Picturesque Eidfjord

This pretty village is situated at the end of the Eidfjorden, an inner branch of the large Hardangerfjorden with steep mountains cradling the scattered houses. When we arrived the water was a fabulous deep, deep green and totally calm and as I hadn't booked any excursions I spent a relaxing and most enjoyable day wandering around the centre, enjoying an art gallery and a couple of shops before heading off inland a bit to explore the area more closely. However before I ventured further I noticed a stall where the owner had to keep covering her wares with polythene to keep off the rain - she was a quilter and knitter and naturally I got into conversation with her and was horrified to find out how much she had to pay for her fabric and wool. One ball of knitting wool set her back the equivalent of £10!

As i returned to the good ship Boudicca and quite near to where the ropes were tautly in control of keeping the ship safe from wandering into the fjord, I spotted what appeared to be a mass of kindling. On further inspection I realised that it was in fact a superb rendering of a reindeer.

After a really delightful day we set off to explore the fjord and the captain took us very close to the steeply wooded side of the mountain to marvel at the splendid Voringsfossen, a most spectacular waterfall with a freefall of 145 metres.