Mountains
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Skuggenatten
Treungen is a small village in the municipality of Nissedal, in the Telemark region in southern Norway. Located on the southern edge of Nisser Lake, it is a great base for trips to the surrounding mountains, and there are quite a few of them here. Nisser Lake has almost 35 km of lenght and it guarantees amazing views from probably every peak in the vicinity. I left the car at the parking lot at the Best fuel gas station, along the road No. 41, just outside the Treungen. The trail begins several dozen meters away. There were still morning mists there, but the sun was already shining through the clouds.…
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Besseggen
Besseggen is one of Norway’s most popular mountain hiking trails. National Geographic placed Besseggen on the Top20 list of the most beautiful hiking trails in the world (it’s actually Top19, you can find the full list here). And indeed, when you look at the photos of this place on the Internet, you cannot get over it. And if the photos look so amazing, what does this route have to look like in reality? Besseggen is located in the Jotunheimen Mountains, where there are also, among others, the two highest peaks of Scandinavia: Galdhøpiggen (2469 m above sea level) and Glittertind (2452 m above sea level). The name Jotunheimen means House…
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Rjukan and hike on Hardangervidda
Rjukan is a small town (3,100 inhabitants) located in a narrow valley by the Måna River, in the municipality of Tinn, in the Telemark county. The history of Rjukan started at the beginning of the 20th century, when the enormous potential of using Norway’s waterfalls to generate electricity was discovered. It was then that hydroelectric power plants began to appear, such as the one in Tyssedal or in Rjukan. Simultaneously with the Rjukan power plant, huge industrial plants producing fertilizers were built, all in one complex, called Vemork. Rjukan quickly turned from a small agricultural village into a thriving industrial city with up to 12,000 inhabitants. The fertilizer factory, operating…
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Kongevgen: Tyinkrysset – Øye
Kongevegen over Filefjell, (King’s Road through the Filefjell Mountains) is an over 100 km long hiking and cycling trail connecting towns Lærdal and Vang. In the past, this route was part of the main road connecting East and West Norway, Bergen and Oslo. Today, the E16 route runs almost parallel, and Kongevegen over Filefjell is a tourist gem of the region. 110 km is divided into 11 sections, so there is no need to struggling with the entire distance at once. The section Tyinkrysset – Øye was supposed to be an easy and pleasant fulfilment to the hike I already made. And it really was. I was hoping for a…
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Øye – Tyinkrysset
Few years ago I spent one weekend walking on beautiful trails which were parts of Kongevegen over Filefjell historic route. I promised myself that one day I will come back in that area and take a closer look for other parts of this route. And that day already came. Kongevegen over Filefjell is an old road that has been built in XVIII century as a part of the road connecting Oslo and Bergen. Total length of that trail is over 100 km and it is divided in several sections, so there is no need to go all the way from Lærdal to Vang. You can choose suitable distance or place…
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Lårdalstigen
Lårdalstigen, 14km path leading at the edge of 800m cliff above Bandak Lake in the heart of Telemark area is the one of the most magnificent places in Norway. The trail is described as very demanding offers many unforgettable spectacular views. I’ve been thinking about this route for long time, and finally decided to go. My main concern was how should I make this trail. Left the car on one end and go to the other end and then go back? Is it any other way to coming back? Any buss or something. And yes, there is something. And it called MS Victoria or MS Henrik Ibsen. They are historic…
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A night in Haukelifjell
I was eagerly awaiting another weekend and the opportunity to go to the mountains. I had planned a rather ambitious hike, which I will describe next time. However, I did not want to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to get there by 8 a.m. Following the description of one Norwegian couple’s expedition I just found, I decided that it would be a good idea to leave a day earlier and spend the night in a tent nearby, so that in the morning I would be rested and ready for a difficult hike. In the meantime, there was one more thing to do and the plan…
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Blefjell
Blefjell is a mountain range, located about 2 hours drive from Oslo. It is very popular place, especially for those who live in capital of Norway. This time I was going to check one of the most popular trails in this range, the route to Sigridsbu cabin. I showed up on the Nordstul parking early in the Sunday’s morning. The road to Nordstul is paid (70 kr in 2021). There weren’t so many cars at the parking but it was about 6.20 in the morning already. I supposed that more people will come here later during the day. The path is very well marked by red T. And the first…
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Bjørnåsen
I’ve been on that hill some time ago. Now, during the winter there is not so many other options for mountain walking and that’s why I decided to refresh this route. Bjørnåsen means in norwegian Bear Hill. This mountain is only 138,5 meters high, and it is located on Jeløya island just behind city of Moss in southern Norway. To get there you need to cross the bridge in the city center and follow the road 1060 to the north. After passing town buildings, the road leads through the forest, farms and norwegian cabins. The sign with the name of the peak is right by the road and can be…
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Nøtnesåsen
Nøtnesåsen is a 200-meter peak (exactly 198 meters above sea level). It is located in the southeast of the country, right at the intersection of roads 32 and 35, near the town of Sundbyfoss, near the E18 highway. Honestly, I didn’t plan to climb this hill. That day I had a different goal, but I was surprised by the protective conditions on the western side of the Oslofjord. In my area it was almost spring, and snow lay only sporadically. After crossing the ferry to the other side of the fjord, I found winter in full swing. The route I took was under a thick substance access to weapons of…
