Tours in the Loen, Stryn & Olden areas
A favourite area of mine as there is just so much than you can do even in just a day here – Norway’s deepest lake, its highest road, its narrowest (and some would say, most beautiful valley), some of its most spectacular mountains, and its largest Viking ship. And that’s even before you think of perhaps its centre piece – Lovatnet and Oldevatnet lakes and the glacier landscape of Jostealsbreen National Park.
Here’s a few ideas of just how much beauty you can take in starting from the Loen, Olden and Stryn areas:
Fjord til fjell (Fjord to Mountain)
In a very short space of time, you can travel from sea level at Olden on to some of highest mountain roads in Norway. Strynefjellsvegen is a gravel road across the mountain to the east with wild and expansive mountain scenery. It is a delight in summer, and spectacular in autumn with all the spectrum of red and orange colours. Although it’s possible to get to Geirangerfjord in a day trip from Loen, I tend not to like to rush things there, but it’s very much possible to take the road up Dalsnibba for the view down into the fjord – an astonishing 1500m (4920 feet) above the water.
Triumph and Tragedy of Nature
Lodalen and Lovatnet are rightly popular – the lake is a favourite of mine despite its popularity – the landscape is just utterly beautiful. But it also hides stories of unbelievable tragedy from the not-too-distant past of the 20th century. Not once, but twice, this lake suffered immense landslides that created tsunami like waves that destroyed local farming communities and killed entire families. Find out the real story hidden in this beautiful landscape with me. Kjenndalsbreen glacier is also here and a place that few venture down to – that means we can have a quieter time to enjoy this amazing sight. Oldedalen is the next-door valley and equally beautiful in many ways. While many visitors take the dash along to see the Briksdalbreen glacier (a sight not the same as it once was, I’m afraid), I prefer to stop way from the crowds around here.
Unlock the beauty of Sunnmøre
And then there is Sunnmøre. If there is an epitome of the idea of hidden gem then this is it. That’s surprising in many respects as back in the 1890s – at the birth of tourism in Norway – it was one of the most special places to visit. For me, it’s area which contains one of Norway’s most beautiful fjords, Hjørundfjorden, some of Norway’s most spectacular mountains, like the Queen of the Sunnmøre Alps – Slogen, and quite possibly, its most beautiful valley, Norangsdalen. A trip around this area is special.
