Norway for the duration of our tour season, is the 'Land of the Midnight Sun,' with very long summer days.
You will probably not even notice the night as such, just a certain dimness which will have nothing to do with any drinks that you may have had!
What people really come to the land of Trolls to see is a series of ruggedly beautiful panoramas full of glaciated mountains, fjords and small attractive settlements. In Norway you can undertake some great wilderness hiking and travel on some of the world's most scenic ferry and train rides.
You will also find unspoiled fishing villages with their gothic styled mediaeval stave churches. There are rolling farmlands, enchanted forests and the dramatic Western Fjords, of which Sognefjord - visited on our tour - is the longest and deepest. With only 4.5 million people in a country that is 385,155 sq km; places will never feel particularly crowded although such scenic areas are popular with tourists. The country, still a Constitutional monarchy, fiercely guards its traditions.
Discover the natural wonders of the Fjord, fell and moorlands of Western Norway the walking way! This is a multifaceted trip, a heady mixture of highland walks, with different levels of difficulty, through the magnificent landscapes carved by ice. You will visit beautiful Sognefjord and go right up to the edges of the retreated glaciers that created this rich scenery so long ago. Then there are the lusher, pastoral settings of the Flam and Aurland valley: forests, dreamy waterfalls and traditional churches. You leave the area on the steepest standard gauge railway in the world with some of the most spectacular scenery that you could wish for.
On reaching Oslo, the Norwegian Capital, you take the train up to Geilo at the foot of the Hardangervidda Plateau. From here a choice of routes either take you high into the Hallingskarvet Mountains for a mountain hike boasting rarefied panoramas or more gentle walking around the local lakes. The following morning you take the train to the little mountain hamlet of Finse.
With peaks and glaciers all around, you can see why Captain Scott decided to do his Antarctic training here! From your hotel you can climb high to the spectacular viewpoint of Sankt Pal or you can wander onto the mountainsides under the Hardanger Glacier. Alternatively from this accommodation (for a local payment) you can, in reasonable weather, decide to don crampons and head up onto the blue ice of the glacier on an excursion led by a local guide.
Continuing by train to Myrdal, we then walk down towards Sognefjord via the green Flam valley accompanied by the sounds of the waters cascading down dozens of waterfalls from the valleysides to the sea. After a night here a ferry is taken to Aurland, and you could continue to do a half day mini Norwegian cruise!
Time in Aurland and Flam is spent by the fantastic Sognesfjord, which carves its way an impressive 204 km from the coast - the longest fjord in the world - and at 1300m depth, it is also claimed to be the deepest and narrowest. Depending upon the weather there are a mixture of walks you can do from here, one of the best is to take a local bus to Ovstebo and to follow the valley tracks through the Mountain Ash, valley cascades and farms to Vassbygdi, returning in the evening to Aurland by local bus.
Inn to Inn 8 days
Duration: 7 nights/8 days Tour Code: JNO Grade: Moderate - Challenging (long day options and snow at altitude). Day Stages: Minimum 10km, max 20km. (4 - 8 hours walking)
Accommodation
7 nights/8 days - Our first hotel for two nights is in Geilo, located on the Hardanger - Vidda mountain plateau and boasts a small indoor swimming pool, a sauna, tennis court and bar; as well as modernised rooms that nevertheless retain that historical touch. The following two nights are spent in a splendid ‘mountain cabin' in Finse. It was built for the opening of the Bergen line in 1909 as a shelter for snowbound trains and their passengers and was later rebuilt into a multi star hotel. It is a place out of the ordinary with an outstanding location in a true wilderness situation. It has a first rate kitchen, a pub which is inspired by the railway history and again an historical atmosphere. To sort out any walking aches, there is a sauna, ice baths and a Turkish steam bath. In Flam for one night we are right by the waters of the Sognefjord in a more basic, but cosy pension. There is a panoramic view over the fjord on which, on those long summer evenings you could even rent a canoe. The final two nights are spent in beautiful Aurland, once again overlooking the fjord. Our hotel here boasts excellent rooms and memorable meals.
Note: The hamlet of Finse is in a beautiful location and there are no roads in or out. You have to use the trains between Oslo, Geilo and Finse, and Finse to Flam. On these movements between hotels you have to take your luggage with you, but there is little walking distance involved. (Trains not included in cost).
Waymarking The areas are generally well waymarked. The walking terrain has numerous trails, cairns and paint marks provided by the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT).
Accommodation and Meals 6 nights half board accommodation - dinner, bed and breakfast each night in 3 pleasant hotels & 1 night B&B in a more basic pension. Packed lunch items can be obtained from all the hotels. Two picnic lunches are included. The hotel will explain that you make this up from the buffet breakfast.
Start and End of Tour To reach the first hotel at Geilo take a train from Oslo (approx 3 trains a day, takes 3.5 hours). Return to airport early morning bus or taxi from Aurland to Flam taking 15 mins, then an hour on the scenic train from Flam on Sognefjord to Myrdal and onwards arriving mid afternoon in Oslo (not included).
We would recommend customers have an extra night in Oslo as there is a lot to see.
