The serpentine troll staircase has sharp turns. Troll Road, Norway: description
Do you believe in trolls, those ugly creatures from Norse mythology? In search of confirmation of the reality of their existence, we will go to the snow-capped mountains of Norway. Or rather, to the Troll Staircase stretching among them.
A little delving into Norwegian mythology will allow us to better reveal the image of these mysterious creatures and draw a conclusion about whether the game is worth the candle or whether it is better to avoid any possible meeting with them. Trolls are important people not only in Norway, but throughout Scandinavian mythology in general. Mention of them is noted in Sweden and Iceland, but in the latter case they are usually called thirds.
In the question of the origin of trolls, we inevitably encounter harsh historical facts: after the glacier, which preserved the virginity of the territory, began its movement to the east, making way for the first human settlements, high mountains, harsh conditions and an ominously foaming sea played a cruel joke on the human imagination, and people came up with eternally annoying illusory enemies - trolls.
Photo: bubblegothinspired.blogspot.com
Did you come up with it? Illusory? You correctly noted: the point of view reflected above is nothing more than the view of a rationalist wise by progress, far from belief in supernatural forces in general and ugly giants living among the mountains in particular. However, there is another position, much more romantic and attractive. According to her, trolls were the only living creatures among the mountains covered with perennial ice. The appearance of people on their territory caused a certain movement in the ranks of the trolls, and they began to actively invade the privacy of the first human settlements.
Photo: use-it.unginfo.oslo.no
This is a typical Norwegian troll: a head vaguely reminiscent of a stump with grass growing on it, a large fleshy nose dotted with disgusting warts, cunning and narrowed eyes - with all its appearance, the troll expresses, if not the danger itself, then at least its imminent approach.
Trolls have always worried the minds of creative people. The outstanding Norwegian writer and playwright Heinrich Ibsen made the troll part of the gallery of characters in one of his most famous works, Peer Gynt. In the image of the cute and dear to the heart of every child, the mummy trolls are easy to read the external features of typical Norwegian trolls, but in Tove Jansson they have significantly decreased in size and have finally taken the side of good.
These unusual creatures excite the minds of people of art to this day. Thus, the modern Finnish writer Olaf Kurten made trolls part of his fantasy universe, giving them an extremely important place back in the era of primitive people. Many Hollywood and other filmmakers, tired of the stream of monotonous villains in widely circulated horror films, are trying to scare the viewer with new sinister images, and trolls are perfectly suited for this role. The film by Norwegian director Andre Øvredal “Trollhunters (Trolljegeren)” in an entertaining form accessible to everyone talks about the very possible existence of giants in the very north of Norway, where if a person’s foot touches the ground, it obviously belongs to some incorrigible enthusiastic explorer.
If all of the above did not scare you away, and you are still full of desire to set foot on the Troll Staircase, then here are the exact space-time coordinates: warm season, namely from May to October; county of Møre og Romsdal in the Vestland region; an impressive section of the national road RV63 (over 106 kilometers, 11 really dangerous turns). It is at this time that a modest place in the southwest of Norway awakens from winter hibernation and kindly opens its conventional doors to every tourist who decides to satisfy their curiosity about the presence/absence of real trolls here.
Photo: thebkspecial.blogspot.com
As we know, everything starts somewhere – and the road laid between the cities of Åndalsnes and Valldal is an example of a highly complex technical solution implemented to ensure optimal trade communications and the realization of the entire tourism potential of a region unique in terms of topography. The idea came to the minds of officials more than a hundred years ago, but construction began specifically only in 1928, after the issue of allocating considerable funds was resolved and the documentation for the facility was put in order. Formally, the road passed through a steep pass with an impressive plateau, which seriously complicated the work of the builders, and heavy weather conditions, in which they had to build the facility, coupled with the constant risk to life due to the threat of rockfall, scared away even seasoned craftsmen. However, the Troll Staircase was built in just over eight years - in 1936 the grand opening of the road took place.
The object received its name from King Haakon VII of Norway himself, who signed the deed of delivery of the site and gave it a telling name - Troll Staircase (Trollstigen). This road is a real engineering masterpiece, the fruit of a non-trivial design idea and was created, it would seem, to last for centuries. But this does not in the least prevent engineers from recently expanding the road and installing additional protection elements on it. So, despite the fact that technically a car more than 13 meters long can pass on the road, in fact, passage is only allowed for vehicles no more than 12.4 meters long.
As noted above, if you want to enjoy all the beauties of Trollstigen, you should plan your visit so that it falls between the end of May and the beginning of October. At other times, the road poses a real threat to life and therefore is covered with snow to prevent various kinds of incidents.
The real highlight of Trollstigen is the Stigfossen waterfall. Massive streams of water fall from a height of more than 180 meters, creating a unique feeling of perpetual movement. This beauty is crowned by an elegant bridge located in the middle of the road.
From a bird's eye view, this road resembles an incredibly steep and dangerous serpentine road, along which you want to ride with all your heart, pressing the gas pedal all the way. But in reality, all those who like to show off on the road will be severely disappointed: high traffic at the height of the season (up to 2,500 cars per day) and a speed limit of up to 80 kilometers per hour do not contribute to the release of adrenaline into the blood. And what’s the point of driving if you have views of such magical beauty that you can pick up your lower jaw that has fallen somewhere into the car’s interior?
However, there are those brave souls for whom the Troll Road presents a real challenge: we are talking about motorcyclists. Local bikers regularly organize multi-day rides around the site, challenging nature, God and, apparently, trolls.
However, most often the following picture is observed: the car is neatly parked in a special area, and the people who arrived in it admire the natural splendor that opens and fight with all their hearts against the sun shining in all four directions. A special highlight is the moment when its fiery disk slowly disappears behind the pass. Incredible beauty with a spicy taste of romance!
In addition to its natural beauties, Trollstigen can offer tourists a well-established infrastructure: the plateau has an abundance of various campsites, cafes, small souvenir shops, cycling trails and other entertainment that help brighten up the leisure time of guests of the Troll Staircase and make their trip truly memorable and exciting.
Photo: nonsprecareiltuotempo.blogspot.com
One of the attractions of the Staircase is the Aurland Look observation deck: from a height of 600 meters you can see a magnificent view of one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. The playground itself is a real design revelation: its design in the form of a wooden slide that goes steeply down, coupled with almost imperceptible glass, creates the illusion of reality disappearing from under your feet.
Looking at these peaks crowning the serpentine mountains, bearing the names King, Dronningen (Queen) and Biskop (Bishop), you involuntarily become imbued with the characteristic Nordic tranquility and feel the greatness of the monarchical tradition carried through time. The highest point of the Trollstigen pass is called Stigrøre. The height of 858 meters above sea level causes, if not shock, then at least serious respect.
Some landscapes are so perfect that any human intervention seems rude and an unnecessary barbaric act. At such moments you come to the conclusion that the real owners here are not people, but precisely those same trolls hiding somewhere behind the pass or on the snowy mountain peaks Oh.
By the way, about trolls. These cute signs “Beware of trolls!” remind you of them here. in the manner of our usual road signs. When asked by local residents whether they have ever seen anyone even remotely resembling a famous character from Norse mythology, the answers most often follow are stingy and do not really clarify anything, behind which there is some semblance of reverence for these inhabitants of the mountain peaks. And although the presence of trolls on the Staircase was not recorded, none of the guests of this unique tourist site were disappointed. Looking at such breathtaking beauty, you somehow completely forget about the ugly mythological hooligans. And who knows, maybe this is for the better?
Norway surprises and amazes with the abundance of various natural attractions: fjords and waterfalls, mountain lakes and rushing rivers, bizarrely shaped mountains with snow caps on top and bright green valleys replace each other. But, probably, no matter how you plan your route, it will definitely pass through one of the most popular and frequently visited attractions of this country - Trollstigen, the Troll Staircase (or Road). Marina Petrenko says:
Who are trolls?
There are many in Norway geographical names one way or another connected with supernatural creatures from Scandinavian mythology - trolls: Troll Road (Trollstigen), Troll Wall mountain range (Trollveggen), Troll Cap Mountain (Trollhetta), there is even a comic road sign “Beware of trolls!”
As a rule, trolls are freaks with a huge nose. They can be very small or huge. These are mountain spirits, born from rocks and turning into stone in the sun.
During your journey, you are sure to meet large and small stone and wooden trolls. Troll figurines, T-shirts with their images, magnets are the main souvenirs that tourists bring from Norway.
How did the road-attraction appear?
The Troll Road, of course, was not built by these mythological creatures, but by people. But this is such an incredible miracle of engineering that it’s hard to believe that a person could create this route without the intervention of supernatural forces.
The Troll Staircase is one of the 18 national tourist roads Norway, which is part of highway number 63. It connects two settlements Andalsnes and Valdall, located on opposite sides of a long mountain range. The technical design of the route was developed by road engineer Nils Hovdenak ( Nils Hovdenak). The road took 8 years to build and was inaugurated by King Haakon VII of Norway in 1936. Local residents asked the king to give the new highway a name, after which it was named “Troll Staircase”.
On the map the road looks like this:
It consists of 11 serpentine tongues with sharp turns, bridges over turbulent rivers, including a bridge under which a 180-meter waterfall falls ( Stigfossen).
On the rise, in some places the slope of the road is up to 12%, and the width does not exceed 3.3 meters. There is even a limit on the length of the vehicle. If you take into account that immediately behind the road there is an abyss with virtually no edge, reaching up to 200 meters in depth in some places, and the only limiting guards are low natural stones along the road, then you can imagine what a thrill you experience while driving along this road.
How to go?
I would like to please you right away that parking at the beginning and end of the Troll Road, observation platforms and travel along the road itself are free. You can drive along the Troll Road in two directions, and which one you choose is up to you.
If you are heading towards this road from Geiranger or Ålesund, then road number 63, winding between snow-capped mountains, is incredibly beautiful in itself.
From time to time along the road you come across small pyramids of Trolls, built by tourists from stones.
The road will lead you to a big modern tourist center with souvenir shops, cafes, toilets.
Behind the parking lot there is a beautiful stepped artificial pond with clear water.
A path is laid from it to an observation deck hanging over the abyss.
This is where it's at high place Troll roads (858 meters above sea level) and several at once, from which a simply dizzying view of the valley and winding slopes opens mountain range the road.
Moreover, you can see it all from above and you have the opportunity to first admire the landscape and understand what you will soon have to overcome, and then drive along the Troll Road.
If you are heading towards the Troll Road from the E136 motorway (Oslo or Åndalsnes), then you will find yourself at the lowest point of the Troll Road and, surprisingly, you will also see it all, and then overcome it on the rise. The first option seemed more logical to us, but here, as they say, it depends on taste and color...
When to go?
The E136 road in the Troll Staircase area is not year-round. It is guaranteed to be open during the three summer months. The opening and closing times of the road vary each year depending on the weather and snow depth. Before driving, I advise you to look at the current state of the road. There are also statistics by year, which will undoubtedly be useful when planning a trip.
A second trouble may await you, which, unfortunately, cannot be predicted in advance. The weather in Norway is capricious and changeable, there is frequent rain and fog, and low clouds. In such weather, it is better not to go to the Troll Road simply because you will see almost nothing and certainly will not get those bright and thrilling sensations as in good clear weather. I can advise you to first look at the hourly weather forecast in the Troll Road area on the Norwegian weather website.
Well, you can read more about the road itself.
What else to see nearby?
If you are traveling to the Troll Road on road 63 from Geiranger, take the time to stop at the interesting place Gudbrandsjuvet. A large free one is located right next to the highway.
Gudbransüvet
Gudbrandsjuvet is a small, very narrow gorge, about 5 meters wide and 20 meters deep, through which the Valdola mountain river flows.
This place received the name Gudbrandsjuvet, which is difficult for a Russian to pronounce, at the beginning of the 16th century. According to ancient legends, a Norwegian youth named Gudbrand was declared an outlaw for his misdeeds and was forced to flee from his pursuers. His fiancee agreed to go on the run with him. They escaped by jumping over a very deep ravine at the narrowest point, and settled in a small hut in a valley near the river. Since then, this place with the ravine began to be called Gudbrandsuvet. and the valley where the fugitives lived is still called Gudbrandsdalen.
The stormy river created hollows and bizarre bends in the soft rocks, and people built metal bridges and observation decks over the gorge, from which beautiful views open up.
The water in the river is bright blue, surrounded by white lace of foam and the bright greenery of the slopes of the gorge, it looks simply amazing. Near the gorge there is a cafe with an all glass wall facing the gorge and a small gift shop.
Another natural attraction awaits you after crossing the Troll Road on the way to the E136 highway. This is the Troll Wall (Trollveggen) - a vertical cliff more than a kilometer long and 1795 meters high. It is considered the largest vertical rock in Europe and is included in the “Big Wall” list of the most difficult mountain walls in the world for climbers to conquer.
The Troll Wall is visible directly from the highway. There is a large free wall in this place, but not everyone can see this wall in all its glory. We were lucky with the Troll road, but the Troll Wall was hidden behind low clouds.
Well, we're not offended. There will be a reason to return to Norway again.
Where to stay near Troll Staircase?
There are many beautiful and unusual staircases in the world. Perhaps in every country there is one that they are proud of and consider to be their landmark. In cold, snowy Norway, a visit to the winding mountain road called the Troll Staircase is considered a must. Look at the photo - isn't it true, some sections of the road resemble human legs?
How the Troll Ladder was born
The 106-kilometer-long scenic road winds along the mountain slopes in the western part of the country – Vestland. Part of the route is a section of the federal highway connecting the cities of Åndalsnes and Valldal. In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of the Valldalen valley had a problem how to get to the fair in the city of Romsdalen. The circuitous route took several days, and mountain pass was inaccessible to overcome. And finally, in the 18th century, construction began on a short road across the Trollstigen Pass. Construction took several decades due to difficult meteorological and geodetic conditions: snowy winters, short summers, rockfalls, avalanches.
In the summer of 1936, the finished road was accepted by King Haakon VII of Norway himself. The structure was dubbed Trollstigen, which means “Troll Staircase”. The snake of the road at particularly sharp turns is fenced with artificial walls and piles of boulders, which makes it even more decorative.
Why trolls and what kind of animals are they? Fairytale trolls are practically the same for Norwegians as bears are for Russians. Scandinavian legends say that these are giants living in the mountains. More precisely, these are mountain spirits, perhaps even the souls of stones, unkind to people.
Where did the association with these fairy-tale characters come from? If you drive along this road, you will see spiky rocks on the sides. The Norwegians claim that these are fossilized trolls that died from sunlight.
Wonders of the Staircase
Here are a few facts characterizing this unusual road:
- Its height above sea level is 858 meters.
- Along the way, travelers face dangers in the form of eleven sharp turns that only the most experienced drivers can overcome.
- The width of the track is only 3.3 meters. This creates certain difficulties for oncoming traffic.
- Vehicles longer than 12.4 meters are prohibited from driving on the road.
- Along the way, travelers will find another dangerous surprise - the Stigfossen waterfall (the height of the water fall is 180 meters). It falls right under the narrow bridge along which cars drive.
The streams of the Stigfossen waterfall, having reached the ground, turn into a rapid mountain stream. The seething river is tamed in several places by small hanging bridges. Here, among alpine meadow flowers, next to sparkling water splashes and stone boulders, you can spend the whole day taking photos on the swinging bridge.
Note:
Driving along the Staircase is only allowed in the summer months - from May to October.
What's up there?
Having overcome a path full of dangers and reached the top of the mountain, you will be rewarded with an opening view. You will never forget the expanses of the Wolldalen valley, the Romsdal fjord, the Troll Wall, and the city of Oldasnels. The large observation deck is crowded with souvenir shops and ample parking for cars.
This is the highest stone wall in Europe - 1000 meters above sea level. Its conquest is considered the most difficult and dangerous. The Wall was first conquered by climbers from England in 1965; the brave athletes named their new route Rimmon. And now 14 routes have been laid out and are considered the most popular, again, in all of Europe. Fans of jumping from heights - base jumping - chose the Troll Wall for their stunning flights. Norwegian authorities ban this life-threatening form of jumping, but bans don't stop crazy people.
Having reached the observation deck at an altitude of two hundred meters above sea level, tourists are frozen in front of a stunning view of the fjords and mountains of Norway. The platform itself has several ledges-compartments, the outermost of which literally hang on the abyss. Only brave souls dare to approach the glass side of the overhanging part of the site. Hungry travelers can have lunch in a cafe and even swim in one of the pools, which are mounted by steps on the mountainside. The water in the pools is heated by direct sunlight.
Are you interested in today's story? What do you say after watching a breathtaking video about a trip along this truly fabulous mountain Staircase? Even contemplation is breathtaking, and what it’s like for those who rush along the winding narrow road to the top, when adrenaline is raging in the blood, and silent stone trolls stand on the sides of the road, like stern, dumb guards. If you are lucky enough to drive along this road, write and share your impressions.
Tanya writes the reports here, and I just supplement the text with inserts, which are highlighted in green italics.
3. Troll Staircase and Eagle Road
The next morning we got up at seven in the morning and discovered that a Swedish family had camped next door to us during the night. They solved the issue of accommodation in a very interesting way by placing a tent on the roof of the car. As it turned out later, such kits are sold for a wide variety of cars.
Seryozha cooked semolina porridge with raisins and dried apricots for breakfast - in nature, even porridge seems tasty, although at home I eat it a couple of times a year - and, having collected our things, we moved to the first major attraction of Norway - the Troll Staircase.
Along the way, we kept seeing signs for the 1994 Winter Olympics and the 2016 Youth Olympics in Lillehammer. It’s nice that after more than twenty years the country is still proud of the Games. Lillehammer itself is a very small town with a population of 27 thousand people. Almost all of it fits into the photo - across the river on the right.
The road gradually became more and more interesting - mountains, lakes and small waterfalls began to appear.
On the way, we saw a brown sign for the Ringebu bet and, since we were not very limited in time, we decided to stop by. Stavkirka, or frame church, is the most common type of temple in Scandinavia. From the 11th to the 16th centuries, about 1,700 such churches were built in Norway, which began to be demolished after the plague, when the population almost halved, and such large number temples became unnecessary. Only 28 stakes have survived to our time, of which, if I’m not mistaken, we saw three during the trip.
The headquarters in Ringebu dates back to the first quarter of the 13th century - this was established from coins found during archaeological excavations in the 1980s. In total, 892 coins were found during the excavations, most of which are Norwegian, belonging to the period 1217-1263, when Haakon the Old reigned, during which medieval Norway reached highest point your prosperity. Interestingly, among the coins found there were also German, Swedish and Danish. And the oldest dates back to 1020, when England, Denmark and Norway were ruled by Canute the Great.
In 1630, the church was rebuilt in the shape of a cross, and in 1631 a red spire was added to it, which is unusual for a church building.
Entrance to all bets is paid. Specifically in Ringebu - about 6.5 euros per person. We did not go in, as we planned to visit other bets, in Hopperstad and Seim. Near the church there is a well-kept cemetery - if not for the wooden church, then, one might say, it would look like something out of an American movie. We saw the same ones next to other bets.
Moving deeper into Norway, we could not help but notice how nature had become harsher and gained power. Thin streams of waterfalls turned into huge, noisy streams. This is very impressive! Gradually, towards the end of the vacation, we got used to them, but the first powerful waterfalls delighted us to the core.
There are many pocket exits on the roads of Norway. We stopped in one of them to wander around the area a little. A mountain river flowed right next to the road. The water in it (as in many other Norwegian rivers) is so clear and emerald green that you want to swim in it. But in fact, she is very cold.
In the mountainous part of Norway, especially if you come for the first time, you want to stop literally every 500 meters: either a waterfall will appear around the bend, but oddly shaped rocks will appear in the distance, or the emerald green water of the fjord will not let you take your eyes off. Of course, after a couple of days you begin to slowly get used to all this, but even now, during my second visit to the country of the trolls, I took in large gulps of the splendor of the harsh nature.
We arrived at the Troll Staircase for lunch. Trollstigen, as the Norwegians call it, is one of the most visited tourist places in Norway. Trolls greet you even before you approach the first turn of the serpentine road.
We managed to have lunch in comfort at the foot of the mountain - the Trollstigen Camping is located here, on the territory of which there are many wooden tables. Nobody forbids us to occupy one of them for a short time, which is what we did. To be honest, we all felt a little strange, absorbing Rollton against the backdrop of the silent, rugged mountains.
There are also walking routes to the Staircase, but our plan was to get to the top by car along steep serpentines inhabited by trolls. In the parking lot before the start up the mountain there is the only “official” road sign - “Attention! Trolls!”
If you stop on the side of the road 200 meters before the start of the serpentine and walk along one of the paths going into the mountains, you can find a seething mountain river and a forest, ideal for the habitat of trolls and other fairy-tale creatures.
To be honest, I don't know why the road has this name. But looking at the mountains surrounding the valley, it’s easy to imagine how terrible trolls are lurking in the gorges, waiting for dusk to fall and they can go out hunting. According to Norwegian legends, sunlight turns them into stone, and therefore you can drive during the day, in general, without fear. By the way, we took the book “ Fairy tales Norway” for complete immersion in the atmosphere. These tales are cold, at times cruel and bloodthirsty, inhabited by creatures unusual for Slavic peoples: Nisse, Huldra, Draugs... You just expect that while you are sleeping peacefully in your tent, one of them will attack you and drag you into the forest.
The troll road was built in the thirties of the last century, and in 2005 it was included in the List world heritage UNESCO. The route, consisting of 11 hairpins, rises to a height of 858 meters above sea level. The slope is 9%. At times, the road is no more than 3.3 m wide, so there are special pockets along the way to avoid oncoming traffic - and also to take a couple of photos. Due to the danger of the route, it is closed in the winter, so you should come here from mid-May to November.
It is noteworthy that some navigators do not want to route along road 63, on which the Troll Stairs serpentine is located. This may be due to incorrect data on the seasonality of this road in electronic maps.
There are several powerful waterfalls on Trollstigen, one of which (Stigfossen) can be practically touched when turning on one of the hairpins. We touched the water (not on the way, but already at the top) - it was icy!
At the top, travelers will find a large observation deck, parking, restaurant, toilet and many shops with souvenirs. I must say that souvenirs are very expensive. We didn’t even buy magnets, although we usually bring them back from every trip. For example, a pair of socks with the inscription “Norway” cost 1,000 rubles.
There are a lot of tourists on and around the observation deck - most of them are Swedes, Germans and Norwegians themselves. Of course, we can’t do without the Chinese, but still, in Norway there are significantly fewer of them than in any other country we visited - one might even say that there are almost no of them in cities at all. From observation deck you can follow a 5.2 km walking route - however, this was not part of our plans. At this altitude there is snow in some places, and the temperature is about 12 degrees. But Seryozha couldn’t care less - he still wore shorts and a T-shirt. Other tourists looked at him strangely.
It must be said that the second time - after visiting - the mountains are perceived somewhat calmer, although they cause unconditional delight. But, in fairness, from what we have seen before, only the Verdon Gorge can compare with the Troll Staircase in beauty and natural power.
Having crossed the Troll Staircase, we moved further towards the Norddalsfjorden fjord. Along the way we saw signs pointing to the Gudbrandsjuvet waterfalls and decided to stop and take a look. The waterfalls turned out to be small, but very seething and noisy - I like these more than tall ones, but flowing down in thin streams.
It’s true what they say: you can watch the way water flows forever!
Next to these waterfalls, as well as next to the Troll Staircase, there is a souvenir shop with approximately the same assortment. The difference is that prices here are lower, and there are an order of magnitude fewer visitors. In addition, there is also a campsite with the same name as the waterfalls.
And here we first met the “animals” that accompanied almost our entire trip to Norway - huge black slugs. They are nasty, but we have never suffered from them - they did not crawl into our tent, did not crawl on our things, but in campsites we had to constantly watch our feet so as not to step on one. As we found out later, such slugs come in different colors, but black predominates.
When the road passes through small villages and hamlets, it is interesting to observe not only nature, but also how they live local residents. Many of them are engaged agriculture- mainly livestock farming. But there are also many who are engaged in agriculture. We were amazed by the number of fields completely planted with strawberries!
Near each such field there is a tent in which there are strawberries in plastic containers, and next to it there is a bank for money and the price is indicated. No one is watching the strawberries, just like the jar of money. You simply put in the required amount and take the container. Is this possible in Russia?..
We paid 4 euros for the container - it felt like it contained 700-800 grams - and were amazed at the sweet and perfectly even, as if picked, berries. It's 14 degrees outside - how do they do this?! The tent with a red umbrella can be seen in the photo below.
Depending on the season, you can also buy apples, pears and even cherries from these self-service stalls! The latter is very sweet and large, ripens in these latitudes by September. Cherry orchards are located mainly to the south, in the vicinity of the city of Odda.
After gorging ourselves on strawberries, we made it to the Eidsdal-Linge ferry across the Norddalsfjorden fjord without incident. The ferry runs every twenty minutes and helps to significantly save time - a detour would have to take more than 300 kilometers. The ship is very small, literally for 15-20 cars.
When we arrived, loading had just finished, and we had to wait for the next ferry, but during this time we managed to walk around and take photographs.
At this time, a tourist approached us to ask about how to check into campsites. After listening, for some reason he asked: “Are you local?” - the question is a little strange, since he saw ours perfectly Russian license plates.
At 19:20 we finally boarded the ferry. The entire trip takes only 10-15 minutes and costs about 16 euros (price for a car with driver + 3 passengers). Considering that the same route by land will require about 24 liters of gasoline and about 6 hours of continuous driving, the benefits of using a ferry in this case are obvious. The “by water” route is in demand - after twenty minutes of waiting there was a whole queue behind us, so we were glad that we arrived first.
Crossing a fjord by ferry in Norway is as common as crossing a bridge to the other side of a large river in our area. It often happens that the ferry allows several hours of travel time. However, when using this type of transport you need to know some features. The most important of them is the timetable. It may depend on the time of day, as well as the time of year. For example, most routes do not operate after midnight until the early morning, and some ferries have significantly longer intervals or do not operate at all during the cold season (that is, they only operate in the summer months). The ferry schedule can be found on the website of the Fjord1 company, which serves most routes in the region where our route lay.
During the trip, you can go out on the deck to admire the surroundings, however, there is a very strong wind there. Or you can sit in the lounge with tables and chairs.
Having gone ashore, we went to a landmark of Norway no less famous than the Troll Staircase - the Geiranger Fjord, which I will talk about in detail in the next chapter. On this day, before checking into the campsite, only the observation deck on the Eagles' Road (Ørnesvingen) was planned, from which in good weather a panorama of the fjord opens.
The Road of the Eagles is a serpentine road, like the Troll Staircase, consisting of 11 sharp turns, and rising from the town of Geiranger to an altitude of 620 meters above sea level. Interestingly, this road is sometimes used by transport companies to test vehicles.
The road was opened in 1955 and immediately became a popular tourist attraction. At one of the corners, quite recently, in 2006, as part of the National tourist routes“They set up an observation deck, which we visited.
We settled in for the night at Vinje Camping, not far from Geiranger. This campsite is simpler than the previous one. It is much smaller, there are almost no trailers here, but on the contrary there are many tents. Since the place is popular, the campsite is more international: in addition to the Swedes, Germans and Norwegians themselves, we met Czechs, Dutch, English and Danes.
Not far from this campsite there is another proven and inexpensive option accommodation in houses with all amenities - Fossen Camping. But there is no place for tents there. If you are going to search for campsites spontaneously, locally, then a database of European campsites can help you, which can be imported into almost any navigator.
Almost on the campsite there is a fairly large, powerful and noisy Kleivafossen waterfall, which could be translated as “Bend Waterfall”. We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with its noise, but we slept just fine. By the way, one of the tourists pitched her tent right in close proximity to it - she probably likes to sleep to the sound of falling water.
The campsite itself is located in a gorge, so in the evening and at night it still got dark here, although the sky still remained as bright as during the day. For example, we took photographs of the waterfall at ten in the evening - as you can see, they are practically indistinguishable from earlier ones.
Due to the proximity of natural attractions, there were quite a lot of people at the campsite, and we could not find a level place for tents - we also didn’t want to put it too close to other tourists, so we had to choose a place with a slight slope. The main thing is to position it so that your head is higher than your legs, and so as not to roll into the side edge of the tent.
The campsite has all the conditions for long-term living. You can buy canned food, instant noodles, tomato paste, toothbrushes, and cleaning products right at the reception. Accommodation here cost us a little more than 30 euros per night (car + 2 tents + 4 people), a shower costs 1 euro for five minutes.
The campsite has many tables with benches where you can sit for dinner. However, we still used our folding table. It’s convenient - you take a dry table out of the car and put it where you need it, rather than looking for a free one that’s wet from the rain. We dined on rice and canned fish. For convenience, rice (and buckwheat) was bought in bags. At home I can hardly eat a bag of rice, but here I noticed again that the portion seemed too small for me.
In the next chapter we will talk about our first hiking- along the Geiranger fjord.
Each country has its own “pop” attractions. Millions of photographs were taken with them, tens of thousands of photo reports were written about them. Experienced travelers try to avoid them and find something unique. But Troll Road is not one of them. This landmark, traveled far and wide, attracts everyone. And I, as a lover of mountain roads, had already included the Troll Road in the program for a mandatory visit.
Geographically, the Troll Road (also called the Troll Staircase) is located just below the middle of Norway. The nearest big city is Ålesund (or Alesund). This road connects two settlements - Andalsnes and Valdall. The road itself is number 63. This data is enough for you to get your bearings and turn in the right direction. This is what road No. 63 looks like from the village of Åndalsnes:
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You need to drive 5-7 kilometers along the road with this view:
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Closer to the mountains it narrows so much that two cars cannot pass each other. Are you starting to doubt whether this is the right road?
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All doubts disappear when the mountain wall appears before us in all its splendor:
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In Norway, there is a lot to do with trolls; they are a local folklore and fairy tale hero. For example, the mountain that the Troll Road climbs is called Trollhetta. There is also a shelter "Hut in Trollland" (Trollhelmshytta) and a troll church. And the mountain on which the Troll Road is built, on the other hand, is so steep that it really looks like a wall. It was called the Troll Wall (Trollveggen).
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And in the parking lot before going up the mountain there is such a comic road sign “Beware of trolls!”
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One of the natural decorations of this place is the Stigfossen waterfall. Streams of water noisily fall from a height of 180 meters:
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And so, we begin the ascent. One of the unique features of this road is that it is completely visible from below (as in this photo) and from above:
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The road, I must say, is very narrow. In some places the road is a little more than 3 meters wide, and two large cars cannot pass each other. And vehicles longer than 12.4 meters are generally prohibited from passing. The most convenient and safest thing is to drive to the widening of the road and let the oncoming traffic flow through. The photo below shows the road widening at the picturesque stone bridge over the waterfall. The flow of water is so powerful that it sprays water vapor on passing cars:
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If you come here, be aware that the road is only open in the summer. From October to May you cannot get here due to snowfalls:
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The climb continues until this turn:
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And here, at an altitude of 858 meters above sea level, the road straightens out and leads to a large parking lot and a building with souvenir shops (you can see this building in the distance in the photo on the left):
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From it there is a path built for a convenient overview of the Troll Road and the valley:
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Here are the views from this site:
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And a little further on is the same platform hanging over the abyss, from where the best view of the Troll Road is from above:
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And the same view. This frame fits almost the entire serpentine Troll Road, all 11 sharp turns:
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How cool? See for yourself:
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I love these roads:
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They hypnotize me:
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The bridge over the waterfall and the parking lot where we stood recently:
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We return to the car. There is another platform hanging over the stormy waters of the waterfall at the very beginning:
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And the almost lunar landscape reminds us that we are in northern latitudes. To see something like this in the Alps, you need to climb to a height of at least 2500 meters:
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Although the Alps are Alps, the Norwegian landscapes have their own special, harsh charm. We'll talk about this later when I'm ready for a photo report from the North Cape area.
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