Hello friends,
I’m so thrilled to finally be sharing with you the most remarkable and magical road trip destination I’ve ever had in my home country Norway: Hoddevik.
Hoddevik is in the middle of a white sandy beach between towering mountains on the westernmost part of mainland Norway, and its very popular for surfers from all over the world because of its west-swells. I spent about a week surfing, hiking, practicing yoga, and getting to know all the wonderful people whom I crossed path with in this hidden gem. I hope the video underneath will bring you joy and awake your curiosity for travelling off the beaten path.
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So, what sho when you end up in this village in the middle of nowhere by the western coastline? Here’s some detailed insight tips on what Hoddevika has to offer.
Stad Surfing & Kafe Strandro
Stad Surfing is a cozy summer house that’s beautifully and mindfully decorated to give you the ultimate ocean vibe feel. Located just by the beach and surrounded by Hawaii-looking mountains, a stay at Stad Surfing offers you a lovely escape for surfing and yoga. The house has got 6 different rooms with cute Norwegian names:
❀ Koserommet (The Cozy Room)
❀ Utsikten (The View)
❀ Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
❀ Suitten (The Suite)
❀ Grønne Rommet (The Green Room)
❀ Kittils Rom
We stayed in Grønne Rommet which is a dorm. However, we basically had the room for ourselves since we stayed there during the week. The house is getting very popular, especially in the weekends, so make sure to book in advance if you’re going for a weekend getaway.
Kafe Strandro totally melted my heart. This is a super local café at the first floor in the Stad Surfing house that is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In addition to making us the best sandwiches, chai lattes and special made smoothies, the couple Espen & Mathilde always made a cozy atmosphere. Super cool to see their family of four moving from the hectic city life of Oslo to the calm village life in Hoddevika to start a cafe and surf.
Yoga on the beach
As always, my yoga companion is Yoga With Adriene. I bring her YouTube channel with me everywhere I go so that I never have an excuse to not do yoga. Since I’m so used to practicing yoga in the living room of my home, it felt so refreshing to finally do it in scenic surroundings on the beach in Hoddevik.
My favorite yoga session at the moment is Shakti Power Flow. I did this one three times when I was in Hoddevik. This full vinyasa yoga practice focuses on alignment, action and breath, guiding you through asanas that strengthen and move energy or shakti throughout the systems of the body. Its all about using the breath to move mindfully and with intention. Adriene is all about getting fit by being mindful, loving, and fun. She says it’s all about connecting to your center, stepping into your power, cultivating self love, and rocking your body with confidence and ease.
If you’d like to do yoga in a class in Hoddevik, Stad Surfing offers yoga sessions with Gry through Bygda Yogaskule. Unfortunately I didn’t try the yoga sessions, but I’m sure Gry knows her stuff after 20 years of experience.
Stormy days
We were lucky enough to experience all sorts of seasons and weather in just a week. Everything from full sun to pure storm. The storm gave us time to edit photos and stay inside to get to know the surfers who worked there, jam with them, and enjoy some relaxation. I even tried to surf in the storm with the more experienced surfers, but that didn’t go that well. Ha-ha.
Surfing all day
First time I set my foot on a surf board was in Cape Town. First time I caught a wave in Norway was in Hoddevik. Something about those first time’s, right? I still like it even better behind the camera shooting surfers than being on the board (ha-ha), but I’m working on my skills in the water and I definitely want to spend more time on the board when I get back to Hoddevik some other time. Learning and growing as a surfer still, guys!
The conditions is great for surfing in Hoddevik for beginners and experienced ones. Both Stad Surfing and Lapoint Surf Camp offers courses and equipment to use if you don’t have your own.
Friday night jam in surfing van
My greatest memory from our whole road trip must be when we were invited into Ivar’s lovely red van on a friday night to jam. We spent some time in each one of our elements. Me behind the camera, Ran with his guitar, and Ivar singing & surfing. Memories like these make me reflect upon how incredible life is – that we tend to make choices that lead us to experiences we never saw coming at all.
A grocery store trip to Ervik
You might grasp how much of a village Hoddevik is when I say that the closest grocery store is 30 minutes away in Ervik, on the other side of the valley. Ran and I went here to shoot a bit of Ran’s music video on the beach and I also tested my drone a bit. I know that there’s several great hikes in Ervik as well that I’ll for sure check out when I visit Hoddevik next ime.
Hiking Mosekleivhornet
A must do for me when I travel anywhere is to get an overview of the area from a bird perspective. We were recommended by the surfing instructors to hike up to Mosekleivhornet. I thought the hike would be fairly easy-going, but it was actually extremely steep. It took us approximately 2 hours to get up. It’s a breath-taking view when you reach the top, I must say, so make sure to spend some time to just ENJOY when you get up there! You’ll see the whole valley and all the surfers will look like sWould recommend to wear proper hiking shoes as it is slippery, especially on the way down.
Duration: 1-2 hours one-way
Level: Moderate
Heading Home
Just when Hoddevik started feeling like home, we had to pack our bags and get on the road again, up north. The memories from our time there are put in our back packs and will stick with us forever and ever. I will for sure make more trips to Hoddevik in the future.
I hope my video and the photos reflect our experience and can encourage you to take a step out of your comfort zone to explore the world, even just for a little bit!
If you haven’t already, make sure to also watch these Norway Road Trip videos:
Now, let me hear what you think!
Would you like to visit Hoddevik & Ervik?
What’s your favorite destination in Norway?
What destination in your country would you recommend?
Hello! i came cross your blog in a google search and via tagged photos on instagram- beautiful account!! I was considering staying at a beautiful air bnb in Ervik or at Stad. Do you have a strong preference? I will be traveling solo but love to cook so deciding if it would be more comfortable to be in a larger new house.If you are ever in new york city, let me know because I live in brooklyn and have hundreds or recommendations : ) xx
Hi Julia! Thanks for reaching out. I would truly recommend staying in Hoddevik/Ervik at the Airbnb Stad Surfing (stadsurfing.no). So cozy and perfect for when you’re traveling alone. A very social place with cafe and everything! I’d LOVE to visit Brooklyn some time.
Incredible work Martine!