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Inset is a tiny hamlet in northern Norway, well inside the Arctic Circle, and when I say tiny, the central area has four buildings, and three of them belong to Regina and Bjorn who own and run the Husky Farm.
Go in December and as you touch down in Bardufoss, 60km or so from Inset, you will notice as you leave the plane that you are walking not on tarmac but on a solid sheet of gritted ice. The first thing you feel is the cold, as suddenly the reason so many brightly coloured Puffa jackets peppered the plane becomes clear. Ask a local what the temperature is, "15 C" they will reply - to have to say "minus" every time would just be a waste of breath.
When you turn off the two track road that leads all the way back to Oslo, you leave street lights and civilization behind you, and enter the astonishing black of the arctic night. One hour later and you pull into the Husky Farm, a warming glow permeating through the little windows in the wooden buildings whose roofs are covered with grass; a chorus is there to greet you as the 70 or so husky dogs howl to mark your arrival.
Bjorn and Regina have an amazing log cabin which you can rent by the week. It is entirely made of wood and has a wood burning stove which must be permanently lit as the flue travels through the bedroom and kitchen making sure the heat is distributed around the whole building. It is a picture of comforting isolation, nestled in a valley with hills becoming mountains on either side, snow drifts come up to the windows. There is no sound other than the dogs and the wind, and no light bleeds into the sky, so undisturbed views of the aurora borealis are possible. Indeed on the second night of our visit I opened the front door and saw beams of light coming from behind the mountains and flooding the sky with dancing hues of blue and green. The lights performed for me for 20 minutes and then disappeared, quite suddenly and quite mysteriously.
The few hours of twilight that the sun offers at these latitudes must be used to the full. If you book for the Husky Farm Holiday you will get to experience leading your own team of dogs as you sledge over the frozen lakes into the abyss of the arctic landscape. The sky is one hundred colours at the same time, the light is ethereal, and the seclusion is absolute. You come to trust and rely on your dogs as only they hold the key to unlocking some of the secrets of the scenery and beauty of this most remote of locations.
If you are looking for glorious isolation, and some private time with nature, look no further.
Inset, Bardu, Norway
www.huskyadventure.com
I have been on the Norwegian Coastal Cruises twice and the first time I saw the Lights. They were wonderful to watch as we sailed silently between the snow-clad islands. Try a smaller boat as I enjoyed it more being on my own and they do trips with no single supplement.
I saw the Northern Lights in Svalbard. It’s a wonderful place where you can see many of them. The landscape there is stunning and being over 78°N, you live the experience of the polar night which is perpetual darkness - where else to watch Northern Lights?
I would recommend Tromso in north Norway. Book a tour with local guide Kjetil Skogli. He's not the cheapest but is worth every penny. He takes you out in a small group (6/8 maximum) in a minibus anywhere where the weather will be clear – other companies have a fixed base somewhere near Tromso, so if it's cloudy there but clear 30 miles away then tough!
One hint to photograph the aurora: take a tripod, a fast wide lens and a camera that will let you use long exposures (10 to 30 seconds) with a remote cable to avoid camera shake.
Eplet Hostel is set in the middle of a working orchard (complete with two pet sheep) overlooking Sognefjord, the second-longest fjord in the world. The views are jaw-dropping and the apple juice is to die for.
It's run like a home by the very hospitable Henrik. Family and private rooms are available within the house while a (cheaper) dormitory is located in the roof of a former barn within the grounds. Camping is possible. Facilities are basic but lovingly attended. In addition to the usual internet, television and kitchen/bathrooms there are hammocks, mini golf and free mountain bikes.
There's plenty to do nearby, including day trips to Urnes stave church (a Unesco world heritage site) and a waterfall, great bike routes, apple picking, juice making, and of course gazing at that gorgeous fjord view with a fresh glass of cider.
A lady in Bergen tourist office recommended this place to us and she really knew what she was talking about. It made our trip.
Eplet Bed and Apple
Solvorn
Western Norway
E-mail: trondhenrik@eplet.net
Tel: + 47 4164 9469
Website: www.eplet.net
You can reach Solvorn by public transport. Further details on the website.
This is an interesting walk or cycle ride to do, especially in the evening, when the blue walkway lights are on. The blue promenade is a lovely way to bring together all the little harbours around the centre of the city.
From Badedammen all the way to Bjergsted, approximately three km. Here is a free (non-commericial) map: www.stavanger-guide.no/maps/maps_english/city.pdf
Views of the city and its fjord to die for from this bar on the 21st floor. A stylish and suited downtown crowd gathers here at sunset to watch the light fade and the neons come on all over the city, supping sophisticated concoctions from a long (and, as it’s Scandinavia, suitably pricey) cocktail list. Male vertigo sufferers should stick to short measures: the urinals are built into glass walls looking out over the abyss.
Pleasant art and photography gallery, which sells and exhibits work by local artists, as well as housing illuminating photos documenting Odda and Tyssedal, pre, post and during industrialisation.
A friendly place to stay on the edge of Odda. Facilities and atmosphere are reminiscent of a superior youth hostel, and all the more welcoming for it. All rooms are ensuite and breakfast and evening meals are served. There is also a bar and occasional live music events.
The guesthouse's situation gives you a good opportunity to drink in the magnificient scenery and, if this whets your appetite for getting up close and personal with nature, an adventure sports company based at Vasstun offers all sorts of outdoor thrills and spills.
Helicopter company Airlift offer a number of flight itineraries from their base in Kinsarvik. It’s a thrilling way to survey the fjord, swooping low through canyons, over the water and soaring above the mountains to where the Hardangervidda begins.
During the winter this sizeable mountain plateau is a cross-country skier’s heaven. In summer, when the snow melts, the land takes on a slightly barren and desolate appearance but a network of marked trails and rest huts open it up as a hiking destination. A popular jaunt is the six-hour round trip to the Trolltunga (Troll’s tongue), a dizzying outcrop of rock where those with a strong stomach can stand and enjoy an impressive panorama.
A restaurant situated on a farm, nestled appealingly at the bottom of a valley a short drive from Odda. It's run by the Herculean figure of Anders Gavle who also works the farm and prepares the meat which appears on the unashamedly carnivorous menu.
Gavle took over the farm after the previous occupants were murdered in a botched robbery. The absence of a proper road linking the farm to the main highway probably increased its vulnerability and isolation so the man-mountain simply built one himself and then set about making the restaurant he runs with his wife, Marit, a success.
The couple ensure a jolly atmosphere, although the revelry is overseen beadily by several excellent example of taxidermy, including an enormous moose head and a prehistorically-sized crow, the latter lending a suitably gothic touch given the building’s history. Anders also doubles as an enthusiastic local historian and archivist and will proudly show off his impressive collection of old photographs.
For 60 Krone you can get a pass for 24 hours which you can use on buses, trams, the metro and ferries. Especially good is to take a "mini cruise" around the islands in the bay. Also go up the hill on metro Line 1 to Frognerseteren for great views over the city.
All transport stations
The Steinkjerr church is amazingly beautiful!
Steinkjerr, Trondheim, Norway
Avoid using the Airport Express Train (flytoget) from the airport to the city. Instead use the local train which is half the price and takes only an extra six minutes.
Avoid using the Airport Express Train from the airport to the city. Instead use the local train which is half the price and takes only an extra six minutes.
According to their website, the DNT is Norway's largest outdoor activities organisation. Their work includes maintaining a fantastic network of marked hiking trails and running 144 mountain lodges, linked by these (and other trails).
We have just returned from a week hiking in Jontunheimen and cannot praise the DNT highly enough. I have never seen such an organisation so successful at making the wilderness accessible with minimal disturbance to the natural environment.
The trails are well-marked and maintained and where we used trails not maintained by the DNT, staff were nevertheless able to advise on them. The level of service at the fully staffed lodges we used was extraordinary and not too expensive (by Norwegian standards!). And how good is it to come off a mountain, knowing that a comfortable bed, three course meal, hot showers, and effective drying room are waiting for you? The DNT prides itself in never turning anyone away.
We were walking as a family with two under twelves, so didn't undertake any really major climbs, but the DNT also organises tours of the high peaks etc.
All the activities we undertook, we could have done as non-members, but joining the DNT meant serious discounts on accommodation costs as well as the ability to secure beds when the lodges were nearly full. If you are venturing deeper into the mountains and staying at unstaffed lodges, I think you need to be a member to get a key to the lodges.
This place is on the roof of Norway. It is only accessible by train - the mainline Bergen to Oslo.
Fantastic hotel Finse 1222 with great views over glacier. The walks along the old navvy road are excellent.
"The roof of Norway"
Use Hotel Finse 1222 as a base for adventures in the Norwegian mountains.
There are excellent walks and cycling opportunities along the old Navvy Road. Ask the stationmaster for the best routes by hopping from station to station - they are spaced about 15km apart.
The walk from Hallingskeid to Myrdal, down through the tree line, is unmissable, while, the railway museum at Finse is incredibly informative.
This hotel is only accessible by train on the Oslo - Bergen mainline. See:
www.finse1222.no/Engelsk/index.htm
Student cafe doing good Italian food at a very reasonable price for this expensive country.
Near the University.
Christiesgaten 13, 5015 Bergen
Map: tinyurl.com/257ll2
Excellent, good value Vietnamese food in a small cafe out of the centre just up the hill from the station on the way to the University.
Very welcoming.
Stromgaten 26, 5008 Bergen
Tel : 0047 55 32 14 38
Map: tinyurl.com/2yrgzq
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