Category Archives: Norway

Hiking in Norway

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Norway is a truly beautiful country. With a wide range of climates and some beautiful landscapes, vast open moorlands and snowy mountains Norway is an ideal hiking country. Norway has a number of different hikes suitable for hikers of all ages and skill levels. From beginner to expert, Norway has hikes to suit everyone. Norway is also a great country for hiking as there are several destinations made purely for hiking, with amenities, camping sites and even hotels set up for hikers, all available a short drive by hired car from the routes or even within walking distance. What more could you ask for? We’ll be having a look at some of Norway’s best hiking locations, both for beginners and for experts, to make sure that nobody gets left out.

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Rondane National Park Hiking

Home to the famous triangle route, Rondane National Park has a huge variety of different tours, and where you go will depend on what you want to see. For the more dedicated hikers there are tours that loop around the mountains in the park, or that climb up steep valleys with rocky outcroppings.

Rondane offers hikes that can last any time between three and seven hours, the longest being the hike from Rondvassbu to Doralseter via Langholet which is a staggering seven hours. The Rondvassbu – Doralseter route is mainly for those looking for a hiking challenge, as seven hours can be extremely taxing, especially for those that are new to hiking.

Some easier tours are available, with walks through beautiful valley floors, or along the Ula River with views of the mountains that surround the park. The Mysusete to Rondvassbu hike is a good choice for first time hikers, as it is mainly hilly areas with views of the mountains as opposed to more dangerous, rocky climbs. Plus at three hours long, it can substitute for a nice long walk in the fresh air.

 

Dovrefjell

A massive stretch of wide open mountainous terrain, Dovrefjell is a sigh to see. With wild musk oxen roaming its hills and even the occasional rare reindeer, it is ideal for a steady days hike. Suitable for hikers of all ages, however it is a long hike, up to the top of mount Snohetta, which is one of Norway’s highest mountains. It stands at 2286 metres above sea level and is also considered to be Norway’s most beautiful mountain.

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Seeing the wild musk oxen, which have lived in the mountains of Dovrefjell since the ice age, is a sight to behold. With thick shaggy fur and powerful antlers, they are not to be missed. If you hike up mount Snohetta, on a good day you might even get to see a wild reindeer, which is very rare nowadays.

 

Don’t Forget

Even if it is a sunny and warm day, you’ll need to remember to dress suitably for the conditions on high altitude hikes. Wrap up really warm, or you’ll regret it later! Wear strong sturdy walking boots, with more heavy set hiking boots if you plan to climb steep valleys. Always wear protective eyewear in winter, as the harsh winds can be bitter .

And remember to have fun!

Seeing the Northern Lights

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What is an Aurora really?

“Auroras occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the earth’s atmosphere” The colour of the aurora depends on the specific type of atom that is hit by the solar winds. The reason why the Auroras ‘dance’ is that they move along the atmospheric currents and follow the magnetic poles, which are called the ‘auroral ovals’.

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The winter months are the holiday season, the time of magic, and seeing the Northern Lights is always pretty high on the average person’s bucket list. Normally to see the Aurora you need to go north, but it may not be as far north as you think. With some careful planning and a little bit of luck, here are a few places you can get to, to see the Northern Lights, without having to empty out your bank account in order to do it.

Yellowknife in Canada

Why not go to the ‘northern lights capital of the world’, located in the North West of Canada? All you need is a starry night and you could be in with a chance of seeing the Aurora. Plus Yellowknife is known as the ‘diamond capital of the world’ as well. So there is no shortage of swanky shops. Take a taxi or hire a car in Yellowknife to be in the city centre in no time at all.

Ivalo in Finland

A place of beautiful scenery and fascinating wilderness and the hometown of expert Aurora Hunter; Andy Keen, who has several years of experience photographing Auroras, Ivalo is a great place to see the Northern Lights. He’ll take you out in search of the Aurora for £150, and with his expert knowledge in tracking Auroras, this could be invaluable if you have your heart set on seeing the Aurora.

Shetland in the UK

Surprisingly enough there is an ‘Aurora spotting’ location right in the UK. With the right latitude and closer to Norway than bigger cities like London, Shetland gets much less light pollution, so hunting for the Aurora is easier than expected if the conditions are right.

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Unfortunately the Northern Lights are a random occurrence, and so are unpredictable. You may not be lucky in that they don’t happen to come out when you want. With this in mind it is sometimes better to go to your destination with several other things planned; ice skating or seeing an opera for example. Because if you book a holiday just to see the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora doesn’t turn up for one reason or another, you will feel like it’s a wasted trip.

So get out! See the world!

Getting Around Oslo

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Last year, I jetted off to Oslo for a long weekend break over the summer. I’m not especially good in the heat, so I fancied somewhere I could roam around without melting! As a destination, Oslo certainly didn’t disappoint, and while we managed to avoid the rain, it was gloriously mild throughout the entire trip, which was much appreciated.

Oslo

Oslo is incredibly easy to get around, and you have lots of options. It’s a relatively small city considering it’s a capital, so as long as you don’t mind cobbles you can take a pleasant stroll around without too much trouble. Lots of the locals seem to cycle, so if you feel comfortable cycling in another city you could hire a bike. You could get a smartcard to enable you to use the popular City Bikes (Oslo Bysykkel) if you intend to cycle a lot.

If you’re thinking of going a little further afield, or just want to save your legs after a long day of countryside hiking, the bus and tram services are excellent. They are extremely regular and everyone in the stations and tourist information centres speaks flawless English so can offer you lots of help. You can get an Oslo Card which not only gives you free or reduced entry to all the main attractions in the city, but you will also get access to free public transport which is really handy if you intend to explore the area thoroughly.

While I was in Oslo, I took a trip to Drøbak, a small town close to the Norwegian capital. This involved a bus ride alongside the beautiful fjord, which was relatively straightforward, but the one problem we found was that the buses between Oslo and Drøbak aren’t always too frequent, especially in off peak seasons, so it might be a better idea to hire a car in Oslo if you’re thinking of venturing outside of Oslo. There are lots of pretty towns in southern Norway, so a car gives you the freedom to plan your own schedule without getting stuck somewhere remote for hours.

The real highlight of Oslo’s transport is the stunning boats you can take from Oslo harbour around the fjord. These can take you to the ‘museum peninsula’, with its fascinating Fram Museum and Kon-Tiki Museum, as well as others, and to various other points around Oslo, including some of the little islands sitting in the middle of the fjord. Seeing the area by water is the perfect way to get a real feel for the natural beauty of Scandinavia.

In a nutshell, if you want a city that’s really accessible and easy to move around, Oslo is perfect! Just don’t be expecting to do too much sunbathing while you’re there…

Written by our intrepid traveller, Kayleigh.