Hairpin Bends and Awe-Inspiring Views, Geirangerfjord

Zagan the motorhome feels on top of the world, even more so than he did last night at the top of the troll’s ladder. In order to feel even toppier (if that is such a word) he has climbed up to the Dalsnibba viewpoint (N62.04894, E7.26941) to spend the night looking down at the Geirangerfjord from 1500m up.

Dalsnibba Viewpoint, Norway

Of course it would have been lovely to have a nice straight road from the top of the Trollstigen to here, but Norway doesn’t do straight roads. Instead Jay has had to skillfully manoeuvre Zagan around a million hairpin bends to get us here.

Last night we grabbed the torch and snuck back out to the Trollstigen viewpoint under the cover of darkness hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. In the pitch darkness the roar of the river sounded evil, moths flew in the torchlight casting shadows and it took all my effort not to bolt back to the safety of Zagan. Rain fell on us and cloud covered every inch of the sky (and some of the ground), sadly it wasn’t going to be.

This morning it was still cloudy as we set off south along the E63. We climbed slightly before topping out and then started the descent back to sea level, following the Valldøla River. Rocky mountains rose above us with thin streams of waterfall running down their faces.

E63 Norway

Following a ‘there’s something to see here’ brown sign, we pulled into a car park and followed the path to Gudbrandsjuvet, another boiling white waterfall.  Legend has it that a nimble young man named Gudbrand jumped over the gorge created by the river to escape with his kidnapped bride. I don’t know if the legend is true, but it was certainly a beautiful place and was once again surround by a viewing platform designed to complement its surroundings.

Very nice walkway from the car park to the waterfall – if a little over-engineered

Reaching Valldall we were back at sea level and were impressed with the fact that each house seemed to have its own huge strawberry field out front. We were now in an area that claims to have the highest orchards in Europe, and the trees we passed were still laden with apples. We stopped to empty and refill out tanks at the free Tommestasjon, this one was right outside a campsite in an area with more caravans than Skegness. I’m pretty sure that in the UK a free service point would be unheard of, so its no wonder we feel so welcome here.

Strawberry field and grass roofs in Valldal.

We love the free service points (Tommestasjon) across Norway

Campsites here are more for permanent ‘touring’ caravans – each has its own little hut

After filling up we headed to the waterside in Valldal to a fishing spot (N62.29670, E7.25694) that was a tip from Paul and Sue who we met in Andalsnes. Jay’s rod was out almost before the handbrake was on, as he hasn’t fished for a while. The tip off was right and within half an hour he had caught five mackerel and a baby atlantic salmon – the two smallest mackerel and salmon went back into the fjord and we now have some tasty fish for dinner.

That’s dinner sorted

Great spot for fishing in Valldal

We grabbed a spot of lunch waiting for the ferry to take us over the fjord our dinner had been fished from. Once on the other side, Zagan all but flew up the mountainside and around the hairpin bends with a tail of fellow ferry users following him. Reaching Ørnesvingen we pulled into a small car park and stepped out onto another architecturally fantastic viewing platform, this time with a view over Geirangerfjord. Sadly we had rain and mist while at the viewpoint, but that didn’t stop our jaws from dropping.

Just like catching a bus back home

Geiranger

The view from Ørnesvingen viewpoint of Geirangerfjord

OurTour Feeling Wet but Happy at Geirangerfjord

Tackling the 11 hairpin bends down to the fjord, we agreed that we weren’t bothered about visiting Geiranger itself, so we skimmed past it and back up the mountain behind it with many, many more hairpin bends.

Geiranger

Not a great driving day when your back’s killing you

We pulled in for a breather by a waterfall. This area is teeming with them and they aren’t just little things either. These are waterfalls that you would probably walk for a few hours in the UK to see, yet here they are by the roadside and unappreciated.

The final push saw us climbing up to the toll road to take us to Dalsnibba, which offers Europe’s highest fjord view by road. We flinched at the toll booth at the bottom as it was 120 Nok (£12) to drive up it, but we had been recommended it by Kate and Steve who we met when we first reached Norway. Reaching the booth at 5pm the chap said he was having problems with something, so we could go up for free. We like free, but Jay’s aching back wasn’t too keen on another load of hairpin bends!

Turning point for the toll road

Road to Dalsnibba Viewpoint

We parked up, chocked up and put down Zagan’s steady legs – we’re not driving around another hairpin bend until Jay’s back has recovered. Checking the weather report it is supposed to be -7°C up here tonight. Around us the mountains are topped with glaciers and it feels like we are higher than most of them, but we have gas-powered heating and an amazing view for the night that you’d only get with a motorhome. If the clouds clear a bit tomorrow we’ll have more pics.

Jay cursing and admiring the road he just drove up. The viewing platform we’re stood on was only opened this year

Ju x

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