There was a dusting of snow overnight in Trondheim so it was a fresh blanket of white – perfect for a hike in the hills. We did a very Norwegian activity of hiking to a “warming hut” – a wee stop for solbærtoddy (hot blackcurrant), hot cocoa, and cinnamon scrolls! This hut was called Grønlia and had a lovely view over (frozen) Skjellbreia Lake. The sun was out and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike.
We then spent hours at a swimming pool with a beautiful view over Trondheim Fjord.
There were lots of different pools, 3 water slides, a wave pool, a rock climbing wall, multiple spas, and a series of diving boards. Our crazy kids jumped off the 7.5 metre high diving board so I felt like I needed to too – jeepers it was a long way down! The swimming pools are expensive in Norway but they have great facilities and it’s a good opportunity for a hot shower and a hair wash – we ended up visiting 4 different pools in 4 weeks.
We spent the night parked at the Trondheim fire station. Everywhere we go, firefighters are always so welcoming, keen to proudly show us their station and latest equipment, and are eager to help with filling our campervan water and drinking water bottles.
From Trondheim we headed to Steinkjer, where we hiked up Oftenåsen to the ‘world’s largest garden chair’. The path was VERY icy (thank goodness for our spikes) but it was absolutely filled with wooden sculptures of trolls and animals all the way up. It was a fun walk/bum slide/sled down too! It was a beautiful day and the views were gorgeous.
Zara made this wee collage video of all the sculptures (press play):
For the next 4 days, we took County Road 17 (the coastal scenic route) rather than the highway, which included six ferry crossings ranging from 13 minutes to nearly 2 hours. This road took us through rolling farmland, idyllic fishing villages, gorgeous mountain passes, and into the Arctic Circle. The fjords were like mirrors, with water so clear you couldn’t tell if the sea stars and urchins on the bottom were 2 or 20 metres deep. The sky was perfectly blue or filled with glorious clouds or stunning sunsets. The rocks were made for exploring and were covered in colourful lichens and mosses or periwinkles and barnacles, and even ancient rock paintings. We saw sea eagles and reindeer, drying fish and wooly sheep, tunnels and bridges that were incredible works of engineering. Whilst there were times that we laughed at how unsuitable our huge camper was for the winding winter roads, we gasped and whooped at the beauty of it all!
The placement of this lawn mower next to this grassy-roofed shed made me laugh a lot!
The final leg of this journey took us to Saltstraumen, home of the world’s most powerful maelstrom. With the change of tide, every 6 hours, almost 400 million litres of water pass through a 3 km long and 150 metre wide strait between Saltfjorden and Skjerstadfjord. The water can move at speeds of up to 40 km/h. In the maximum flow of these currents, several whirlpools are produced that reach up to 10 metres wide and 5 metres deep. We tried to play Poohsticks but our sticks didn’t stand a chance against the power of the whirlpools!
There was also a beautiful sundog (refraction of light through ice crystals causing rainbows equidistant from the sun). Could Norway be any more beautiful?
