Myre – Fishing Village, Island World and Coastal Culture

Myre combines the everyday life of a large fishing village with experiences on the water and cycling routes to other fishing villages. At the harbour, maritime tradition meets modern fish production; trips through the Vesterålen island world depart from the speedboat quay. Its location on Langøya also shapes how you find your way around: Myre lies in the northwest of the island, on the eastern side of the Prestfjord between Langøya and Skogsøya.

Fishing Village on the Prestfjord

Myre is one of the largest fishing villages in Vesterålen. The fish-processing industry is significant, and its main product is frozen fillets. At the harbour, you can see how the working coastal culture of Northern Norway brings together maritime tradition and modern fish production. This gives Myre a different character from a place shaped mainly by its landscape or historic sights: here, fishing is part of the village’s working life.

When planning your trip, you can decide whether you would like to get to know Myre as a place of coastal culture and fishing history, or focus on excursions on the water and by bike. The speedboat quay is the starting point for the tour through the Vesterålen island world. Cycling routes from Myre lead towards other fishing villages. These different experiences make the village a possible base if you would like to include different sides of Øksnes in your trip.

Explore the Island World by Speedboat

The speedboat tour “Øyhopping i Vesterålen” gives you the chance to visit islands and learn about the history of coastal culture. It starts at Myre’s speedboat quay and passes through several fishing villages in Øksnes. The focus is therefore not only on the journey across the water: the tour combines island visits with insights into coastal culture. Allow about three hours for the round trip, until the boat returns to Myre. This approximate duration helps you plan the tour as a separate part of your trip, without assuming an exact departure time.

If you would rather travel overland, cycling offers a different focus. A cycling tour through five fishing villages uses Myre as its starting point; routes lead from there to Stø and Nyksund. The route from Myre to Nyksund is 13 kilometres long and passes through gently rolling terrain. Its highest point is just over 50 metres.

Architecture and Local Cuisine

Myre kirke also gives the village a distinctive feature. The church is fan-shaped and was built in 1979 from concrete and laminated timber. Its architect was Arne Aursand. Its unusual shape and the materials used provide a specific reason to take an interest in modern church architecture. If you would like to add buildings and local history to your trip, this offers another way to experience Myre alongside the activities related to fishing, the water and cycling.

One taste of the region is fresh skrei, or Atlantic cod, served at the restaurant of Myre Kysthotell. So, in addition to the working coastal culture, a seafood dish is part of the local cuisine described here. The references to fish processing and skrei concern different aspects: frozen fillets are the main product of the fish-processing industry, while fresh skrei is served at the restaurant.

Rent Sports and Leisure Equipment

BUA Øksnes is a sports and leisure equipment lending centre in the basement of “Huset for alle” in Myre. Residents and visitors to Øksnes municipality can borrow equipment there free of charge. If you are visiting the municipality and would like to use equipment for leisure activities, this local lending centre is a practical place to go. It complements the cycling and other leisure activities described here, without implying that the lending centre itself is associated with any particular tour or equipment.

Discover More Places

For more travel ideas, you can also visit the pages for Klo, Alsvåg, Sørvågen, Sandset, Stø and Øksnes.

For the main travel overview: Øksnes.