Hillesøy: beautiful sea and sunshine

John woke early and made me a cup of tea, and I was out of bed by 8. After breakfast, we tidied, emptied and topped up Molly, then we left for our next destination, the islands of Sommarøy and Hillesøy.

The journey through Tromsø was easy because it was Sunday and the roads were quiet. However, once we left Tromsø island we kept meeting reindeer in the road, which was totally unexpected because we were still in the suburbs!

The scenery became more wild and mountainous as we followed the edge of fjords and then over passes between them. At one point we saw an elk in the road ahead but, unfortunately, the car we’d just let past startled it and it ran into the forest. I just caught a glimpse of it as we passed.

After an hour we reached the coast and the landscape changed to flatter strings of islands. We crossed a beautiful bridge to reach Sommarøy island and from there it was a short step over to the little island where we are staying, Hillesøy.

The sun is shining and we have a wonderful spot right on the water’s edge with only the sound of sea birds to be heard. After a coffee and some toast, we did some planning for the next week on Senja, enjoying the warmth of the sun through the windows.

Then we went for a walk up the hill, Nordkollen, next to where we are parked. Even though it’s not very high at 216m, it was quite steep at times, and gave us fabulous views in all directions.

The colour of the sea is stunning… deep blue and then light turquoise over the pale sand. From the top of the hill, we could see the whole of Sommerøy and the bridge that we crossed, the mountains of mainland Norway, and of Senja to the south. We could also see Molly back at the campsite.

The beaches are beautiful and we did contemplate going for a swim, but the tide was out when we returned and it’s still chilly in the strong cold north wind.

Instead, we continued our walk around the small peninsular that the campsite’s situated on, exploring the coastline.

I love the houses on stilts, the brightly coloured barns, and the traditional turf roofs. Now we’re back at Molly enjoying a G&T and a beer, wondering if we’ll get to see the midnight sun in all its glory.