Chloë & Pete

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Troll hunting & wild camping en route to Bergen

In beautiful bright sunshine we wound our way back into the mountains, this time to go troll hunting on the Trollstigen (Troll’s Ladder) - an ancient pass steeply snaking its way around endless hairpins up the slopes of towering mountains.  As you might imagine, Pete had long been looking forward to making this ascent.  It was breathtaking.  So much so, that I hopped off the bike at the top and walked  to another special viewing platform with spectacular valley views, to watch Pete go down and come back up again, this time with a lighter load!

We dallied a while at the top of the Trollstigen, taking in this very special place which - if it weren’t for all the fellow tourists and souvenir shop - seemed like time forgot.  Then soon enough we noticed the sun was lowering in the sky and it really was time to get moving.  On our descent down through the valley on the other side, we enjoyed more beautiful, unspoilt views as far as the eye could see. Shortly before reaching the Geirangerfjord, we decided that the weather was finally good enough to camp in the wild.  Boy, did we find the perfect spot! We created a lovely little camp in a perfect dip beside the river, naturally sheltered by trees and small grassy banks either side of the tent. We built a fabulous fire and began to cook up a feast. As we were congratulating ourselves and celebrating our perfect piece of wild heaven, a little hatchback came along the road nearby and pulled up right beside our bike (already tucked up and packed away for the night).  Two VERY loud German teenage boys jumped out, grabbed their tent and bags and, of all the locations they could have chosen in a totally uninhabited landscape, proceeded to pitch up a few metres behind our camp! Sage words from Pete helped me to keep my cool and not let it ruin our evening, but SERIOUSLY!!!  I did go and ask them to keep their shouted conversation down at 7am, as we had hoped to get a lie in ahead of our long ride to Bergen.  Despite this little hiccup, this was a very special experience which we will remember for a long time.

After another delicious breakfast and gourmet coffee (all hail the Aeropress!) we were a little bit sad to dismantle our camp and move on. We knew rain was coming from the North, so we had to get moving.

Before long we were climbing again. Heavy clouds seemed to be closing in on us from every direction. We’d stop every now and then to take in the views of ever higher mountains, but they increasingly were hidden in thick, sweeping clouds.  Undeterred, we forged on.  This is where Pete really earned his super-hero status: manoeuvring a heavily laden R1200GSA, including girlfriend on the back, through narrow, steep and winding roads over a huge mountain range (this route is called the Sognefjellet, at 1,434m the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe) but with low visibility, in rain and icy wind - no easy feat but he handled it with the skill and dexterity of a pro :)

Eventually, we began to descend again, returning to the familiar landscape of the Sognefjord but this time the mountains and water around us would suddenly disappear in an instant, only to pop up again from behind fast moving clouds - a bit like the landscape was playing hide and seek with us. By the time we’d returned to sea level and reached the water’s edge the weather had cleared and we found the most beautiful spot to spend our final night on the road.  In a teeny little hut on the water’s edge, we dried off, feasted and fell into a cosy whiskey induced slumber :)

Breakfast (fjordside!) the next morning was perfect. We realised that not far across the water was a very special place we had unsuccessfully tried to visit days earlier, so we drove around the fjord to Urnes stave church, a stunning World Heritage site dating to around 1100 that was bank-rolled by a legendary Viking king.  When I went off to buy our tickets sister serendipity struck again: we happened to be visiting on the annual open day, no entrance fee! (Of all the many, fascinating historic buildings we had seen though, we reckon this one receives plenty of funding).

A beautiful, sunny drive and a few short ferry rides later we were on the main road to Bergen. Another stunning landscape, this time more lush and green.  Following a tip from a friendly local, we sought out Tre Brør cafe in Voss, a beautiful, cosy place in the centre of this ski town serving up really delicious coffee from a Bergen roastery.

When we arrived in Bergen it was strange to be back on roads with more than one lane. Although teeny in comparison to London, it was a slight shock to be woken from our wild landscape dream. we sought out an eatery that according to Pete’s research was the best, most reasonably priced local food - what a treat! Swedish meatballs and fish quenelles may not sound all that exciting, but they were truly delicious. An extremely pricey glass of wine later and we were plum tuckered, ready for bed. The next morning we ate breakfast at the Fish Market and enjoyed strolling around the ancient and fascinating Bryggen area.  

Before we knew it, the time had come for Pete to set off on the Ferry to Denmark via Stavanger and begin his long ride home to London. I had a lovely few final hours to browse around Bergen, then headed off to the airport. I arrived home that (Sunday) night and a tired and windswept Pete arrived home late the following Tuesday.

We weren’t there for long, and the weather was often far from perfect, but we had the most fantastic time! :)

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An island paradise

Next up, we headed northwest towards Ålesund. We previously decided to scrap our vague itinerary, and simply head wherever there was forecast to be less rain, which on this occasion meant North. We had a beautiful drive around the northern banks of Sognefjord, once getting caught out by too long a wait for a ferry and so deciding to go in another direction. Winding along good roads which were rarely more than single-laned, even the 'E' European highways, we spied the bright blue icey edges of the Jostalbreen - Europe's biggest glacier and the only one either of us had actually seen. We passed through ancient landscapes, spotting derelict summer dairy farms, essentially teeny huts at the foot of towering rockfaces that had clearly experienced many heavy landslides, where milk maids in clogs used to spend their summers. We passed an old dairy farming village now completely submerged and the road rerouted after a severe landslide many years ago: the landscape was at once beautiful and frightening. We arrived in the westernmost region of Norway's island coastline pretty late in the evening. Going on a tip from a local we had met at the Troll Rally, we drove all the way up to a teeny outer island called Runde, hopping from islet to islet over steep, narrow bridges and roads not much more than a causeway, and arrived during the most beautiful sunset - the sky was so massive and the red and pink colours so bright, neither of us have experienced skies like it before. As sunset this far north happens pretty late (around 9.15pm on this day), we were tired and the island was very windy indeed so being blustered about added to our fatigue. We stopped at the handful of campsites the area has to offer, but they were either not very appealing or only had huge cabins at high prices- not what we were after. We had already passed a beautiful visitor centre, timber clad in a minimalist design with big windows facing the ocean, but when we stopped there it was closed. There was a number to call, but no answer. So we headed further inland feeling drained and anxious to find a suitable place to rest our heads. Whilst driving, Pete received a phone call, so we pulled over. A luxury apartment with kitchen at the visitor centre would cost 1500 NOK, but Pete somehow found energy for a spot of negotiation and we settled on 1000 (about £75 - have I mentioned yet how fortunate we were with the exchange rate? It had gone to its lowest in years just days before our arrival!) Quickly getting over the creeping feeling we were cheating on our camping trip, we settled in very easily to our gorgeous apartment with stunning views. We feasted properly that night with delicious smoked herring, real fresh vegetables and various other treats. All that was missing was a glass of wine. We decided we would stay two nights and explore the region from there. We had hoped to do the Atlantic Road the next day, another tourist route which sweeps and curves over the ocean's edge, and explore the apparently pretty fishing towns of Molde and Kristiansund, but rain threatened so we instead drive to the Geirangerfjord for a boat trip along the water. Luckily, we only had a 15 minute wait, as we learned on arrival they only go every 3 hours at this time of year! After a beautiful but cloudy boat trip, we climbed around many steep hairpins into the mountains once again. We returned just in time to drive through sunset again: the lowest, brightest sun, the biggest skies, the most luminous rainbows, the most glowing villages and islands we have seen. Runde is a very special place. Pete pointed out it was a lot like the Outer Hebrides: its rock formations, its flora (heather and wild grasses everywhere) its fauna (we didn't spot any puffins but saw an eagle and read that thousands of pairs of different bird species nest on the mound behind our apartment) its wind and sploshing ocean waves all reminiscent of Scotland's remote islands. We then realised we were not much further north, in a similar latitude to the Faroe Islands. Begrudgingly but refreshed, the next day we left our underfloor heating and special surroundings behind to make the most of the remaining 72 hours of our adventure. On the road again.

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The mother of all fjords

After first learning about it in a lecture in Australia seven years ago, I’ve always wanted to see Borgund stave church with my own eyes. It was spectacular. We were both amazed by this ‘fairy tale witch’s house’ as Pete rightly dubbed it. We then drove on towards another site to tick of our list: the Sognefjord. More a network of gargantuan lakes and surrounding wooded mountains and green banks; beautiful Sognefjord could take weeks to explore properly. Still, we spent an enjoyable couple of nights camping on its slopes, driving over high snowy mountains, along steep, winding valleys, through tunnels dark and long enough to make you believe in trolls (including the world’s longest at 25km) and enjoying incredible views everywhere we went. We also met many kind and sharing locals, feasted on wild raspberries and goats cheese (not together!) and delighted in more viewing platforms and picnic stops - all fantastically designed. The pictures tell it better than our words ever could…

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Lunar Landscapes and some unexpected new friends

Next, we set off for a national tourist route through Rondane national park. The tourist routes were one of the main draws for us to visit Norway- smooth winding roads through beautiful landscapes but with a sprinkling of Norwegian architectural genius: each route has different bespoke viewing points, sculptures and rest stops designed by the nation's best architects in response to that place- so far they have all been fabulous and totally unique! Anyway, we snaked our way through the jaw droppingly huge and ancient Rondane landscape, admiring the little traditional pine cabins with grass and wildflowers on the roofs and headed for Hjerkinn, where a climb on foot (not easy when you're an unfit creature clad in stiff and heavy biking gear!) takes you to the Snohetta Reindeer Viewing Pavillion. This place was amazing but really sadly we have yet to see a reindeer. Our eyes remain peeled though! From here we snaked back through the Jotunheimen National Park- this is a proper snowy mountainscape, and we were right up in the clouds, wind and sometimes rain, winding along the Valdresflya at about 1400m at its highest. Needless to say this was beautiful but without sunshine we were pretty cold! A couple of nights later, back down in warmer climes, evening was setting in and we were looking for somewhere to pitch up for the night when we passed a campsite on one of the numerous picturesque lake edges which was absolutely heaving with motorbikes and ageing bikers in leathers. We had to turn around and go back to take a closer look. We were delighted to discover we had stumbled across an unofficial gathering of The Troll Rally- Norways first ever motorbike rally starting in 1965. We simply HAD to join in and stay here for the night. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming; we joined others in wondering around the site admiring all the Goldwings, old Harleys and most of all the massive range of BMWs new and old- lots of other R1200 GSs, as well as old tourers complete with side cars and trailers. We were surprised by the number of BMW logo caps and sweaters being sported by this bunch of jovial, bearded sea dogs! Wolfie (our bike) got his fair share of admiration also. We were the only Brits there. Many laughs, exchanges of email, Norwegian biking tips and a bottle of Aquavit later, we woke to a beautiful sunny island campsite surrounded by a small stoney beach and around that a perfect mirror image of the mountains beyond the serene lake. A paddle in its icey waters soon froze off the hangover and we were ready to decamp and get back on the road!

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Rainy Oslo, lunch with Jo, Hamar cathedral, our cosy cabin in the sunshine at Elstad camping, Ringebu.

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Driving Rain

Wow- it's been a rollercoaster of a few days! We arrived early in Oslo, and of course since we were the last on the ferry, we were pretty much the first off. The first thing we saw was the impressive white opera house set against a white, heavy sky. In light rain we set up camp and settled in. Then the heavy rain came. We were cosy in our tent though, under the tarp. But then the REALLY heavy rain came! The day pretty much passed by making modifications to our set up, to stop the standing water coming in through the bottom of the tent (!) and cooking meals on our cool new cook set, and all of a sudden it was time to head out to dinner. I met Oddbjørn when he came to give a lecture at the conference I organised through work; he's the Director of the Norwegian churches conservation body. He very kindly invited us to dinner and we had a lovely evening of food and conversation, picking up tips on top heritage destinations in Norway all in the dry warmth of Oddbjørn's beautiful home :) That night was dry and the next day we saw sunshine. We were met at the campsite by Jo and Berit Vestly: Jo has been a client of Pete's over 7 years and the two had formed a bond over email and phone conversations, but never met. What a delightful lunch it was! We went to a lovely spot high in the mountains over looking the city, fjord and islands of Oslo- stunning. We had delicious traditional fare (herring, gravlax, reindeer and blueberry pie) and great conversation. I think we were all a bit sad to be parting ways again a few hours later but with promises of seeing each other again, we did. After a few hours walking around Oslo we returned to camp for a night of the heaviest rain yet. We didn't sleep so well. We had intended to set off early the next morning but instead slowly ate breakfast and packed away in heavy rain under the tarp. Around midday we finally had a break in the rain and set off for Lillehammer. I personally have never ridden in so much rain- it hammered it down, the motorway was swimming in water and every time we overtook a larger vehicle (often) it was like going through a carwash! A few hours later we arrived in Hamar- a place I had wanted to visit since hearing Oddbjørn's lecture earlier that year. The rain had died down but needless to say we were soaked through. My clothes in particular were water logged. But we enjoyed seeing the giant glass construction which housed a ruined cathedral right on the water's edge and which doubles as a concert venue, and having a bite to eat. We decided that we would stay in a cabin - rather than camp- that night. Back on the bike, we pushed on through Lillehammer, past giant green ski jumps and along a beautiful, moody-looking fjord, and finally stopped in Ringebu. We had not covered nearly as much ground as we had intended, but the evening sunshine on the water's edge and our little heated log cabin was heaven :)

[chloecmeredith]

Pete hanging out with his cuz in Hamburg :)