Oslo from £150 return. Ferries go from Bodø to Nordskot (£57 return, torghatten-nord.no), where a boat from Manshausen collects guests
