Traena

Traena lies about thirty-three nautical miles out in the Norwegian Sea on the Arctic Circle, a scatter of islands and skerries with around four hundred residents, and it is one of the oldest continuously settled places in northern Norway: finds in the Kirkehelleren cave on Sanna go back some nine thousand years, and the cave itself, a vast opening in the rock, was used for burials in the Iron Age. Sanna's ridge of sharp peaks, the highest at 338 metres, gives the group its profile from a long way off. Husoya holds the harbour, the shop and most of the houses. Since 2003 the Traenafestivalen has brought several thousand people out each July for concerts, including one held inside the cave.

What you actually see

• The Sanna peaks - a sharp ridge of rock spires above the sea.
• Kirkehelleren - a huge cave with nine thousand years of use.
• The fishing village - the harbour and settlement on Husoya.
• The July festival - concerts including one staged inside the cave.

When to go

June to August for the midnight sun, reliable boats and the festival in July; the crossing is long and exposed, so calm weather matters. Winter service is reduced and storms cancel sailings regularly.

Honest expectations

The crossing takes hours in open water and is often rough. Accommodation is very limited and sells out entirely during the festival. The shop and eating options are minimal, and the walk to the cave on Sanna is steep and rough.

Nearby

Lovund's puffin colony is on the same boat route; Sandnessjoen and the Helgeland coast lie inshore.