Rjukan

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On the Saturday of my parents long weekend in Norway we decided to head into the mountains, my project manager in Norway had recommended visiting a town called Rjukan which sits in a valley beneath Gaustatoppen. We set off from the hotel in Kongsberg and headed along Route 37 into the mountains, the main road was closed and we ended up diverted onto Route 364 which headed North to the top of Lake Tinnsja and then doubled back on itself before rejoining the 37 to Rjukan. The drive had some of the best scenery we have every driven through (and surprisingly our 1.2 VW Polo made it up the climbs).

Rjukan is a quiet town, stretched along the valley floor with the mountains rising steeply over each side. We stopped in the town centre but the tourist information office was unfortunately closed, thankfully they had English language maps with local activities and sights on. After a quick study we headed through the town to the Krossobanen Cable Car. This was the first cable car built in Northern Europe in 1928 as a gift from Norsk Hydro to the people of the town to offer a view of the sun during the winter months as the surrounding mountains obsure the sun from November to March each year. There are plenty of trails to walk and cycle once at the summit, and a path leads back down to the main car park 814 metres below. They are in the process of renovating the station at the summit and are building a new visitor centre and restaurant which would be a great addition to help improve this experience.

After we had returned to main car park we headed further out of the town to Vemork, a hydroelectricity power plant that played a big role in World War II. We arrived too late to take a tour of the plant but we were allowed a quick look into the main part of the builidng and had a walk outside. It has been marked as somewhere to revisit to tour the plant and hear the full story behind it.

As it was getting late we decided to head back to Kongsberg. We turned out of Rjukan on Route Fv651 that headed South through Tuddal onto the E134 that would take us through Notodden and back to Kongsberg. Little did we realise that the climb from Rjukan would be as steep as it was but it provided some good entertainment to see if our hire car would manage the climb. The views from the climb and once onto the summit were outstanding. And as we travelled further south we saw more and more wooden lodges, the Norwegians are a very active and outdoor people and spend many weekends in cabins all year round.

En route on the E134 is a small village called Heddal which is home to Norway's largest stave church. Set just off of the main road it was a definite stop to have a look.

Once back in Kongsberg it was Big Horn steakhouse for dinner. The food in Big Horn was pretty good, the reindeer steak was really enjoyable whilst dinner for three people (a main course and a drink) average around 300NOK which was quite reasonable.

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