Horse riding in Lofoten

4 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Gimsøya is one of the smaller main islands of Lofoten, 46 square kilometres between Austvågøya and Vestvågøya. At Hov, on the island's northern edge, Hov Gård keeps Icelandic horses and runs guided rides for people who have never sat on a horse.

The farm runs a beach ride that you can book all year and, in summer, a night ride under the midnight sun. Every ride starts and ends at the stable, and there is no pickup, so plan the drive there and back.

The ride over Hov and Hovsund

You start at the stable. Reviewers describe a short introductory video and safety briefing, horses that are already prepared, and a fitting for helmet, boots and rain gear. The guide then explains how to hold the reins, and the group sets off at walking pace across Hov, an Arctic sandy beach.

From the beach the route heads towards the fishing village of Hovsund. After a gentle climb the view opens up, you pass traditional racks for drying fish and ride past remains from the Viking age before returning to the stable. According to the farm, riders sometimes see sea eagles along the way in summer. The ride takes about an hour and a half.

Drying racks like these are called hjell: frames of birch poles on which cod is hung. After two to four months, depending on the weather, it becomes tørrfisk, or stockfish, and Norwegian rules protect the name Tørrfisk fra Lofoten as a geographical designation. If the Viking-age remains along the route make you curious, the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg on Vestvågøy stands on the site of a chieftain's farm and has a reconstructed longhouse.

Reviewers often mention two guides, one of them on foot beside the horses and quick to help. Several find the ride short for what it costs, and one rider in March disagreed with the farm over a weather decision and did not get a refund.

Riding under the midnight sun

In summer the farm adds a ride timed for the low night sun. It covers the same ground in the opposite order: up from the stables, along to Hovsund past the fish racks, then back across the beach. The farm calls its spot on the northern edge of Gimsøya one of the best places in Lofoten for the midnight sun. If the weather is unsafe, it reschedules the ride.

At Svolvær, about 40 kilometres away, the sun stays above the horizon from 26 May to 18 July 2027. One reviewer who rode in June noted that there was hardly a sunset, so do not plan the ride for one in that period. Visit Lofoten gives a slightly shorter window for the midnight sun, from 28 May to 14 July. The weather changes quickly here, so a clear night is never certain. Our midnight sun page explains the light and lists other night tours.

If you have no car but want the same north-facing coast at night, a four-hour evening drive with Lofoten Insight leaves Svinøya in Svolvær for Eggum and Gimsøya to watch the midnight sun, with a hot drink and a light snack. It does not include a ride.

Who can ride

Riders must be at least 8 years old and weigh no more than 95 kilograms, and the rides are not open to pregnant women. When you book, the farm needs each rider's name, weight, height, age and riding experience in English, for safety reasons. The tours are slow by design. Experienced riders looking for a faster ride will not find it here, as the farm states that these rides cannot be adapted.

Wear long trousers and closed shoes. Backpacks stay behind, and professional cameras are not allowed on the beach ride. The guides speak English. Food and drinks are not part of the ride, so bring water and a snack for the drive. Gimsøy church, consecrated in October 1876, also stands on the island and makes a short stop on the way back.

Getting to Gimsøya

There is no pickup, and reviewers say no bus serves the farm; one guest paid for a taxi in both directions and found it expensive. By car, Hov Gård is about 44 minutes from Svolvær and 54 minutes from Leknes. In winter the coast is milder than its latitude suggests, with an average of around zero degrees at Svolvær airport in January and February, but the days are short. Plan around the light: on 1 December the sun at Svolvær is up only from 10:46 to 12:55, and from 7 December to 5 January it does not rise at all. Our getting around page has more on driving in Lofoten. The beaches further west at Haukland and Uttakleiv are on the Lofoten beaches page.