Leknes is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vestvågøy (the largest municipality in Lofoten and Vesterålen by population) in the county of Nordland in Norway. The town is located in the geographical centre of the Lofoten Islands, about 68 km west of Svolvær and 65 km east of the town of O. The population of the town is 2,661 people.
Leknes is the shopping centre of the Lofoten Islands, rivaling only Svolvær. Leknes is one of the few towns on the Lofoten Islands that is not based on fishing and whose town centre is not located by the sea. For these reasons, as well as because of rapid development in recent years, it does not feature the traditional wooden architecture found in the other towns of Lofoten and is not as picturesque as the neighboring fishing villages. However, its natural landscape, with mountains, peaks, cliffs and white sandy beaches, is considered one of the most magnificent in Norway. The town harbour is one of the most important in Norway and the most visited by cruise ships. In Leknes, the midnight sun lasts from 26 May to 17 July, and the polar night from 9 December to 4 January.
On the coastline of the island of Vestvågøy, high mountains predominate, and on the western shore there are also white sandy beaches. Uttakleiv is the most romantic beach in Europe according to the British newspaper The Times, and the neighboring Hauklandstranda is the best beach in Norway according to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.
The Lofoten Islands are an archipelago in the Norwegian Sea off the northwest coast of Norway. The area of the archipelago is 1227 km². The islands are rocky and separated from each other mostly by narrow straits. The maximum elevation is 1161 m above sea level. They are separated from mainland Norway by the Vestfjord. Between the islands of Fæ røy and Moskenesø y is the famous Maelstrom whirlpool. The archipelago consists of several large islands and many smaller islands and rocks.
ClimateDespite the fact that the archipelago lies beyond the Arctic Circle, as well as north of the cold poles of Verkhoyansk and Oymяkon, the temperature in the southern islands of the archipelago is above zero even in the coldest month, thanks to the influence of the Gulf Stream. In summer in Lofoten it is cool but dry. The average July temperature is +15°C. The ocean water is quite cool, but in summer it can warm up to +17°C.
