Fjords, Ferries and Tunnels!

We have spent a week in Norway and from the moment we drove off the ferry to when we drove over the bridge into Sweden we have been astounded by breath-taking views every minute of the long Nordic summer days.

We travelled across the North Sea  in a massive clean and modern Colorline ferry from Hirtshals in Denmark to Kristiansand in Norway that carried  4 lanes of motorhomes of all sizes ready for their Norwegian adventure.

We drove off the ferry and after the quiet roads of Denmark we were suddenly bombarded with lanes of traffic all racing down the road, luckily we only had a short journey to our first stop. Thirty minutes of stunning views including deep ravines, blue skies, flat waters, brilliant bridges and forever forests were a shock to our systems after the flat serenity of northern Denmark.

On the edge of a town called Mandal our campsite, Sjosanden, was large but well organised Motorhome site set amongst the forest on the edge of North Sea but within a small inlet of rocky islands. The area around the site was white sandy coves, woodland paths and small rock climbs for views of the sea.

We spent a couple of days here exploring – Bob made friends with Norwegians whilst metal detecting whilst I went on exploratory walks into the marina town and through the woodland where I was blown away by the views. On the first morning I even ventured into the North Sea – coldest water I have ever swam in – couldn’t manage more that 5/10 minutes!   

Loathe to leave such tranquillity but excited about what lies ahead we drove inland and up through the mountains heading towards Hardangerfjord, the longest fjord in Norway stretching over 111 miles inland.

How do I describe the drive…think of wide windy roads, on one side crystal glistening lakes and rivers below with roadsides abundant with wild spring flowers and on the other side rocky mountains crowded in tall pine trees dotted with the melting winter snow into rushing waterfalls or perhaps a very straight road ahead shrouded either side with thick forests of tall pine trees before you suddenly opened out into a breathtaking picture of lakes, mountains and blue sky. I wanted to stop at each turn to drink in the view, breath in the fresh air and marvel at how open and vast everything was. The views literally were intoxicating.

This is how it was every day in Norway no matter where we went. Its everything that you imagine and more. The roads are quiet and every now and then there are ‘rasteplass’ (rest areas) where you can stop with picnic benches, regularly emptied rubbish bins, often toilets (sometimes HEATED but always clean), a shower, plenty parking for motorhomes and perhaps a short walk to a river or waterfall. So, there was always an opportunity to stop but of course you can’t keep stopping to take in every view and eventually you become overwhelmed with it and you worry you are missing the waterfall, the perfect swim spot or the place to park for the night.

 We did this for a couple of days stopping at a ‘rasteplass’ or a quiet campsite near a waterfall. The waterfalls at this time of year are quite spectacular as the snow is melting from the mountains but it was often hard to stop to get near them as they are inconveniently placed (ha-ha!!).

We drove across a mountain range that still had snow on the ground and through ski resorts with motionless ski-lifts and an area of Norway with wooden chalet houses with grass roofs. Lots of ton bags or wood piled around in readiness for the long winters.  

We visited a magnificent and interesting Hydropower Museum where we took the guided tour and gained a fascinating insight into Norwegian history and how hydro power has proved so successful in Norway.  

It was feeling like a real touring holiday as we spent a lot of time exploring in the van, I am not sure why it turned out that way but we covered over 1200km in a week. Norway has a vast network of tunnels that form the backbone of the Norwegian road network. It makes even the most remote areas accessible and I believe that currently it stands at over 1000 tunnels throughout the country. The tunnels were of varying length, often they were 5km or more and the longest we drove was 12Km but the longest in Norway is 25km.

We had a variety of weather whilst in Norway, often you would drive into a tunnel whilst it was raining but out the other side was sunshine. You never knew what was going to be out the other end. And then there are the ferries  – these appeared almost as an extension of the road. All the ferries we took were electric which made them incredibly quiet and the crossings always calm. They were a great opportunity to enjoy the fjords you were crossing. They were quick, efficient and you could buy your ticket onboard or if you were local you have a toll tag.  They certainly cut your journey time down considerably and again connected communities.

We parked up and used the bus to visit Bergen, known as the secret capital of Norway. It is surrounded by mountains and fjords and it is where most cruise ships come to port. Bergen is steeped in history as the dock area known as Bryggen dates to Hanseatic League’s trading empire. Hanseatic Merchants sailed from northern Germany to Bergen and settled to trade grain for fish from northern Norway in the buildings at the dock (Bryggen) and thus began one of the major trading centres in Northern Europe in the 13^th Century where it continued for 500 years. Despite several fires, they have managed to recreate and salvage some of the wooden buildings as they were in medieval times.

We took the funicular from the city centre up to the Floyen mountains to enjoy the stunning expansive view of Bergen and it surrounds. Bob decided he could walk 3km woodland path down. Little did we know that we would experience a major thunder and lightening storm followed by horrendous rain. Neither of us where really kitted out for that and Bob especially got soaked through. We still had to eat, walk to the bus station and wait an hour for the bus back to our motorhome. Shattered we fell into bed at around 11pm where it was still broad day light!

The following day we stopped at campsite in Dragsvik, along the Sognefjord one of the deepest in Norway where we were lucky enough to be in prime position of the view of the fjord and Bob spotted a fin in the water. Not believing him I shunned his comments until I suddenly heard air being blown out of whale blowhole! I shot up like a flash to the shoreline to see 2 black fins and the occasional black back slipping through the water. There were two maybe even three of them hugging the shoreline looking for fish. We, along with other campers were all stunned and in awe at the sight straining to see them and sadly we’d  both left our phones in the van. This was the hot topic of conversation on that site for the rest of the day!  

 After that and another lovely evening bike ride we had one more day in Norway as we were heading southeast to Sweden but not before we stopped at one of Norway’s most intact and untouched Stave Churches. Stave Churches were built all over Northern Europe but only Norway have preserved them. They were built during the 12^th century until the black death meant there were not enough skilled men to build them. There were once over 1000 in Norway but only 28 remain and Borghund Stave Church is one of the best preserved and left unchanged. The church was tiny and inside it was dark but you could still see the influences from Viking culture from the 9^th century in the way that they have worked with the wood.

That night we spent our last night in Norway at a ‘rasteplass’ set above a lake in the mountains where I managed to get down to the lake and go for a dip in the calm and warmer fresh water. It was sublime to swim in and the views across the lake were once again breath-taking. These were to be our last so we sat and enjoyed them late into the evening.