A lover of chilly, wild, mountainous locations, Lonely Planet author Kerry Walker headed to Norway’s southern fjords to search out the true that means of “friluftsliv” (out of doors residing). Right here she shares a snapshot of her adventures.
Ever since I first set foot in Norway a decade in the past, I’ve dreamed of visiting the fjords correct. Summer time’s crowds and cruise boats wouldn’t be for me, so as an alternative, I made a decision to piece collectively my very own itinerary from Stavanger to Bergen in late spring. And I discovered a area of uncommon magnificence, with thundering rivers, flint-blue fjords and glacier-encrusted peaks – all ripe for journey.
Rock up in Could or early June, and you will have a lot of the area to your self. The fjords are at their photogenic finest presently of 12 months, with the panorama bursting into blossom, waterfalls raging away because the ice melts, snow nonetheless on the summits and lightweight nights permitting you to eke out each treasured second.
Immerse your self in the very best experiences the world has to supply with our e mail publication delivered weekly into your inbox.
Kerry’s cottage lodging often known as Haukali33/3 – proprietor Reidunn is pictured with a standard Norwegian lunch © Kerry Walker
The place did you keep? What was the vibe?
I stayed in 4 completely different locations. All back-to-nature escapes with unimaginable views. Haukali33/3 has a relaxed simplicity that recollects a bygone period. I spent a cheerful off-grid night time in a turf-roofed husmannshus (cottage). Proprietor Reidunn has transformed her grandfather’s farm right into a silent lakeside hideaway. Right here you possibly can swim, hike, mountain gaze and fish for trout within the household rowboat. By night time you are rocked to sleep by the sound of a thousand sheep bells. It is superb.
I used to be additionally fortunate sufficient to remain in one of many slick new, architect-designed Star Lodges at The Bolder, clinging to the cliffs above Lysefjord. Hidden above a fairy-tale forest, with a front-row view of Ryfylke fjords, Tveita Journey was fairly magical, too. And I am going to always remember the night time I spent 10m up in a pine tree above the city of Odda on the Sørfjorden at Woodnest – the treehouse of childhood goals.
Sushi at Michelin-starred Sabi Omaske in Stavanger © Kerry Walker
Most memorable meal?
Sushi at Michelin-starred Sabi Omakase in Stavanger, the place chef Roger Joya places Nordic riffs on among the most beautiful seafood you will ever eat. The seductively lit restaurant is tiny, with house for simply 10 fortunate visitors. Within the open kitchen, cooks put together every bite-sized course with meticulous care. Langoustines and oysters, reindeer sashimi, salmon stomach nigiri with wild garlic – it is all totally scrumptious.
The place did you get away from the crowds?
The Folgefonna glacier in Folgefonna Nationwide Park, a mountain-rimmed, ice-capped, lushly wooded wilderness straight out of a Tolkien fantasy. As Could remains to be early season, I had the path largely to myself on an unforgettable half-day hike up via the Buer valley, crossing fern-flecked forests, streams, roped boulders and snow to viewpoints with dress-circle views of the glacier above the valley beneath.
Clockwise from L-R The tiny hamlet of Botnen; Kerry’s RIB journey will get up-close to the waterfalls of Hardangerfjord; a Hardangerfjord waterfall in full view © Kerry Walker
Your most epic journey?
A RIB journey (boat tour) on Hardangerfjord. The second-largest fjord in Norway blew me away with its off-the-charts magnificence. I took a RIB journey with Hardangerfjord Journey in Øystese to really feel the total pressure of nature. In Could, the waterfalls had been at their crash-bang finest, nosediving over sheer cliffs into startlingly turquoise waters. Our oohs and aahs echoed off 800m-high rock partitions as we blasted throughout the fjord, getting near misty, rainbow-laced falls and passing tiny, forgotten hamlets like Botnen (house to only one sheep farmer) and the islet of Kvamsøy (one girl and 30 goats).
For a buzz, nothing beats slipping on a dry go well with and snorkel and tossing your self into the fast-flowing, glass-clear, salmon-rich Suldalslågen river at Mo Laksegard, additional south in Sand. It was too early within the season to identify salmon, however the sensation of floating like a fish at what felt like 100 miles an hour within the freezing river was fairly one thing.
Avenue artwork in Stavanger © Kerry Walker
Your prime cultural advice?
Dangle round Stavanger. Linger for a day or two right here and you will find an upbeat, cultured metropolis, with eye-catching road artwork, Antony Gormley sculptures, a taking place harbor and an alley-woven, timber-framed previous city (Gamle Stavanger).
What to deliver again?
Eplesider (apple cider). In Could, the panorama was puffed white with blossoming apple bushes. These produce unimaginable ciders, corresponding to these from the orchard-lined shores of Hardangerfjord. However my favourite was Apal Sideri in Hjelmaland, overlooking Jøsenfjorden, the place Dan Olav Sæbø has revolutionized the native cider scene since scooping gold on the Frankfurt World Cider Awards in 2020. Strive crisp, glowing Sølvsider, rosé cider with successful of raspberry, or intensely appley Issider (ice cider) within the tasting room before you purchase.
Kerry’s dressed for the weather whereas climbing the Folgefonna © Kerry Walker
What to pack?
Sensible gear designed for the worst the climate gods can throw at you. Norwegians wholly embrace friluftsliv (out of doors residing) and you are going to be spending loads of time in nature. An honest pair of mountain climbing boots – just like the leather-based Scarpa ones I wore to climb as much as the Folgefonna glacier – is a should. Additionally, deliver trekking trousers, base layers, a wind- and waterproof jacket (sure, even in summer season….), and a backpack to chuck all of it in. Fjällräven is a good high quality Scandi model.
