Norway, 2001

Pete Dew

Day One, 30/06/01

It had taken us three days to get here. Traveling first by ferry from Belfast to Stranraer, driving across England to Newcastle, a second ferry to Bergen and then a drive over the mountains to arrive at our starting point Vik, a small town set at the base of a valley surrounded by wooded hills and Sognefjord itself.

We had packed and repacked the boats several times the night before, making last minute decisions on what to bring and what not to bring. A few discarded kitchen sinks later, we were eventually ready.

After a late breakfast we took the boats across the road for the start of the trip. It had rained most of the morning but just as we set off from the harbour the rain stopped, a good omen I thought.

It was great to be under way at last. The weather was over cast but the scenery made up for it. The boats were full and set low in the water but handled really well. We set our sights on Balestand and into a light wind and a slight chop we started to cross the fjord. As we reached the middle of the fjord we had great views in every direction. We stopped about midway across and started what was to become the traditional daily lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches.

We reached Balestrand around 17:30 and set off to find a campsite. We found the tourist office and the staff were more than helpful but told us the only site was about a two kilometers back down the fjord. Having exited our boats, that wasn't what we wanted to hear but luckily there was an alternative. We were given the address of a lady who rented out cabins and after a quick inspection and price inquiry we moved in.

The town itself was pretty much deserted as was most of the small towns we passed through. With all the shops closed our first night was spent fishing by the fjord with first blood going to Mark! We spent a very comfortable night, much better than camping I thought and wondered how many more cabins we could get during the trip.

Day Two, 28/06/01

Next morning we returned to the tourist office and booked another cabin in Leikanger which was our next stop. Last nights catch was on the breakfast menu which was enjoyed by all.

The water was flat calm and with no wind we started for Leikanger. Stevie and Richie had left first, we soon joined them and had our first run in with one of the many passenger ferries which cruise the fjords. It was a case of closing up to make sure we would be seen and then keeping a watchful eye on it's direction. As we paddled on we saw the first sighting of the fjord's wildlife, leaping from the water just in front of us was a salmon. We also saw the first several waterfalls during this leg.

The weather was on the change. With the wind increasing the sea developed a nice "chop". As we pushed on a mist was quickly followed with rain, so without a break we reached Leikanger mid afternoon. We found our campsite which was about a kilometer from the shore. We also had use of a hut right beside our get out point and this proved invaluable. We were able to hang our wet gear up to dry it also gave us a fantastic place to cook our evening meal, a rather tasty chilli and rice, right on the waters edge.

We went for a walk around Leikanger after a dinner. Once again we found very few people around and no shops. It does have a very pretty church and graveyard and a hotel which served us coffee. We returned to the cabin which had a great view across the fjord and watched the weather continue to deteriorate wondering if we would be able to make the crossing to Fresvik the following day. With little else to do we all had an early night.

Day Three, 29/06/01

We woke to find a flat sea and no wind, the weather had been good to us again. We had breakfast by the waters edge, packed our boats and headed straight across the fjord. The crossing was very pleasant with Richie and myself leading the way. We had a short break on the other side and then turned toward Fresvik. This was the best part of the days paddle. Fresvik lay in the centre of a large bay and below steep mountains with the lower hills covered in forest.

This was our shortest days paddling and we reached Fresvik just after lunch time. A quick visit to the shop for our usual ham and cheese lunch and then off to find a campsite. With very few people around I found a couple out tending their garden. They pointed us toward a narrow strip of ground on the right side of the bay. Richie and I went to investigate and found it to be perfect.

We set up camp, our first night under canvas, at least we were right beside the waters edge and had a great view of the fjord. We even had a picnic table to eat from, it could hardly be better. We tried our hand at fishing again but this time without success.

Day Four, 30/06/01

We had to wait until 09:00 for the shop to open for supplies for the day ahead. Once loaded up we set off in good spirits with a flat sea , no wind and a little sunshine. This was to be our longest days paddle - 34km into one of Norway's most spectacular fjords.

We headed north, back into Sognefjord and then turned south into Aurlandsfjord which is much smaller but more dramatic. Again, we watched fish jump and Davy's boat was crossed with a porpoise, this was what we had come for! Making our way south east we met the headland above Stigen where the fjord spilt in two, we went right into Naeroyfjord which is truly magnificent. After a lunch in a boulder field of, you guessed it, ham and cheese we continued into the fjord. The weather changed and soon it was raining with a low mist forming. This could do nothing to dampen our spirits, it just gave an added atmosphere to the towering walls around us. We continued to paddle the length of the fjord passing the odd sign of life and a couple of passenger ferries, once again we came together to make sure we would be seen. We found a seal pup on the waters edge just below a tent, not wanting to scare it we kept a good distance. We later met the tent owners, a family also out kayaking, who told us the pup had been injured, most likely by one of the ferries.

One thing we all found difficult was judging distances from ourselves and the walls on each side. The ferries which gave us concern had miles of room to pass us but being so low we all felt a little vulnerable to their size, we got a better insight to this while traveling back to Vik to pick up the cars on one of these ferries. 

So on to the end of the fjord and after a long day we were glad to see Gudvangen and a rather inviting tourist shop/restaurant with cabins for rent. These turned out to be well out of our budget, so we left the kayaks taking some gear and headed about 3km inland to find cheaper accommodation. After a cold shower , (shows how cheap it was) we headed back to the restaurant for a great meal.

Day Five, 01/07/01

We woke to find a low mist but beautiful sunshine, today was going to be warm. Back to the waters edge and a long breakfast admiring the mist filled fjord. It would have been nice to paddle right then with the mist all around us but for safety we waited until it cleared. 

When the mist cleared we started the paddle back along Naeroyforden. With the sun shinning we were given a completely different fjord from yesterday's overcast and mist-filled one. It was a great day for paddling and we were going to enjoy it. Mark and Davy stopped and climbed one of the waterfalls, Stevie, Richie and I headed for the fjord's museum called Styvi Gaurdsmuseum. A tall elderly man showed us around a barn filled with various farming antiques and then around his house which had not seen any change for many years. The most interesting building was a small butter house with many original tools inside.

Davy and Mark had arrived by now and we left them to look round as we headed back to water for lunch. A long lunch later spent basking in the sun and watching the ferries pass, we moved back along the fjord. As we turned out of Naeroyforden and into Aurlandsfjord we met two local sea kayakers, we stopped and had a chat and were given directions to a campsite south of Stigen. Our second night under canvas proved to be the best night of the trip. After a really nice days paddle we made camp right on the waters edge. Mark went off to collect mussels and returned to cook them with garlic as an appetizer. 

We collected drift wood and had a fire going in no time. It was a warm summers evening and we laid back and watched the world go by, well a few ferries and a small fishing boat. We again turned our hands to fishing but alas with no success. The best was still to come, for as we fished away happily we were passed by none other than the QE2.Fishing rods quickly dropped, cameras searched for in a panic to record the moment, it gave us a talking point while sitting round the camp fire along with Mark and Davy's theory of ships going 'downhill'. As the evening passed the "craic" was great and we headed to bed after midnight.

Day Six, 02/07/01

Our last day of the trip, I couldn't wait to get on the water. It was like glass and with the sun shining it looked perfect. With Mark, Richie and Davy still packing their boats, Stevie and I headed out together. Of the whole trip this section was special. With the sun, flat water and fantastic scenery, the only sound to be heard was two sets of paddles gliding through the water it was truly a classic day for paddling. 

We passed the small town of Stavkyrkje Undredal on our right, then continued forwards on the left bank. We stopped in Aurlandsvangen beside a little pier and if memory serves me right we had the first soaking of the trip when someone fell in exiting their boat.

Aurlandsvangen is a nice little town , we saw more people here in one afternoon than we had seen since leaving Bergen. We walked around, had coffee and some lunch. I can still see Richie sitting on the veranda of the restaurant wearing his long-johns which he had been paddling in all week, in fact I can still smell them. We visited the local museum and then the tourist office to book our accommodation in Flam.

Mark and I set off at a fair pace on the last leg of the journey to Flam. We wanted to make the last ferry back to Vik to collect the cars. The others caught up not far from Flam, by now we all realized this was our trip over and I'm sure we all had their own thoughts about it. For me, it was too short, another couple of days would have been nice! This was also the case for Mark and Davy, who both would have liked at least another days paddling. After returning to Bergen we set for Tysso, a small fjord north of Bergen for a single days paddle which really finished the trip for us on a high.

We reached Flam mid afternoon, a picturesque town set at the end of the fjord, full of tourists. As we arrived, an Italian cruise ship was leaving, we were in the process of having a closer look when she started her engines and reversed. There was a moments panic as we paddled clear to admire her from a safe distance. We beached the kayaks, lifted some gear and headed to the campsite. After a quick wash Mark, Richie, Stevie and I made it back to the ferry with minutes to spare. The journey back to Vik was interesting, it retraced most of our trip and gave us an opportunity to relive the previous week. It was during this trip we were able to get a better judge of the distances between the fjord walls and see that unless there was a heavy mist or we were stupid, the ferries would never have come close to us.

The next day we headed for Bergen to catch the ferry home, the highlight of that journey was running out of petrol nearing Stranraer and having to use the fuel in the Sigg bottles to get us to a petrol station.

We arrived in Belfast in the early hours of the following day, all tired but already planning the next trip.

Pete Dew