Day 20 - a fabulous day!

As the forecast said this would be our last sunny day - rain is forecast for the next few days - we decided on a 124 mile drive to the Jostedalsbreen NP and take the walk to the Brisksdalen glacier. The drive on the 15 to Stryn (where diesel was the least expensive so far at 20NK) was dramatic as we drove down through tunnels and swooping bends to the fjords. On the way down we stopped at the Ovstefossen waterfall, cascading down into Hjelledalen valley, to take the 200-metre long foot-path and experience the narrow, roaring, foaming waterfall at a close distance. We clambered down a steep rocky path with a convenient handrail, to reach the viewpoint.

When we reached the fjord the reflections in the water were beautiful - blipworthy for sure. There were clouds hanging above the fjords, gradually dispersing as the sun burned them off. We drove round a long leg of the Innvikfjorden then took the FV724 for 22km in the NP, driving up a narrow steep-sided valley with glaciers peeping over the tops. We passed a pretty stave church in a meadow.

We paid 75NK to park and set off for what was termed an Easy walk to the glacier. It was short, only 3.5 miles round, but stunning. I found I got quite out of breathe - it didn’t seem that steep till we descended and had to hold the handrail in case we skidded on the gravel path. It was a beautiful walk among small birch and alder. Soon we reached a pretty waterfall where we could go right or left, on either side of the glacial stream. Continuing on we saw the glacier appearing, the top in the sun but the narrower lower cleft remaining in the shade. As we walked along there were signs pointing out where the glacier was in the two previous centuries. Eventually we reached the little lake where the glacier had reached in 2006, but already it is much further back up the ravine, having receded much faster in the last 16 years than in the centuries before. It was stunning and was sure to be the blip.

But Mr C had other plans. He hadn’t scared me enough yesterday so decided we’d leave the scary but wide-enough-for-two-vehicles-to-meet-on-hairpin-bends-road and take the FV258, the stunning Norwegian Scenic Route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen (Old Strynefjell Mountain Road) which is a throwback to late-19th century engineering. It’s one of the most famous scenic drives in Norway. The road is mostly unpaved, and is single-track. It’s 16.77 miles long. In places this stretch is narrow -only about 11ft and there are 27 hairpin bends as it winds its way up to the gorgeous plateau. It is a chaussee, typical of its time, built on sloping dry-stone road walls aligned to fit the terrain in the magnificent natural landscape. The hairpin bends of course were scary but there were amazing views back down the way we’d come and we reached a height almost equal to the jagged glacier peaks in the distance. As we drove higher autumn colours were stunning and the sun sparkled on the streams and beautiful lakes. It was a landscape like no other I have seen. We decided to stay up here tonight (blip) and have found a lovely spot with a view of snowy rounded hills. I’ll think about the way down in the morning. What a fabulous day !