With its two summits Tjeldbergtinden is the table mountain of the area between Svolvaer and Kabelvåg. Even though it is "only" 367m high and by far not the highest mountain of the region both summits provide awesome panoramic views over the cities of Svolvaer, Kabelvåg and Vågan with the whole Vestfjord including Skrova and Litlmolla to the East and a lot of lakes like Stor- Kongsvatnet, Madsvatnet, Karlsvatnet and of course the impressive mountains Vågakallen (943m) to the South and Fløya (590m) to the North.

 

 

 

 

The start of the hike is near the huge Osan shipbuilding yard which you see in the photo above. When you drive along the E10 from Svolvaer to Kabelvåg you can park nearby the Esso gas station on the right side. From there follow the road named Kongsvatveien up the hill and then turn left until you reach a road barrier. Now follow the gravel road named Pistolbane towards a huge radio mast up to 120m. There you find a bank with a nice panorma view. You will need 45 - 60 minutes from the gas station to hike up to this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this mast the road ends and you have to hike back a little to a huge boulder where the small path towards Tjeldbergtinden starts. There is also a sign which marks the beginning of the trail. You can't miss it. The trail winds through this forest and then soon gets quite demanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trail can be slippery and pretty steep at times so proper hiking shoes are recommended. For this part of the hike plan another 45 - 60 minutes. So for the whole ascent an average person will need 1,5 - 2 hours plus breaks and the same time for the descent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken at the end of the ascent from the middle of the mountain ridge. Here you see the hiking path, the radio mast and the gravel road where we started the hike. In the background you see the island of Litlmolla.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at the top of the ridge we had a short break and just enjoyed the nice vista. This is the view south towards Vågakallen, the lakes and the massif with Ørntinden (492m), Varden (700m) and Småtindan (662m) to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the short break we continued along the ridge to the summit located east which offers a breathtaking view over the coastline. This is me enjoying the view at the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photo above shows an aerial like view of Kabelvåg with its turquoise-blue waters, the huge wooden church, the harbour and the central marketplace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kirsti hiked to the most eastern point of the summit. One definitely has to be free from giddiness to climb to this point with steep abysses on both sides of the small ridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you see Vågakallen featured and framed by autumn colours and white clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about half an hour or so of enjoying the view and taking photos we decided to hike along the summit ridge to the other summit located at the western side of the mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the background you see the mountains Løva (640m) and Kongstintan (552m) with white clouds above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking from one summit to the other takes about 20 - 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We searched for a route or path up to the west summit but you need to climb along a rope to get there. We opted to enjoy the view from there and then go down safely the same route that we had come from. (You can do a roundtrip when climbing the summit and descend (very steep) on the west side.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is me again with Svolvaer and Vestfjord in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photo above shows the radio mast, the Osan shipbuilding yard, the city of Svolvær with its houses and harbours and Fløya, Skrova and Litlmolla in the background. There is also a panorama photo available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the middle-right of the frame above you see the east-summit of the mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the hut and after several hours of mountain hiking we refreshed ourselves with a delicious meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a last image of Tjeldbergtinden reflecting with a sun star in Litl-Kongsvatnet near Svolvaer.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this hiking report was helpful for you in case you plan to go there on your own. Feel free to leave a comment. Take care!

 

By the way I have some other hiking reports like Bunes Beach, Reinebringen and Kvakvika Beach in the pipeline for the upcoming weeks - so stay tuned.