It was nice to leave Bergen. Not that the place didn’t have any appeal, it was more the anticipation of seeing more Norwegian wilderness, and perhaps more to the point, this leg of the trip involved a drive. There’s nothing quite like the freedom of the open road. We picked up our car, a Skoda, from Hertz in downtown Bergen, and after negotiating the E39 on-ramp we headed northward to Oppedal. The wrong turn here, would have seen us heading south to Stavanger instead. A bit of a tough decision, as recent sibling visits to Stavanger and to its Preikestolen (Pulpit rock) sounded awesome, but we opted for the north for the promise of glaciers and ice. Well, the Jostedalsbreen ice cap to be precise. Jostedalsbreen, is mainland Europe’s largest ice cap* and its many glacial arms were high on our list to experience.

* The title of Europe’s largest ice cap goes to the Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland, as my sister Bernadette informed who happened to go hiking on it a couple of months ago.

Oppedal is around an 80km run from Bergen. It’s an extremely pleasant drive, the E39 snakes its way past lakes and pine forests, negotiating several tunnels before arriving at this small town of Oppedal, which in reality is a mere drive through for the car traffic, boarding the ferry, to overcome the breadth of Sognefjorden. The timing of our arrival in Oppedal was impeccable. The car ferry had just started to board as we pulled into the feeder lane. Within minutes we were boarded, and having a look up on deck. It was a very short passage. I was thinking that it would be an hour, but it was no more than 20 minutes to Lavik. No sooner were we admiring Sognefjorden in the morning sun (yes sun, a nice change from rainy Bergen) before we were descending into the bowels of the ferry back to the car.

From Lavik, we continued northwards, making our way through the lumber town of Forde. We stopped here for a coffee, forgetting the ubiquitous jug of instant espresso that would be waiting for us. We had a hot chocolate instead and continued the plod northwards. Our plan was to make it to Olden by mid afternoon, and specifically head straight for the Briksdalsbreen glacier. From Forde we followed the E39 further to Skei, which is a Jostedalsbreen junction. From here the E39 meanders north towards Olden and Nordfjord, and to the south east, the road heads toward Sogndal. We kept heading north, and finally gained sight of Nordfjord just shy of Utvik. The weather had been a patchwork of rain and fleeting sun for most of the afternoon, and the following sight greeted us as we stopped for our first gawp at Nordfjord.

Showers over Nordfjord, Utvik 

From here the road caressed the southern side of the fjord, heading east towards Olden. We made it to Olden just before 3pm, and immediately headed inland down a 25km winding narrow road towards Briksdalsbreen glacier. Despite the fact that the road was indeed narrow, barely a car passed us, so it was a very pleasant drive taking in the blue-green of glacial lakes on our left and the verdant green of pine clad hills to our right. What I thought was Briksdalsbreen glacier appeared ahead of us, a white-grey tongue of ice descending from a layer of cloud and scything two mountainous spurs. But, on arrival at the Information Office, we learned that this was the Melkevoll glacier and that Briksdalsbreen was a 40 minute hike into another valley. This was interesting, given our arrival at the office was met with a downpour.

Despite the rain, we enquired of the information office of any glacier tours, and the friendly Norwegian informed that the glacier safaris had finished for the day. Glacier Safaris? Apparently, this involved jumping in a rubber dinghy, navigating through mini ice-bergs, and getting up close and personal to the terminal face of Briksdalsbreen. It sounded cool, but we weren’t sure whether we’d come back this way the following day, so we decided to brave the rain and make for Briksdalsbreen on foot. The rain could not dampen the beauty of this place, and the walk, a steady winding ascent, took us past yet another rabid waterfall. The hike demanded walking across a footbridge in the foaming wake of the thundering water. What was extra spectacular was that in the distance, leering over the waterfall, was the nieve of Briksdalsbreen glacier – as if to say, this water is my doing.

Glacial Torrent, Briksdalsbreen

We braved the rain further, and I only managed to get relief from it, when just before the viewing point of the glacier, a couple of boulders gave us shelter. I should say we were wearing wind and rain proof jackets, but an umbrella would have been prudent given shielding my SLR from the wet was becoming increasingly challenging, when it was also slippery under foot. We waited beneath the cover of this moraine, until the rain did eventually subside and allowed us to get a proper look at what we had come to see. A glacier is always an impressive sight, and while Briksdalsbreen is dwarfed by other glaciers we had experienced in Argentina and Chile on previous trips, it was no less fascinating. What was a little comical though, was the small lagoon at the bottom of the glacier, and the stacked rubber dinghies on the shore line. Glacial Safari indeed! I waited for a polar bear to erupt from the lagoon, but it didn’t. While touching the terminal face was certainly easier by boat, the price tag and the exaggerated moniker of this little excursion was a bit rich – even by Norwegian standards.

 Briksdalsbreen Glacier

In actual fact we did manage to see some glacial wildlife. The chunks of ice floating in the lagoon attracted a flutter of small birds. So I was actually quite fascinated watching them dart across the ice for a good while, with camera poised of course. It wasn’t long though before the rain reprieve ended and we made our way back to the shelter of the moraine, before descending the route we came back to the car park.

Ice Bird

An hour’s drive later we arrived in Stryn. We stayed at the Stryn Vandrerhjem Hostel, and immediately sought advice from the hostel reception on what our glacial itinerary should look like. I had aspirations of visiting Nigardsbreen, a highly regarded glacier, but on the other side of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap. Much to my consternation, I discovered I had misread the map, and what I took for a national park ring road around the ice cap, was in fact a mere national park boundary. So getting to Nigardsbreen from Stryn, would have required a 4 hour back track via Sogndal, or at best a 3 hour run via Lom. This didn’t fit our overall plans, so in the end the friendly chap in the hostel suggested we visit Bødalsbreen glacier instead. Bødalsbreen a less visited glacier, allegedly very spectacular, quite accessible, but it involved more of a hike to get to it. So that was our objective for the following morning. We also decided that we would head up to Geiranger fjord in the afternoon time permitting.

Bødalsbreen glacier is around a 30km drive from the small town of Loen. It’s akin to the Olden to Briksdalsbreen drive, in the same narrow, winding roads, but this was even less travelled. We set out quite early in the morning for the glacier and did not pass one car, despite there being some camping sites and a few farm houses on route. Eventually, we came to the sign for the glacier, and this point us in the direction of a winding 5km goat-track to the car park. The scenery was very picturesque on route, and perhaps it was more pleasant because it was for the most part sunny. We made it to the car park to be greeted by an empty jeep, we parked up and set out for our hike.

What immediately struck was that we were entering a curving valley, and the Jostedalsbreen ice cap was revealing itself in at least 3 visible glacier tongues that were lolling over the mountain line. Shortly into the hike we came across an abandoned farm, the village of Bødalseter. It was an inspiring scene: turfed roofs of brightly coloured cabins, lush green foothills, and all overlooked by waterfall scoured cliffs and the striking blue of a glacier.

Colourful Bødalseter 

The hike hugged a bubbling creek for a while, and then took us gradually around the spur of a mountain to reveal Bødalsbreen glacier. What become apparent immediately was that this was certainly more spectacular than Briksdalsbreen. The volume of ice descending into the valley was greater and even from the distance we were, we could see that the terminal face was achievable on foot. As we drew closer, over a a seemingly interminable obstacle course of moraine detritus the excitement was palpable. Perhaps more so, because we were the only ones there. Not sure what happened to the occupant of that jeep in the car-park; perhaps he’d fallen down a crevasse; but we had this glacier all to ourselves. Sunlight hitting an ice-mass like this, reveals a truly incredible landscape, as the photo shows below.

Bødalsbreen Terminal Face

While the glacier itself was simply stunning, looking back at the unfolding vista of Bødalsbreen valley was pure serenity. It is too difficult to do it justice with words, which is why the photo below says it all. This is certainly one of my favourite photos of our entire Norway trip.

Magical Bødalsbreen Valley

Our solitude was short-lived, after 15 minutes, some other hikers joined us. I took a few up close and personal shots of the ice. By climbing a little higher, scrambling over some of the moraine to the right of the face, I was able to get in behind the glacier and see the amazing depth of blue in the ice. I was actually leaning against the glacier to take the photo below. I like this shot  too, as you can see the other glacier arm peaking through the mountain saddle in the upper left of the shot. It gives a real sense that you are surrounded by ice.

Surrounded by Ice, Bødalsbreen Glacier

It was with huge reluctance that we left this valley. This glacier visit was not planned, but I’m extremely thankful that we did.  But, alas our itinerary called. Upon leaving the valley, I took this shot of a lone hiker taking it all in (reckon it was the owner of the jeep). This will help give you a sense of scale.

Lone Hiker, Bødalsbreen Valley

After a quick lunch in Stryn, we made our way towards Geiranger Fjord (Geirangerfjorden). This was about a 2 hour drive of pure grandeur. Yet more glacial lakes and mountains. The initial drive though was spent negotiating some exceptionally long tunnels, which were an absolute mind-boggling feat of engineering. I’m uncertain of the actual length of these tunnels, but there were 2 exceptionally long ones, which were somewhere between 7 and 8 km. Going from expansive vistas to being enclosed in the belly of a mountain was a shock for the senses, and did deliver a claustrophobic shiver. Once the tunnels were negotiated we took a left turn off the road to Lom and made our way up the incredible look out, dubbed Dalsnibba. The photo below reveals how high we were, the winding pass, and the inviting blue of Geirangerfjorden in the distance.

The Road to Geiranger, Dalsnibba Lookout

We made it to Geiranger at around 6pm, thinking that we would be turning around at this point, because we would be too late for a fjord cruise. We were wrong. A car ferry was waiting for us, and this particular ferry was also of the tourist variety. Once again, our timing was astounding. So it meant we could see the fjord and take our car with us, alighting at the port of Hellesylt. On inspection of the map, this would allow us to do a circuit back to Stryn, so we would not be going out of our way. A little fortuitous, but the fjord cruise on Geiranger capped off a spectacular day. Geirangerfjorden is known for its waterfalls, notably the 7 Sisters and the Suitor (or wooer as the ferry’s captain coined). The 7 Sisters weren’t in spectacular form. Given it was overcast then perhaps less snow was melting on the peaks to feed a substantial flow. Nonetheless, the Suitor was impressive.

The Suitor, Geirangerfjorden

The cruise of Geirangerfjorden lasted an hour, and so we drove out into Hellesylt and made our way back to Stryn, a mere 90 minute journey. This was in time to show up at a great fish restaurant – seemingly the only decent place to eat in Stryn given the mediocre alternatives of the Stryn Hotel and the high street pizzeria.

The following morning we left Stryn, and made our way towards Lom on the outskirts of Jotunheimen National Park. Jotunheimen is home to Norway’s highest peaks, and notably Galdhøpiggen is the loftiest at 2,495 metres in altitude. We took a slightly different route from the previous days tunnelling expedition, and instead veered off at Videseter, and took the fog route over the Strynefjellet pass. It was a much slower journey than the tunnel option. Winding passes, spliced with more waterfalls, with fog stifling much of what would have been an incredible view of Stryn and Nordfjord behind us. At one point, I decided to stop the car for a photo moment. I clambered over some mossy rocks to gain a better view of the arch of a stone bridge, only to discover that it was really far too slippery to be negotiating this kind of terrain in trainers. A couple of slips, an arse thud, and a foot submerged in icy water saw me precariously head back to the car, ego dented, and no photograph taken. Margaret was amused. Thankfully I had a change of shoes.

After 2 hours we did make it to the picturesque town of Lom, which is a bit of a hub for walkers, kayakers, skiers, and probably moose shooters as well. We increasingly came across reindeer and moose road signs, warning us of an impending encounter. A local informed that it was also moose hunting season, and you would need a “Veapon” to stop one. But, the only beast to reveal itself was an errant red fox that scarpered across the road, 20 metres or so in front of the car. We stopped in Lom for a break and paid a visit to the thousand year old stave church there. Quite an impressive structure and it certainly had a Viking feel about it. I liked the colours of the wood, and took this shot below of its facade.

Stave Church, Lom

After stocking up on food from a Lom bakery, we made our way south on the Sogndal road, with a view to make our way up to Galdhøpiggen, well as far as we could get really. Sure enough, we had to negotiate yet another fog enveloped winding pass, although, this one was especially steep. It is always a little disconcerting when driving on fenceless hair-pin bends with visibility of no more than 10 metres in front of you. But we did make it to the top, well as far as you could go in a car anyway. Getting to the summit of Galdhøpiggen demands a 7 hour hike. As it turned out, the road stopped at a ski station, and much to our delight, one that was in full operation. We didn’t have any skiing gear with us, so we were content enough watching, particularly a number of youngsters who were gunning the slopes without any fear whatsoever. The ski slope itself was intriguing. A flimsy fence appeared to be the only barrier to a skier careering down a white slope into a blue glacial lake.

Ice-scape, Galdhøpiggen  

After spending an hour at the ski station, we descended the slopes of Galdhøpiggen to the vision of the fog lifting and the sun hitting the hills and mountains that  form the boundary of Jotunheimen national park.

 Descending Galdhøpiggen

That by and large concluded our Norway trip. After Galdhøpiggen we returned to Lom and made our way to the nondescript town of Vinstra. This was an overnight stop, to put us within striking distance of Oslo for the following day. A 3.5 hour drive south of Vinstra, took us through Lillehammer (home of the 1994 Winter Olympics) and then onto Oslo’s Gardermoen airport. For more photos of Norwegian Glaciers then click here.

All in all a great trip. If anything this has me pining for more challenging trips and even more striking scenery. I’m thinking Iceland, I’m thinking Greenland, and I’m thinking the ice-frontier of Svalbard. But, all in good time.

Just back from 9 days experiencing the stunning beauty of fjord Norway. I will write up the blog in earnest during the week, but I simply had to post this picture below of Margaret and I, in front of Brekkefossen (fossen is Norwegian for waterfall, and they are in abundance in Norway). Brekkefossen is about a 3km hike from Flam, a small tourist hub at the base of Aurlandfjorden. I took this photo using a tripod and a telephoto 70-300mm lens. I was experimenting with different shutter speeds to get that classic ghostly waterfall shot, and it was a success in this photo. Of course, what the photo doesn’t tell, is that I had it on the timer, and it took a number of falls and clashes of my shins against stones, in a mad 10 metre dash to join Margaret behind the log in time, and arrive with a grin on my face. The bruises were worth it. Anyway, will blog later in the week, I have 642 Norwegian photos to trawl through in the meantime.

Beautiful Brekkefossen, Flam, Norway