Road Trip on the Wild Roads of Norway – Part 2

Another Day, Another Beautiful Fjord

After a good rest up at Hildal, we awoke to discover it had rained heavily in the night. The first sign of this was that the waterfall on the mountain opposite our hut had swelled to almost twice its size and so had the noise of it too. It was still warm however and we set off for our next goal, which was Vikoy, around 90 miles (144 km) away. The road we travelled on mostly ran alongside several fjords, and the scenery was like something out of a dramatic film. Traffic was nerve-wrecking and harrowing, as the volume increased to around a massive 30 cars per hour at its peak. Still, we bravely pressed on, knowing this nightmarish scenario would eventually end and it would be back to the usual 10 cars per day seen.

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We arrived at Brimnes, a ferry crossing point to Bruravik on the other side of the Eid fjord. The ferries are heavily subsidised by the Norwegian government and they run 24 hours a day, every half hour. They cost around 100 Kroner (about £10), and are reliable, efficient, well maintained and clean. After that we set back off on the road, but rather than drive the more direct route, which was through a 7.5 mile (12 km) long tunnel, we took the (much) more scenic road to Ulvik, where we then drove into the mountains and eventually dropped back down to meet the tunnel on the other side.

Not long after that, we stopped for a coffee. There seem to be plenty of welcoming family run cafes that have great drinks and home made cakes in Norway, and it’s always a relief to find one, as it takes a long time to get anywhere, with the narrow and winding roads where average speeds tend to be very low. The exception to the rule are a few mad Norwegian drivers that you occasionally come across, driving like they have lemming-like tendencies and want to plunge themselves and you into the nearest fjord.

After 8 hours travelling, Vikoy hove into view. We managed to book ourselves into a large chalet, which was more expensive than usual (around £60) but it was the only option for us as we were tired and just wanted to get settled down. It was a nice comfortable place, set high up in a forest on a hill side where a couple of black horses were roaming around.

The next morning, we woke early to plan our route for the day. This one looked like it was going to be a truly epic and hugely tiring days drive. And so it proved to be!

It was raining heavily as we set off, the first proper rain we’d had since we’d arrived really. We drove 15 minutes to the ferry crossing point at Torvikbygd, and crossed to Jondal. From there we set off to drive up to the Folge glacier, where there was a ski and snowboarding centre. The road to get there was extremely narrow and steep, with sheer drops on one side that, should we have gone off, would have had us disappear into deep, ice covered water in seconds. The Mitsubishi had a real workout on this road, which was far from the excellent standard we had become used to. It was a mixture of broken tarmac and gravel and we climbed over 1350 metres in under 20 minutes up to the base of the glacier.

When we got there the rain and wind had intensified, and was now howling and beating down on our Pajero. Having been there and done that one for the record, we beat a hasty retreat back down to the fjord, and thus began what seemed to be like an unending journey of 170 miles (275 km) of twisting, torturous roads. The drive was dramatic and spectacular, but way too long and tiring to really enjoy it.

An unusual highlight of that day was passing through a small town or village named Sauda, where the local hydro-electric system provided the place with heated roads and pavements, thus keeping the snow and ice off them in the wintertime. The nasty weather really took it out of us that day and we were glad to reach our next stop-over at the easily pronounced Skjoldastraumen. The accommodation we found was situated right on the Skjolda fijord, and was a nice, airy place with a full kitchen and a T.V-just what we needed to relax!

After a very lazy start, which we needed to recharge our energy levels, we set off in heavy rain to travel to our next point in the journey, which was an island named Vestre Bokn. The journey was only 30 miles (48 km) away, and was uneventful, along flat roads. We discussed the fact that the scenery was a bit dull, but only because for the last few days, we had been spoiled with some of the most spectacular views we had ever seen. The views around us were very like Devon (in England). Soft rolling countryside, marked with inlets, coves and bridges connected small islands together.

We stayed in a wood cabin on a farm, where they didn’t seem to grow anything, have any animals, or even proper farmers clothing (I never saw an item of John Deere clothing anywhere. That farmer needs to have a word, he’s a let down to farmers in general). What they did have were bees and Dad foolishly bought some of the worlds most expensive honey, after which the farmer sold up and moved to the Caribbean on the proceeds, never to be seen again.

The following morning Dad had a severe hangover from lack of money, and we had to work our passage on the ferry by being supplied with a 1 inch paintbrush and some modelling paint, where we had 35 minutes to paint it from stem to stern. Having completed this mad task (I blamed the flipping convincing honey farmer), we were allowed to disembark at Mortavika.

After this we drove to Stavanger, our original port of entry to Norway. To get to Stavanger though, we drove through a 10 mile (16 km), tunnel which connected the islands to the mainland and went through mountains and under the sea at some points.

We then drove through Stavanger to our final accommodation in Haland. It was the most luxurious place we’d been in yet, and was very large, with a huge kitchen and bathroom. The entire building was made of wood and the walls and ceilings were bare and unpainted, showing the natural beams and slats.
It was a great end to a really amazing road trip, and one that won’t be forgotten. If you ever get chance to do it, take the opportunity and go for it, no matter where you travel, it’s one of the most exciting and fun adventures you will ever have!

All photos taken with a Canon Ixus

Thanks to the Pajero Owners Club UK for the inspiration.