South Down the Ryfylke to Jørpeland
Zagan the motorhome’s sat within easy striking distance of Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen in Norwegian), one of Norway’s iconic locations high above Lysefjorded, in the marina motorhome parking at Jørpeland (N59.01702, E6.04939). It costs 150 NOK a night to stay here, plus another 50 NOK if you want electricity, and there’s access to washer-dryers too, over by the marina. A bus runs from here up to the start of the 4 hour hike to the rock itself, but at £9 each return (it takes the bus 10 minutes each way), it makes more sense for us to drive up there and pay the £15 day parking fee.
Motorhome Parking in Jørpeland, quiet in September although we have a neighbour now
Yesterday was Ju’s birthday, and the world contrived to make it all about seafood, not exactly Ju’s favourite subject but one she bore well! The eclectic collection of campervans and motorhomes in Sand were pulled together by Tijmen, the effortlessly gregarious Dutch man from Amsterdam. He’d wander up and down each morning, chatting with everyone, and over a few days of sunshine had created a small, temporary community. Tables were pulled together and chairs arranged, as various sea-related events took place.
Everyone had a rod, and given the fact the sea was a metre away, we all spent a good while trying to pull a fish from it. I got lucky, catching a good-sized mackerel, which spurred on the group to another hour’s lure-chucking. Our neighbour retrieved a collection of mussels, and on hearing where his line had caught on them, I pulled on my wetsuit and nipped in to the water, discovering an enormous bed of the black beauties, each the size of a man’s palm, and grabbing a bucketful to share out. Finally all of this was upstaged by our other neighbour, a German butcher, catching a 2 kg salmon from the mouth of the river. Martin filleted it and we all tucked into chunks of hour-fresh pink sashimi, dipped in wasabi and soy sauce, just beautiful.
The great fish-off in action
5mm wetsuit, hood and gloves, toasty in the Norwegian Sea
We stopped collecting at a bucketful, but there were thousands of mussels 2m down and 2m out to sea. We joked that in France the sea would have been picked clean
Salmon caught with a lure in Sand
Scene of the crime! You can imagine Charlie was going nuts at this point, his nose was working overtime
Free sashimi time
With no government wine shop in town, there was no opportunity to grab a bottle to celebrate Ju’s birthday, so we squeezed the last dregs from our last wine box, and enjoyed a single glass in celebration along with the last of the Cassis mixed with lemonade. The booze is now gone, except for a few guarded Lidl chocolate liquors, and our eyes are scanning the road network to Sweden. Yes, we could easily afford to buy beer and wine here in Norway. It costs less than drinking in a pub at home, which we’d do once or twice a week. And yet buying alcohol in Norway (or pretty much anything for that matter), feels like we’re being taken for a ride. It feels like we’re being ripped off or punished, which I guess we are?
This morning’s expert pancake-makers
This morning, after a shared breakfast of pancakes with cheeses, jams, syrup and chocolate spreads, we bid our neighbours goodbye and headed to the XY fuel station to service Zagan. Those guys are all on breaks from work, a few weeks off to wander about. Most of them weren’t ‘touring’ as such, but just easily wandering around finding relaxed and beautiful places like Sand to spend their time. I have to admit to liking their style, and our minds are turning more and more to spending greater lengths of time in places rather than forever moving. I worked out today while driving that we’re averaging around 40 to 45mph in Norway, less if you take into account waiting for and taking ferries. The roads frequently shrink to single lane, like the Ryfylke Tourist Route (Rv13) did as we headed south from Sand, slowing us down and more importantly making the drive far less relaxing. Although I’ve loved my time in Norway, I won’t miss the roads.
Pulpit Rock, where we’re off to tomorrow
We sat in line waiting for the escort car to have his lunch before we could enter these roadworks. If you want to get across Norway in a hurry, take a helicopter!
Norway has so many incredible picnic spots!
Only the one ferry today, this is the view up the fjord
I wanna be alone!
We’re here in Jørpeland as we can’t stay overnight at the Pulpit Rock car park, which is unusual for Norway but not so much for world-renowned tourist magnet locations. The start of the walk is only 9km away though, so the plan’s to chill out here and head up there in the morning. After a wander about Jørpeland, I’m not much taken with the town itself, all function over form as seems often the case in Norway, but it has provided some beef burgers for tea!
A bit of art to brighten up Jørpeland
Boat hull in Jørpeland
Kit Kat in Norway is called Quick Lunch! Tastes the exact same.
Cheers, Jay
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Happy Birthday Ju!
Your blogs are so friendly it feels like we know you – though obviously we don’t.
:-)
Ann
We’ve been following your blog for a while now .We really enjoy reading about your extraordinary lives . It’s partly responsible for me parting with a large sum of money in exchange for a B544 . We’re away to France next week for our first proper trip . Only two weeks , wish it could be more .
Hi,
Great blog enjoy it tremendously. Just a note to bring to your attention your link to lat and long co-ordinates puts a zero after the 6 E (N59.01702, E6.04939
So the link puts you in Russia. You will no doubt visit Russia some time in the future but you are not there yet.
Ps You both look very well, must be all that running.
Thanks Chris, fixed the link, much appreciated, Jay
Jay & Jules cost me 40 Grand!! (more when I’ve fitted LPG Gasit & Solar panels) . I have no regrets though.
My only problem at the moment is not being retired. I’m working on that though. The remainder of 2016 will be weekends away, getting used to Motorhome life, trying to establish some sort of organised system for storage and so on. 2017 will be a 3 week trip into France, maybe beyond, to be decided really.
After that we need to make some serious decisions. I feel that every day not spent photographing Norway is another day wasted (I never had an urge to visit Norway before I read Our Tour Blogs.. so they may owe me even more money).
Keep the Blog coming Our Tour. I’ll try to deal with my jealousy.
Lee @ http://www.gohumberto.com
Forty grand? Blimey, where’s our commission? :) Cheers Lee, Jay
Happy (belated) Birthday Julie. That salmon looked nice. Kindest, Wayne.
Oh, we ere away ‘on tour’ into France and missed the right day: so happy happy (belated) Bday, Ju!!!! And, oh, Jay is so romantic: you even got a flower onyour table at breakfast!
J&J.
Love reading your travels.
The making up after a argument is the best.
After 46 years you will have many. Lol
N&N
46 years? Impressive!