Vega island by itself is a lovely hiking spot for fresh air, some history, flora and fauna spotting. The main issue is that the ferry to the island is expensive enough to turn away potential visitors. There are many places along the coast that have the same scenery without that pricey crossing. The main draw is the eider duck and you have probably read that the ducks aren't easily spotted on the island. In fact they mainly come here during nesting season (April) and during that time visitors are not welcome. Hotels are closed and the locals don't like a silly tourists scaring the ducks away. Every house, every barn, every boat and even wheelbarrow become potential nests for the female eider, forming the connection between ducks and humans it has received world heritage status for. In the end this is about money, as a down jacket from Vega is one of the most expensive pieces of clothing you can imagine to buy. Thus maximizing the amount of eider ducks nesting is the key.

So I visited Vega in early July and it was still rainy and chilly. I saw a few ducks in the fields and marshes. There are a couple of things to do, first is the "museum", rather expensive for a quick tour of the history, and the second is hiking. I spent the rest of the day doing that although the paths were muddy and it wasn't that enjoyable. There were signs for an activity app that guides you through the northern section of the island with "interesting trivia" but the app doesn't work anymore. The hike along the coast near the museum has signposts to explain geology, flora and that "bridge" as seen in my photograph.

Whereas Vega was worth visiting it certainly wasn't for the eider duck connection.