Our Scandinavian Tour - Day 103 -105

Wednesday 15th August 2018 🌧️🌧️🌧️⛅⛅☁🌧️
Mileage 100 from a Resteplass on E39 near Bjerkreim to the Lindesnes Lighthouse at South Cape
Parking Co-ordinates 57.985, 7.04899

This morning we set off to see Trollpikken  - or to give it the name that Google does - Troll Dick!  It's a phallus shaped piece of rock - so if it ever did belong to a Troll it makes you wonder what he was doing with his naughty bits when the sun came out (and turned his 'parts' to stone)!!  Apparently in the summer of 2017 the 'erection' became a very famous hiking destination and was shown on TV which sadly resulted in it being cut down by vandals, but local enthusiasts initiated a fundraising campaign which went viral and the shaft was 're-erected' just 13 days later - and since then it has stood proudly for visitors to admire!!😂😂😂

However for us, in the end rain stopped play and spoiled our walk because it was coming down in sheets which made the underfoot terrain very slippery!  Therefore our walk was abandoned, and instead we decided to take a scenic drive through the UNESCO listed Magma Geo-park which is a unique geological area that covers a huge area of southwest Norway where the rocks are the same type as those found on the surface of the moon.

We Wouldn't have wanted
to park under that!

Unfortunately, that idea had to be partially abandoned as well because the minor road we would have needed to take was totally unsuitable for our big bus, and as the rain was still hammering down the slipperiness that would have been added to the mix just made it not worth the risk.  Instead we opted to take Route 44 - a road that ran around the edge of the park, but even that required a lot of praying -   '🙏Please Please don't let anything big come in the opposite direction🙏'

A 'Hole' we needed to go through from a distance!

And just before we entered it!

While we were on the dramatic hairpin bedecked road that dropped us down with one switch back after another we pulled in at a view point over Jossingfjord and learned about how this was the sight of the first battle of the Second World War in what was at the time, neutral Norwegian waters.  Late in the evening of 16th February 1940 the German tanker 'Altmark' was boarded by a party of Marines from the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Cossack.  On board the tanker were 299 captured British seamen whose ships had been sunk in the Southern Atlantic Ocean - they were all freed without injury, but during the dramatic rescue 7 German soldiers were killed in action.  Today the waters of Jossingfjord stood quiet and still, but it was still a striking setting - especially when we looked further down the road at the 'hole' we would have to pass through as we proceeded on our journey.

The downward slope ended in the town of Sireana, but immediately after we'd crossed over the single lane bridge we started to climbing up the other side of the valley regaining the height we'd just lost.  Here the squeezes came thick and fast and Route 44 had certainly turned out to be another one that wouldn't be for the faint hearted.  But eventually it improved as we left the sharp jagged unforgiving cliffs behind and passed through the town of Sveiga on Flekkefjord, and very soon after that we were back on the much more comfortable E39 where we found a stopping place for lunch.

After that our target was the Lindesnes Lighthouse but to get there Mrs Snoopy played  a dirty trick on us!  We could have continued along the E39 for a while longer and then taken Route 460, but instead she directed us a 'quicker way on one of her short cuts'  This completely negated any need for us to visit any of Norway's theme parks because it turned out to be a Roller Coaster that was about 10 miles long, and by the time we got to the end of it John had to just about prise my very white knuckles away from my seat and all my 🍑 clenching would probably mean I wouldn't go to the 🚺 for at least a week!!

Anyway, we did eventually manage to arrive safely at Lindesnes Lighthouse which lies at the most Southerly tip of Norway - thus completing our journey from the North to South Capes of the country.

The lighthouse itself was established in 1656, and at that stage it was lit by 30 tallow candles burning atop of a three storey tower, but this didn't provide an adequate solution for the safety of the mariners so it was shut down after only a few months.  Then it took many years before coal was fired in an open brazier to make light, and it wasn't until 1822 that the brazier was moved into a closed lighthouse, the remains of which can still be seen.

Later still, in 1854 a proper lens of French origin was installed in the brazier bunker and it remained there until 1915 when the the cast iron tower that can be seen today was erected, and then the lens was moved to it's new home.  The lighthouse is still in use today, but like many others it is now fully automated.

However, the sites interesting foghorn, which is one of the largest of it's kind has now been decommissioned - and we might be quite glad about that cos we're staying here for the night!  It's called a diaphone and it used 1600 litres of air per second to produce it's almost deafening trumpet blast! These days that noise can only be heard once a year and that's on the last Sunday in July and then anybody in the vicinity is likely to be deafened!

In the area there's loads to explore and that includes several German bunkers and gun emplacements that date back to the Second World War, and additionally, there are numerous paths and areas where you can roam over bald rocks, many of which fall down to the sea.  However,  they come with a warning about the waves  have been known to break over some areas 'SO BEWARE'.   But we didn't venture too far because about an hour into our visit the heavy rain returned so at that point we scurried back to T4rdis2 to avoid a soaking. 

Tonight's home - can you spot us!

Thursday 16th August 2018 🌧️🌧️🌧️⛅⛅☁🌧️
Mileage 100 from Lindesnes Lighthouse South Cape to Wild Camp near Sorsmolt on Route 351
Parking Co-ordinates 58.831, 9.27499

This morning we left Lindesnes Lighthouse (which incidentally is the oldest one in Norway) in very murky conditions after much rain overnight.  And if the forecast was to be believed, it was going to be more of the same for the rest of our penultimate  day in Norway.  Our ferry over to Denmark is booked for 2.30 tomorrow afternoon and we'll be sailing  from Langesund on a four and a half hour crossing to Hirtshals for the bargain price of £115.   But that's only because I booked direct with Fjordline after deciphering their Norwegian pages, otherwise other operators wanted at least £185😲!

Because of the predicted weather we hadn't really planned to do much today other than cover the 100 miles that would bring us nearer to the ferry port, so as I haven't got much else to write about I'm going to jot down a few thoughts we've got about our time in Norway.

I suppose the main ones are - have we enjoyed it and did it live up to our expectations??  The answer to that would probably depend upon which one of us you asked!  I've loved the countries magnificence with its wonderful vistas, magical fjords, deep valleys, towering mountains, vast wild wildernesses, and breathtaking waterfalls for at least 80% of the time, BUT occasionally the very long distances we've had to drive each day have caused a bit of cabin fever!  And for John, the pressure of having driven a total of 7,700 miles, often on difficult roads has detracted somewhat from his ability to enjoy all of the above!  Added to that he's done most of the route planning and identification of places where we've stayed overnight, so while I've been having a 'holiday' he's worked really hard, and now I think he's getting ready to stay put in one place for a few days R&R!

Would we do it again??  Definitely NOT - and especially not the jaunt all the way up to Nordkapp! We've been there, done that, but we didn't buy the T-Shirts 😂!  We've still got so much more of Europe to explore that we really haven't got time to do it again, and even if we wanted to we probably couldn't afford it!  Norway well and truly deserves it's reputation for being one of the most expensive countries in the world and while we've been here we've spent about twice as much as we would have done anywhere else.  I suppose to some degree our budget hasn't been strained as much as it could have been because I brought a lot of food with us and we've wild camped for 31 out of the 47 days we've been here.  However, that hasn't really off set the cost of tolls (£100 - which would have been much more if our van had been greater than 3.5 tons), Norwegian ferries (£600), or the high cost of fuel, and when you add very expensive food into the mix you soon find you need very deep pockets to be here.

However, having said all that we wouldn't have missed if for the world, we've explored Norway from tip to toe and it's very definitely provided a big tick on our bucket list!


Friday 17th August 2018  🌞🌞⛅⛅🌞🌞🌞⛅
Mileage 37 form Wild Camp near Sorsmolt on Route 351 in Norway to a wild camp near Hirtshals on E39 in Denmark
Ferry ⛴ miles about 90
Parking Co-ordinates 57.56481, 10.01616

Today marks the end of one adventure and the beginning of another.  We left Norway as planned via the Langesund Hirtshals ferry and enjoyed endured a smooth 4 and a half hour crossing where we managed to read a couple of chapters of our books, play a few games on our tablets, watch a couple of episodes of whatever, and also sat up on the deck for an hour in the warm but windy sunshine.

When we disembarked we drove a few hundred metres to check out the Ports dedicated motorhome parking area - but it was horrible - the vans had hardly any space between them and it was right in the middle of a busy parking/shopping/ garage area, and for the pleasure of staying  the charge was the equivalent of £18 with 4 free bread rolls in the morning!

We opted to forgo the bread rolls and moved a few hundred more metres further down the road to a free parking area that was much more pleasant.  Unfortunately, the busy E39 is only about 100 metres away but we're surrounded by greenery and there's a couple more vans here to keep us company.  Initially we'd thought that parking overnight like this wasn't allowed in Denmark but John's recent read an Official article that explains how it's ok as long as there are no signs asking you not to, and as long as you don't participate in 'camping behaviour' like getting out awnings, tables, chairs and barbies etc.

Tomorrow we're going to move onto a campsite near Skagen which lies on the Northern most tip of Jutland and we're panning to stay there for a few days while we explore the area and catch up with some household chores - but after that we'll be back in tour mode for another three weeks or so around Denmark

See you soon 😙😙

Our Scandinavian Tour - Day 99 - 102

Saturday 11th August 2018  ☁☁⛅⛅⛅⛅⛅
Mileage 192 from a Parking area beside E134 near Notodden to a Wild Camp spot on E134 in Vest Telemark near Hardangervidda National Park
Parking Co-ordinates 59.842, 7.15899

Unfortunately, this morning we realised we were running short of LPG (gas), and as places that have it are a bit few and far between in this area we needed to make a 60 mile there and back detour to go and get some - and that was on top of what would already have been a long day to get into the vicinity of Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock).  But we had no choice because our only other option would have been to whizz down to Kristiansand, and by doing that we'd have missed an awful lot of Norway out altogether.  Happily, when we got to our destination we not only got the gas but also equipment (for just £9) to temporarily fix our poorly wing mirror!

Once back to where we started from we followed the E134 through many many miles of mountainous and forested road - it was pretty, but also pretty boring!  And it also left a lot to be desired in what our tyres were rolling over, however there were huge areas of repair and renewal going on so at some stage in the future it will be a good road.

And today we only had one 'hare' raising experience - the poor creature shot out in front of us and didn't know which way to run  to get away from the huge white box that was rapidly baring down on it - but it didn't end up in our pot!!







We ended our day still on the E134 and just on the border of Hardangervidda National Park in a beautiful free spot by a lake and surrounded by more moraine.  Tomorrow we'll finish off the miles that we'd originally planned to do today but I doubt we'll get there in time to do our planned hike - that is now likely to have to wait till Monday!






Sunday 12th August 2018  🌞🌞🌞🌞
Mileage 115 from Wild Camp spot on E134 to Tau Marina
Parking Co-ordinates 59.06176, 5.91002

This morning as we left the Vest-Telemark area behind we plunged into another day  of many tunnels - we passed through 42 with a total distance of about 18 miles!!  And at the start of our journey when we weren't in tunnels the main arterial E134 either clung to steep mountain sides or dived through deep valleys that were partially filled with glacial lakes. The road isn't identified as a scenic route but this section was at least as good as some of those we've already travelled - so in our opinion it probably should have been.

Route E134 just after our wild camp site

A bit further along E134

However, today's itinerary did include part of a Scenic Route and that was the Ryfylke  - Route 13.  We joined it at Hara but it actually starts at quite a bit before that at Hordalia from where it runs 183 kms to Oanes, which is where we'll eventually leave it tomorrow.


To start with the road (and in other places along it's course) was another narrow one that had my adrenaline pumping as we twisted and turned around blind bends and climbed up and down steep slopes with rugged brutal, unyielding  rock faces on one side and low concrete or metal barriers on the other!  But in the beauty department today's journey presented loads of contrasts as we passed through more deep gorges and valleys, along with sheer mountains or lush green hillsides from where many mountain streams and waterfalls gushed into churning rivers where white water was more common than smooth. 

There were also lots of bigger bodies of water with either unpronounceable or unidentifiable names, but they were all very lovely - it was just a shame that for most of the time John daren't look!

At the small settlement of Nesvik we caught another ferry over the Boknafjorden to Hjelmelands and then continued along the Ryfylke to today's destination which was in a marina in the town of Tau - another lovely stopping place with the view below right from our door!

Monday 13th August 2018 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Mileage 28 from Tau Marina via Pulpit Rock Car Parking then on to a Resteplass in Oanes
+ about 10 👣👣miles
Parking Co-ordinates 58.91087, 6.07741

Well, it might have taken a couple more days than planned, but today we finally made it to Pulpit Rock - or to give it it's Norwegian  - Preikestolen.

Apparently it's one of the most visited natural attractions in Norway and  200,000 people make the trek each year, but when you consider it can only be done in the between April and October that's a lot of people each day!  And this was attested to when we arrived at 10.30ish, because the main car park was already full, we were required to park about a kilometre further down the hill in the over spill parking area - and for the pleasure of doing that we were charged 200 Nok (£19)!

So with picnic packed we set off on our 15 kilometre hike, which was mostly in an upwards direction,  with the trail taking us over rough rocky 'stairways'  and ledges and over lots of moraine.  The walk is classified as a Red one so we were fully expecting it to be quite tough, but it was made more so because of the huge numbers of people who where progressing either one way or the other, and there were also several very steep bottlenecks where some individuals were struggling while others were too impatient to wait.

However, having said that it was a fantastic walk and when we finally got to the top which lies 604 metres above Lysefjord the views were  amazing, and the only draw back there was the huge number of people who were occupying the 25 metre square plateau.  But we jostled and got our pictures and also took the time to admire the stunning views of Lysefjorden (which means light fjord) which is 26 miles long and derived it's name from the lightly coloured granite rocks along its sides.

Then, rather than eat with the masses we descended a short way and munched our sarnies with our legs dangling over the mountain side and still with views of Preikestolen, Lysefjord and also a long waterfall that was plunging down the cliff that was opposite to us.

We completed our walk is just under 5 hours, so for saying we're a bit out of practice with long hard hikes we thought we'd done quite well - but we were both knackered by the time we got home.  Therefore, I don't think we're going to bother with the other walk in this area that I'd read about.  It's called Florli 4,444 and that's because it 'runs' up what is supposed to be the longest wooden staircase in the World - a total of 4,444 steps that start at the edge of the fjord and climb up the mountain to an old power station house!  It almost killed me when we climbed up 418 steps to Mount Aksla so I think we'd be biting a bit more of than we can chew if we attempt  4,026 more 😧😧!

Our View on the way down.

Once we'd clambered our way back down we had much needed cuppa before setting of back to Tau to refuel with cheap diesel (13.49 Nok) (£1.26/litre) and restock our food cupboards before driving a few more miles to the ferry port at Oanes to catch what we think will be our last Norwegian ferry tomorrow.


Tuesday 14th August 2018  🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Mileage 60 from Oanes to a Resteplass on the E39 Bjerkreim
+ About 7 👣👣miles
Parking Co-ordinates 58.552, 6.066

This morning our first job was to hop on to what we hope will be our last Norwegian ferry and that was almost directly from our parking place at Oanes over to Lauvik.

Our overnight parking spot with our ferry in the distance.

And from there our first destination was for another hike up Dalesnuten which is a much less iconic place than Pulpit Rock but equally if not more beautiful, and much more enjoyable because it was 100% less populated.

Dalesnuten from a distance - it rises 324 metres above sea level

That was an easy bit!

The climb up was steep, rough and in places quite technical requiring the use of all 4 paws to either to 'hoik' myself up onto high shelves in the rock face or to stop myself from falling off altogether - as usual John just breezed up but he's got longer legs than me!  However, as long as I took my time, and with one or two pulls or shoves from John we both made it safely to the top where we were rewarded by 360 degree views over both Stavanger and Sandnes, as well as the mountainous area facing east.

View out over Stavanger

The mountains out to the East

At the top we had a very leisurely picnic lunch, and while we scoffed that we discussed how this place had provided some of the most scenic views in the whole of Norway - it would definitely be on our  recommendation list, and as it's off the tourist route it's somewhere that can be enjoyed along with much peace and tranquillity.

However, all good things come to an end so eventually we scrambled back down and then proceeded on to our next destination which was Rogaland Arboretum.  This particular Arboretum is Norway's largest and covers 175 acres with 15 km of walking paths amongst 1400 different varieties of trees and bushes. 

But after our long walks of the last 2 days there was no way we were ever going to explore it all - we just satisfied ourselves with an hour or so's  stroll while  concentrating on not getting lost in it's maze like interior.

Bye for now

Click here to see our Norwegian parking places

Our Scandinavian Tour - Day 95 - 98

Tuesday 7th August 2018  🌞🌞⛅⛅⛅🌞⛅⛅
Mileage 129 from Melkevoll Bretun Camp Site to a Resteplass called Dumdalen on Route 55
Parking Co-ordinates 61.627, 8.04826

This morning we left Melkevoll Bretun Camp site and headed back along the same road (route 724) we'd used to get there 4 days ago, and as we went we were keeping our fingers crossed that we wouldn't meet to much traffic coming the other way, because in places the road is very narrow indeed!

Ten Buses, Five Trains and 15 kilometres later we made it to the town of Olden and once there we realised that although the road had been congested it could have been much worse - there were 2 huge cruise ships in port and they were still disgorging hundreds of people who I'm sure would all have been on their way along Route 724 to see the Brikdals Glacier! We later learnt that each ship has about 3,000 guests so if we'd met them all that would have been an awful lot of buses!!!

From Olden we left Route 724 behind and continued along Route 60 and this took us through the town of Leon where they have recently installed a gondola cable car that takes 5 minutes to whisk you 1011 metres up a very steep mountain side to the top of Mt Hoven. But the price is equally steep and can be calculated as either £10 a minute or £50 for the whole trip, and that's each 😮! So we gave it a miss because our budget has already been stretched quite enough while we've been here in Norway!

Next came Stryn where we stopped to do a quick shop in Rema 1000, and it was here that I brought a very strange item indeed!! I'd ask you to guess but I don't think you'd get it in a million years! When I picked it up I thought it was just ordinary cheese but when we tasted it 😋😛😩 - it's a bit like goat's cheese flavoured with Caramac chocolate!!

Our journey continued with us still retracing out tracks back up the very beautiful but very twisting Route 15, and once we gained the summit we stopped for lunch in a Resteplass where we'd previously spent the night (5 nights ago), before carrying on further along the same road but now rolling over new territory. And as we passed through this mountainous region of Norway I was keeping a very sharp eye out in case I could catch a glimpse of a creature that has fascinated me for a very long time, and that is the TROLLS!

Trolls are usually big old ugly creatures with four fingers on each hand and 4 toes on each foot! They have shaggy hair, tails similar to a cow, and their most striking feature is their long noses which Troll wives often use to stir their cooking pots. However, it was very doubtful if my quest would be successful today because it's a well known fact that if Trolls get caught out in the sunshine they turn to stone! Therefore, I'm fairly sure I'll have to continue making do with the selection that is usually available in many of the shops - and when John's not watching I'll be nipping off to add to my 'ugly' ornament collection!

A view from somewhere along the road we travelled!

Eventually Route 15 gave way to Tourist Route 55 and after that we didn't go to much further before we settled in a little Resteplass in yet another high sided valley called Dumdalen - another free and peaceful place for us to spend the night!

Wednesday 8th August 2018  ☁☁☁⛆⛆⛆☂⛆⛆⛆
Mileage today 155 from Dumdalen on Route 55 to a Resteplass near Dale on the E16
+ 3ish Ferry Miles.
Parking Co-ordinates 60.62196, 5.87302

When we left last night's parking spot we continued to wind our way up the very steep barren slopes of Route 55 and here we found that very frequent stops were necessary to accommodate the oncoming traffic.

Snow poles also marked the path of the road and along the sides there were numerous cairns, masses of cascading waterfalls and lots of lakes, so rounding nearly every corner brought a new vista for us to feast our eyes upon!

We were also sharing the road with a fair few sheep who were totally oblivious to the oncoming traffic - so understandably - our progress was fairly slow.

Once again this whole area had been shaped by the effects of glaciation in the last ice age, and in many places snow still covered the mountain sides.

Additionally, for many miles it almost felt as if we were riding a roller coaster and my very skilled driver certainly needed every single trick he'd got in his arsenal to keep us safe as T4rdis2 clung right on the edge of some very precipitous drops while coaches, caravans and all manner of other motorised carriages squeezed by.



Our problems were also added too as we dropped down steep gradients on the other side of the pass by the rough wash-board surface of the road, soft verges and occasional awkward cambers on the many hair-pin bends.

Once out of the mountains our next target was the town of Sognadal but the driving challenges continued as we partially circumnavigated Sogna Fjord. Here the road was single track with passing places and unfortunately our wing mirror got clipped again by a moron who didn't like his right hand side of the road - but this time it was only low impact so no harm was done - other than to my ears by John's blue comments!

From Sognadal we nipped along the much better Sognefjordvegan to the town of Hella where we just missed our ferry over to Vangsnes, but in a way that was a good thing because while we waited for the next one we treated ourselves to a delicious chocolate and vanilla ice cream - I think it was the first we've had on this tour so we both really enjoyed our £4 each worth😋😋!

The ferry chucked us out onto Route 13 and initially we then followed the opposite side of the fjord, but eventually we left that behind and chugged up another high pass and down the other side to reach the E16, and at that point we started looking for somewhere to park for the night, especially as the rain was coming down in stair rods.

As usual John had identified a couple of places that he thought would be OK , but the first said 'NO CAMPING' so we dutifully continued on to the next, but when that one had the same message we decided to ignore it especially after nearly seven and a half hours no the road!

Guess who came first thing in the morning?  It was the dustbin man with his big crane lorry and he
needed to lift the inside of the dustbin out to empty it!
Needless to say we moved quite quickly 😂😂

Thursday 9th August 2018 ⛅⛅🌞⛅⛅⛅
Mileage 126 from a Resteplass near Dale on the E16 to a Wild camping spot high up on the Hardanger Plateau
Parking Co-ordinates 60.418, 7.705

Well, it has to be said that a good chunk of today's journey has been underground - I lost count of how many tunnels we've been through but it's more than 20, and miles covered inside them must have exceeded 35!!

The first part of our journey was along the very mountainous E16 but we hadn't gone far before we turned onto Route 7 which would quickly lead us to the very famous Hardanger Fjord. However, after our long trek yesterday without many stops (mostly because of the rain), we were determined to work plenty in today - the first of them being at a pretty waterfall!

Then our next stop was at another waterfall but this one was much more well known - The Steinsdalsfossen - where you can walk behind the fall and mostly not even get wet. Apparently it was created completely by accident at the end of the 17 century when the river flowed west of where the waterfall is today. In 1699 a farming area suffered great damage from flooding and this resulted in the old river course being closed off so that the water was forced over the cliff edge.


The waterfall became a tourist attraction in the 19th century, and at that time people would travel to it in Carioles (small horse drawn carriages), but today they come in large numbers mostly by motorised transport, however we were quite lucky because the coaches only arrived as we were leaving!

From there we passed through the village of Oystese and onto the Hardangerfjordvegen which runs alongside Hardanger Fjord and it's much like a shelf set on the steep mountainous valley sides, and it was also another road that we were a bit apprehensive about using after reading descriptions of it in other blogs.

But we needn't have worried because although it narrowed in places it mostly had a dividing line down it's middle and it was 100% better than some of yesterday's 'tracks'. As we followed it we did have a couple of squeezes with lorries and coaches but it was very much a pleasure to drive along and it presented lots of varied vistas as we went.

We continued along Route 7 until we came to the town of Granvin, and it was here that we turned onto Route 13 for out drive through the 7.5 kilometre Vallavik Tunnel that has a roundabout towards it's southern end.

Apparently it was originally opened in 1985, but in 2013 a 600 metre long branch was added to connect the tunnel to the newly constructed Hardanger Suspension Bridge, and this was when the eerie spaceship like roundabout was installed.

The tunnel exited us straight onto the 1,380 metre bridge and as we left that behind we plunged into another tunnel with another roundabout - they almost seemed surreal!

Now we were back on Route 7 and heading for our next destination which was the Voringsfossen fall but as we passed through the town of Eidfjord we spied two cruise ships parked up so we weren't particularly hopeful about being able to moor our big bus anywhere near the fall! But Hey Ho, we were going that way anyway we thought we'd still give it a go.

However, to get there we had to get by another huge mountain - but this time we didn't go over it - we climbed through it via 4 more long tunnels that spiralled their way up towards our destination! And when we got there, although it was busy, we parked easily and then took the short rocky walk to the view points. Once there we saw vast quantities of water plunge 182 metres from the Hardanger Plateau into the Mabodalen valley below.


And after that today's journey was nearly done as we proceeded along another excellent road up onto the Hardanger Plateau where we planned to find a home for the night! The road we were on - The Hardangervidda - crosses the biggest high mountain plateau in Northern Europe so we were quite excited about what might lie in wait for us up there, but I wasn't really expecting to find a Troll! The one on the right looks down on you from a lofty perch but I think he must have stayed out in the sun to long because he'd turned to stone, however I'm sure he waved at me as we shot by!

Further along we had lovely views of Hardangerjokalen glacier and we eventually found tonight's home in a wild spot with a fantastic vista overlooking Halnefjorden!

Saturday 10th August 2018  ⛆⛆☂☂⛆⛆☂☂⛅⛅⛅
Mileage 140 from Hardanger Plateau to a Parking area beside E134 near Notodden
Parking Co-ordinates 59.604, 9.41899

After a long night of heavy rain and a cold morning due to our altitude we were a bit reluctant to leave our warm cosy bed, but we eventually got going across more of the barren but beautiful plateau. The rain had left a dank misty almost eerie atmosphere, and in every direction that we looked water was cascading in either bubbling boiling streams or waterfalls. And really I suppose you'd almost think that on such a dreary morning there'd be nothing to see, but if anything I think the vistas were more magnificent because the shrouding clouds often shifted to reveal new views - and I think that even included another Troll!! He was probably keeping a watchful eye on us to ensure we were only visiting his territory and not settling in it.

We came down of the plateau into the town of Geilo and it was here that we changed our direction from North East to South as we continued back up over another pass on Route 40, but here the rain returned with a vengeance and almost everything was completely obliterated from view! So in the end, today was mostly about getting from A to B in our quest to get to the parts of Norway that we still want to investigate, and I think the only really interesting thing that cropped up on our journey was the Stave Church at Uvdal which dates back to the end of the 12th century.

After another couple of hours we arrived at today's destination which is another free spot near Notodden. However, it's not a place of any real interest, it's more just a resting place for us as we cross the country on our way to Pulpit Rock which is probably one of Norway's most famous sights - but the story for that will have to wait for next time.

Bye for now 😗😗

Click here to see our Norwegian Camping Spots

Where's Wally?😂😂