Eggum

Eggum sits where the road runs out on the exposed northern side of Vestvagoy, a scatter of houses under steep mountains with a shore of rounded boulders facing directly north across the sea. That orientation is why people come: from late May to mid-July the sun does not set, and it tracks along the northern horizon at midnight, visible from the shore without any climbing. A sculpture by Markus Raetz, a head that changes appearance as you walk around it, stands on the coast as part of the Artscape Nordland project. Behind the hamlet are the remains of a wartime radar station and older Iron Age farm mounds, and the coastal path to Unstad leaves from here, nine kilometres along the shore.

What you actually see

• The midnight sun - visible over the northern horizon from the shore.
• The Raetz sculpture - a head that shifts appearance as you move.
• The boulder shore - rounded stones along an exposed coast.
• The Unstad path - a nine-kilometre coastal walk south along the shore.

When to go

Late May to mid-July for the midnight sun, which is the main reason to go; June is the peak. The rest of summer is fine for the coastal walk. Winter brings storms and the road can be closed by snow.

Honest expectations

There is essentially nothing at Eggum beyond a car park, a campsite and the shore, with no shop or cafe. The coast is fully exposed and windy. Clear northern horizons are needed for the midnight sun, and cloud is frequent.

Nearby

Unstad lies along the coastal path; Haukland, Uttakleiv and Leknes are elsewhere on Vestvagoy.