Brønnøysund: the mountain with the hole

On the coast of northern Norway, Brønnøysund holds the famous Torghatten mountain, pierced entirely through by a truly gigantic and unusual natural hole.

A car remains helpful for reaching the main surrounding attractions.

The Torghatten Mountain, pierced by a natural tunnel towering thirty-five metres high, remains one of the most photographed geological formations along the entire Norwegian coast.

A few minutes away, the historic centre of Brønnøysund comes alive with colourful wooden houses along the traditional fishing port, still fully active throughout the year.

Continuing along the coast, you reach the remote Vega Islands, a UNESCO archipelago famous throughout the region for the ancient tradition of gathering eiderdown.

Towards evening, local restaurants serve fresh fish just caught according to the ancient culinary tradition of the northern Norwegian coast.

According to ancient Norse legend, the hole through Torghatten was carved by an arrow shot by an enraged troll, but it was actually formed over millennia by patient marine erosion when sea levels were considerably higher than today.

The Vega Islands, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004, preserve an ancient thousand-year-old tradition of sustainably harvesting eiderdown from wild duck nests.