Jettegrytene
A few kilometers east of Åkrafjord is a small but charming Rullestad valley. Driving by E134 road you can see Sagfossen waterfall, which runs down to Lake Rullestadvatnet. Right next to the lake there is a camping site opened in 2008. Travelers can enjoy bakery baked goods, eat local food at the cafe or visit the small shop. Additional attractions of this place are: beach volleyball court, possibility of rent boat or kayak and exposition of interesting stones and minerals. Those who prefer active leisure, can find in the area some more or less demanding hiking trails.
The lightest tour is a 4.5 kilometer route around the lake. Other trails lead to the Simlebu mountain cabin (about 800 m above sea level) or to Ramnanuten Mountain. I tempted myself for the path leading to Jettegrytene.
Jettegrytene are a characteristic holes in a rock with a cross-section of an almost perfect circle and deep up to several meters. They were created during the last ice age (100,000 to 9,000 years ago) as a result of whirl high velocities of water, stones and gravel. The biggest holes are even several meters in diameter. Their position on the steep slope of the mountain makes the journey at the last stage of this route quite difficult in bad weather conditions.
Deciding on this route you can use the free of charge parking lot at Rullestad Camping and walk a bit of the old road leading through the Rullestadjuvet gorge. In 2006 a 2,9 km tunnel was opened so now you can get around this narrow and winding road. However, it is an extraordinary scenic view, and the 19th century postal road, which goes parallel is an additional attraction of the area.
The day, like many other this summer supposed to be rainy, but weathercast showed a few hours break in raining. I left the car at a parking lot near the volleyball playground and started my hike towards the Rullestadjuvet gorge. At some point, I passed the path marked as postal road (postvegen). Some time later, I saw how spectacular this postvegen is. The route was running parallel on the other side of the river. Soon I reached the stone bridge, where my road connected to the postal road. I thought that on the way back I could choose this way down.
Meanwhile, I walked along the river. I passed a steep trail going to Simlebu and some time later I got to the signpost that led to Jettegrytene (and the next section of the postal road). Right next to it was a small parking lot for those who would like to start hiking from this point. I crossed the river using a wooden bridge and I went on the forest path. It led along the river, which in a spectacular way, with many cascades flowing down towards Lake Rullestadvatnet.
At some moment between the trees I saw something more than another cascade. It turned out that I reached the view point for Skromsfossen Waterfall. In the small clearness between the trees, there was a bench from which you can enjoy the view. And this one is really impressed, even though the waterfall does not belong to the high ones. The waterfall is also visible from the old E134 road that bypass of the Rullestad Tunnel.
Directly after the view point, the route is divided into the postal route and Jettergrytene. The path leading to the holes in the rock soon became steep and often led to bare rock. I stepped on a rocky hill from which I had an interesting view of the surrounded area. There was a large dinosaur foot-shaped lake nearby. Soon I climbed to the next hill and the top view was breathtaking. Down below I saw Lake Rullestadvatnet, a camping site and the surrounding mountain slopes. At the stack of stones in a wooden box I found a notebook where I could sign my name. The sign said that the destination was only 100 meters away.
It turned out that this last episode is the hardest. Fortunately, on the steep wall were fixed the rails and made from stainless steel steps. I reached the first hole. A circular hole of several meters in diameter, hollowed out in the rock makes big impression. Unfortunately, the location of this phenomenon on the steep wall precludes the taking of the perfect picture from a further perspective.
By using the rails, chains and metal steps I reached other holes. In their interior, ground and water have accumulated for years. Many of them were overgrown with grass.
The return route was the same way, although on the internet I found a trail that leads to the camping site by another path. But thanks to that, I had the opportunity to follow the postal route I passed at the beginning of the journey. I reached that place and turned to the postvegen by the stone bridge. I walked along the rocky shelf, one and a half meters wide. On the right side was the gorge and rushing river below. On the left I passed a rock wall with a fixed rail. I walked through the wooden bridge. Many of the boards were already rotten, but I believed that someone was taking care of this structure. I managed to get through, although the shoes slipped on the wet wood.
Another bridge was longer, but much better maintained. Before I came to it, the rain came to me. Then the shelf I followed went wider and led me down. Before I left the gorge, another wooden bridge was waiting for me. Further it was just a hike along a flat field along the river. It seems that rain is not going to stop, when I reached the camping site and my parked car.
GPS in my cell phone indicated that I made more than 10 km. It took me nearly four hours, including frequent breath-taking breaks, admiring views and taking photos. Maximum route height is 413m above sea level. The lowest point at the campsite is 143 m.
This post was originally published 2017-08-19 on https://kraina-trolli.pl.
