Greetings from Stavanger on Norway’s west coast. We can’t tell you a great deal about it as we’ve only just got here, but we wanted to share some photos with you from the last couple of days.
From Oslo we headed first to the wooden stave church at Heddal. Although this is the biggest of Norway’s 28 stave churches, it’s still very cute and not as big as you might imagine.
Driving north we then reached the town of Rjukan. We came here specifically to climb Gausta, a peak sold to us in our guidebook as one of the best in this part of the country. It certainly didn’t disappoint!
You can apparently see one sixth of Norway from the top of Gausta on a clear day. We didn’t hold out much hope of seeing anything at all when we first set out as the top was completely hidden by low cloud.
After stopping for lunch near the summit, the cloud suddenly lifted and we were greeted by the most amazing views.
To reach the true summit (which isn't where the antenna is on the photos) you have to clamber along a rocky ridge with steep drops on either side. Friends, family and regular readers may already know that Alex suffers from somewhat severe vertigo, so it made for an interesting hour!
We managed quite well to start with, lifting the dog over some of the more precarious bolders, and trying hard not to look down! But in the end it got just a bit too hairy for us and we decided to turn back about 100 metres from the top. Nevertheless, it was a great walk and one we won’t forget in a hurry!
The 3 hour drive south towards Jorpeland took us through some breathtaking scenery. It would be a major tourist draw in any other country, but it's par for the course in Norway.
Later that day we set out on the two hour walk up to one of Norway’s most photographed sights; Pulpit Rock. This square lump of rock protrudes from the side of a mountain. It has a flat top, but on three sides there’s nothing but a 604 metre drop straight down to the waters of Lysefjord.
Alex nearly had a heart attack watching people sit with their legs dangling over the edge. David peering over the edge didn’t help matters either (sorry Linda – there was no stopping him!)
Again, the views from the top are stunning and if you ever get the chance to visit, it’s worth going in the late afternoon when most of the hoards have gone.
And that brings you right up to date, with us enjoying a bright sunny evening by the sea near Stavanger.
Incidentally, we’re no longer aiming for the Arctic Circle by the 21st June. There’s just too much we want to see and there’s no point in rushing through it.
Next stop - Odda and Hardangerfjord.
Oh and by the way, that wine box that cost us about £1.50 in Spain; £30 here. Yes you did read that right - £30!!
Ha det!
View Oslo to Stavanger, Norway in a larger map
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