The Walks


Map of the area

Each walk described is the easier choice of the two which were on offer.

Monday Brekkendalen : 7 miles, 880 feet of ascent.

Brekkendalen Goats This was a there & back walk taken just to get us acclimatised and I believe for our leaders to assess our capabilities. Conveniently it started from and returned to the hotel. Most of it was along a pretty valley containing two tiny hamlets of three or four houses each. During this we encountered a daring milking herd of goats which was sunbathing on a troll bridge over a rushing stream. Back near the hotel this stream became a strong waterfall on its way down to the Naeroyfjorden valley far below. The waterfall was named after Per Sivle, a highly respected patriot, author and generally good person who had lived close by on his farm.

 

 

Tuesday Above Voss : 6 miles, 660 feet of ascent

WaterfallA three quarter of an hour run in the minibuses tookVoss Church us to Voss. On the way we had paused to inspect this quite dramatic roadside waterfall. In Voss we were allowed half an hour in which to look around. I noticed a newsagent selling a copy of The Times for the near equivalent of £4 : I did not buy it ! All the buildings are modern as the Germans destroyed the town almost completely as a reprisal for acts of resistance carried out elsewhere ( I believe ). Only the fine Gothic church with its wooden steeple escaped but unfortunately we could not see its interior as it was locked. Voss is the area's agricultural centre, but every year it becomes an extreme sports centre for a week when no doubt the large and beautiful lake plays an essential part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cable car We ambled up to the cable car station which View of Vossserves the extensive sking area above, and were soon ascending steeply. At the top there were wonderful vistas of Voss and its lake. A sign pointed the way to a choice of half a dozen pistes but in the warm sunshine it was hard to imagine the area covered in deep snow as it must be for several months each year. The walk which was over a fairly horizontal but rocky path took us past a very pretty tarn with a lonely cottage above it, until a truly magnificent panorama was revealed of the area north of Voss. It was a pity, but our return had to follow the same route.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Tarn above VossPanorama above Voss

 

Wednesday The Flamsbana Railway : 6 miles , 1865 feet of descent

Flam stationThe minibuses took us along the good road in the Naeroy valley and through the 11 km Gudvangren tunnel, then immediately through another one the exit portal of which deposited us into Flam. This village consists almost entirely of a wharf and railway terminus with their associated buildings, set between steep cliffs at the end of the narrow but deep fjord, a destination for many cruise ships. The famous Flamsbana railway climbs 2341 feet to Myrdal which is a junction on the main Bergen to Oslo line. The single track line is a tribute to Norwegian ingenuity and engineering : the line clings to the cliff edge and wanders in and out of numerous tunnels as the train negotiates the 1 : 18 gradient propelled by an electric locomotive at both ends. And joy of joys, the walk commenced with the train ride : no ups today!

 

KjofossenThe train halted at Berekvam, a small halt where there was a loop section of track in order to allow the down train to pass. The next stop was at Kjosfossen where there is an extremely powerful waterfall to view. The passengers were allowed out to do this but for their pains they became drenched with the associated fine spray which arose from the roaring water. A small hydro-electric powerstation was on the other side of the track and this presumably powered the railway.

At Myrdal there were streamlined main line Bergen-Oslo trains waiting but we did not linger to inspect them properly. waterfallsA track from the station led down past a few houses following another fast flowing stream of melt water and consequently as we further descended we encountered several magnificent cataracts. Our route was also a mountain bike route and a few cyclists passed us, all with their brakes on. From time to time we could see the railway above us.

 

 

  

 

 

Eventually we reached a a fairly flat valley with the stream now enlarged to a fast flowing river. After passing a large herd of goats we came to a small farm house set in the most idyllic location imaginable.Idyllic farm

 
We finally reached the station at Berekvam and awaited our train to return us down the short distance to Flam and there we were able to visit the railway museum.

 

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Text & Pictures© 2009 D.C.Adams

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