This is Claire’s second time in Norway. She came with her dad and brother when she was younger and had very fond memories, particularly of the Flåm railway. So, knowing how much of a train fan Gareth is, she was keen for him to have the same experience.
Unfortunately as dogs have to be muzzled on the trains, we weren’t willing to put Yala through that or leave her on her own. So Gareth was allowed to go on his own!
This proved a slightly technical logistical challenge as the trip is usually taken as a return trip and the mainline station at the top of the railway is in the middle of nowhere. So Claire and Yala dropped Gareth off at Vossvangen station, the next closest on the main line to Oslo, where he found he was only able to buy a ticket to the terminus, and that the Flåm tickets were no longer for sale. Undeterred, Gareth jumped on the train to Myrdal (the Flåm railway terminus) in the hope that he would be able to buy a ticket at the station.
No such luck! Half an hour later a slightly worried Gareth was waiting at Myrdal, where there was no ticket office, or station staff. There was a café and a bike hire centre, which was a useful fallback option as the next train from Myrdal to anywhere wasn’t for another 3 hours at least!
Fortunately, when the Flåm train arrived (and weather conditions had turned less than ideal for a mountain bike ride) a ticket inspector arrived with it who was able to sell Gareth a ticket.
Claire’s most striking memory of her time on the Flåm railway was a waterfall with a lady singing at it. On his way down Gareth also stopped at the waterfall but the lady had given up singing live and had been replaced with a recording!
It was quite an impressive cascade, but not the same scale as some we’d seen on the trip. As the train carried on down the valley, you could see back up to the point where the train had looped underneath itself as well as some amazing views of the mountains.
There was also a good view of the steep twisty mountain bike path which would have been the alternative descent.
The valley had countless waterfalls and lots of pretty views of the valley and as the train speed was limited, there was plenty of time to take it all in.
A shock awaited at the end of the journey in Flåm (not that Claire arrived at exactly the same time without getting lost, that was just great planning), a huge cruise ship towering over the tiny village. It was probably what kept the railway making money, but it also seemed to take away from the scenery. It was like a huge block of flats parked in a remote rural valley.
After a quick once round the village and the purchase of some craft beers from the brewery (also no doubt kept afloat by the cruise ship industry) we hit the road together again.
Our options were to go through the world’s longest tunnel (24km long!) or to go over the top of it up a steep mountain pass. We chose the latter because it would give us better views of the fjords and a chance to travel on the Aurlandsfjellet scenic drive.
The drive started with some very windy roads, including a lot of switchbacks, but soon reached a viewpoint overlooking Sognefjord. It was a great vantage point and even the cruise ship looked tiny down below.
Even the viewing platform itself had an elegance to it.
Carrying on further up the pass we came to a more barren landscape of very uneven rocky outcrops that looked like the surface of another planet. The road kept climbing until eventually we reached the plateau and some small lakes. Apparently there were fish in them but it was hard to believe it.
We tried another night of wild camping in a small lay-by most of the way down the other side of the pass. It was very remote and we must have only been passed by about eight cars the whole time we were there. The only company we had was the roaring of the small river that followed the road down the valley.
The next morning we finished the scenic drive by heading down to Lærfalsfjorden where we stopped to admire the view.
We’ll cover the rest of the day in the next post. Enjoy the view for now – we did!
Claire and Gareth go travelling! 