Nearly two thousand stone steps laid by Nepalese Sherpas climb straight up the mountain behind Reine to a ridge 448 metres above the fjord. The view from the top, the fishing village on its islets, the peaks rising out of the sea, is the one on every Lofoten poster.
For years the path up Reinebringen was a muddy, eroded gully where walkers slipped and rocks fell on the road below. Then the Sherpas came.
Between 2016 and 2019, teams of Nepalese Sherpa trail builders, who had built similar stone staircases at home and elsewhere in Norway, laid close to 2,000 granite steps up the face of the mountain from the E10 just north of Reine. The result is one of the most popular hikes in Norway: short, steep and safe in summer, ending on a narrow ridge with drops on both sides and the whole of the Reinefjord below.
From the top you look straight down on Reine and Hamnøy, their red fishermen's cabins on rocky islets, the Kirkefjord running inland between the peaks, and the open Vestfjord stretching towards the mainland. In summer the light at midnight is as good as at noon, which is how to avoid the crowds.
There is only one way, and it is up. Count on 45 minutes to an hour to the top for a fit walker, and nearly as long to come down.
Approximate profile. Solid: up; dashed: down.
Park in Reine and walk ten minutes north along the E10, using the pedestrian path past the old road tunnel, to the start of the steps at the foot of the mountain. There is no parking at the trailhead itself.
The steps climb relentlessly up the slope in zigzags, with views opening over the fjord behind you. Take it steadily and step aside at the wider landings to let faster walkers pass; the descent traffic comes down the same staircase.
The steps end at a saddle on the ridge. Turn right a short way for the classic view down on Reine and Hamnøy; the ridge is narrow with sheer drops, so keep well back from the edge, especially in wind. Return the same way.
Reine is on the E10 near the southern end of Moskenesøya, 10 minutes from the Moskenes ferry and about 1.5 hours' drive from Svolvær. Buses run along the E10. Park in Reine's public car parks and walk to the start.
Reine is a working village of a few hundred people. Do not park on the road or in private driveways, use the public toilets in the village, and take all rubbish home. Drones are restricted near the village.
A cliff ledge above the wildest beach in Lofoten.
To a hut among lakes, then the highest peak on Moskenesøya.
Straight up from Henningsvær to the view over the island village.
Two short summits above Lofoten's white-sand beaches.
The old coastal path between two white beaches.
The summit of the emptiest main island, over the Maelstrom.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their Creative Commons and free licences; Pexels photographs under the Pexels licence.
