Vevelstad is a small municipality of about 500 people on the Helgeland coast, between Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen. Most people on the Kystriksveien drive straight through, which is a mistake. This is the gateway to Vistenfjorden and Lomsdal-Visten National Park, one of Norway's least visited national parks: 1,102 square kilometres of virtually untouched landscape from fjord to mountain, designated in 2009. The Sámi name is Njaarken Vaarjelimmiedajve, and cultural heritage in the area goes back 8,000 to 9,000 years.
The layers of history here are striking. At Forvik, on the coast, there are Stone Age rock carvings. At Slottvik, Viking burial mounds overlook the fjord. On the island of Esøya, you can find medieval runic inscriptions. Forvik itself was an old trading post, and the restored buildings there are one of Helgeland's most charming roadside stops, a living tribute to Northern Norwegian coastal culture.
During the Second World War, the rugged terrain of Lomsdal-Visten served as a strategic route for the Norwegian Resistance, used to transport weapons from the coast into the inland of Helgeland.
If you have time for a detour into Vistenfjorden, it is one of the wildest and least touched fjord landscapes in Norway: steep walls, waterfalls, and almost no one else around.
The layers of history here are striking. At Forvik, on the coast, there are Stone Age rock carvings. At Slottvik, Viking burial mounds overlook the fjord. On the island of Esøya, you can find medieval runic inscriptions. Forvik itself was an old trading post, and the restored buildings there are one of Helgeland's most charming roadside stops, a living tribute to Northern Norwegian coastal culture.
During the Second World War, the rugged terrain of Lomsdal-Visten served as a strategic route for the Norwegian Resistance, used to transport weapons from the coast into the inland of Helgeland.
If you have time for a detour into Vistenfjorden, it is one of the wildest and least touched fjord landscapes in Norway: steep walls, waterfalls, and almost no one else around.