Spectacular Scenery of Norway in a Nutshell

[Anthony Toole]

 

The "Norway-in-a-nutshell" tour can be undertaken throughout from Bergen or Oslo as a single-day trip or spread over three days. However, if planning a one-day excursion, Voss would be a more convenient and relaxing base. This small, thriving town nestles on the shore of Vangsvatnet Lake beneath mountains which, in winter, provide some of the finest skiing in the country. Throughout the summer, the ski lifts continue to operate, taking visitors onto the plateau to the north, where cross-country ski trails provide scope for some pleasant fine-weather hill walking.

Stalheim and Naeroydalen

The first leg of the tour takes one through a wooded valley to the north of Voss, then east to a brief break in the journey at the spectacularly situated Stalheim Hotel. The foyer of the hotel gives access to a patio at the rear. This is bounded by a low wall, which is all that separates one from a precipitous fall into the almost claustrophobically narrow Naeroydalen. This is a classically U-shape glaciated valley, where even the enclosing mountains have been sculpted into smooth domes by the great snow sheets of the last Ice Age, which still appears to linger about the high summits of Norway.

The road now zig-zags for 1.5 kilometres down a series of thirteen hairpin bends, some with 1-in-5 (20%) gradients, from the hotel to the valley floor. On both sides are tall waterfalls, well viewed from the coach. The road then follows the valley through farmland squeezed between almost vertical wooded crags to Gudvangen, at the southern tip of Naeroyfjord. Here, one embarks on a ferry for one of the world’s most beautiful water journeys.

Naeroyfjord

Norway's narrowest fjord in Norway is a 17-kilometre tributary of Aurlandsfjord, which is itself an offshoot of Sognefjord, Norway’s longest. The walls appear to rise impossibly from the dark depths and at some places are no more than 250 metres apart. At intervals, the boat stops at one of the tiny clusters of dwellings that cling to the steep sides of the hills. The ferry is the sole link between these communities and the rest of the country.

Together with the almost as narrow Geirangerfjord, farther north, Naeroyfjord makes up the West Norwegian Fjords UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a 2008 survey by National Geographic Traveller, it was placed top of a list of best rated destinations among such sites in the world. It was categorised as “unspoiled and likely to remain so.”

Aurlandsfjord

At the mouth of Naeroyfjord, the ferry turns south into Aurlandsfjord. Though still narrow, this is broader than its neighbour, and enclosed by equally tall mountains, which are given the illusion of greater height by the snow patches that cling to the summits even during high summer. At the southern end of the Fjord is Flam, where passengers disembark and transfer onto a waiting train.

Flam Railway

This train ascends from sea level to Myrdal Station at an altitude of 867 metres, over a distance of 20 kilometres. On the journey, it passes through 20 tunnels. The ascent is generally slow, with frequent pauses to allow passengers to take photographs of the stunning mountain scenery. At one of the stops, passengers can alight from the train and, if spray permits, photograph the impressive Kjosfossen waterfall.

The final leg of the journey is also by train, west from Myrdal, through the 5.3-kilometre Gravahals tunnel, then gradually losing height over a distance of 50 kilometres, arriving back in Voss in the late afternoon.