Fjord Norway

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We are now in fjord country and with every drive we are spoilt with spectacular views and stunning scenery. Of the many fjords we have seen and driven round there are 3 which deserve a mention.
So we had decided we would like to visit Gerainger, travel on the Flambana Railway at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden and then do a fjord cruise. Geraingerfjord is said to be “the jewel in the crown of the Norwegian fjords”. No doubt it is stunning scenery but something has been lost in the atmosphere of the place. Huge cruise ships arrive daily dominating the harbour with passengers crowding the tiny dock. It was the first place we had to pay for a town map albeit 5kr but it really wasn’t great. It was tricky finding a wild camping spot for the night and we parked in a lay-by marked with an m along with another van. The lay-by was huge so we reasoned there was still plenty of room for traffic to use it for passing. The next day we took our inflatable out and paddled the fjord up to the first waterfall, it was very beautiful. Later on however we had a very irate Norwegian shouting at us about stopping where we were not allowed, taking photos and saying he was calling the police. By then there were 4 vans but we were the only ones about. Phil apologised and said we would be happy to move which we did. Flam by contrast was delightful. Still very crowded but tourist information were very helpful and took time to chat. We booked onto a campsite to make sure we didn’t have any problems with where we camped and also it was the night England played Croatia so Phil needed a venue to watch the game in, which he found in a nearby hotel. We booked an early train intending to get off at Vatnahalsen station before the top and have a bit of a walk before going back down. He must have misunderstood as our ticket was for Myrdal and straight back. We had a journey up through amazing scenery with a 5 minute stop to see the Kjosfossen waterfall. This was rather a surreal experience as suddenly music is played over loudspeakers and then a woman in orange appears high up in the waterfall dancing behind the spray. The next day we
had booked a cruise on the Gudvanger to Kaupanger ferry. We left the car and got a return ticket. We left at 9 in the morning so it was a little chilly up on deck especially as the fjord has steep sides so is in shade. Wish I had taken a coat at this point. The weather that day however was beautiful and it warmed up especially as we came out of the shade. We stood on the starboard side and enjoyed the scenery. On the return journey there was commentary and we had seats on the other side. Nærøyfjorde is 17km long with 1200m high cliffs, isolated farms and waterfalls plummeting from the heights. During our stop at Kaupanger we managed to visit the stave church, look in the museum which was free and very interesting and Phil had a swim in thefjord.

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Photos

Cruise from Gudvanger to Kaupanger
Phil sunning himself on deck