Travel: Hiking Glaciers in Norway

Travellers often go to dangerous places but none as perilous as the world of social media. One trip to Instagram can have you aching for the Amazon or going loopy over Uluru – I once booked flights to China because of a single Facebook photo.

The fantastic shots we see are usually from the other side of the world but sometimes adventurers get lucky and stumble across a wonder closer to home. One such place is the fjords of Norway.

Norway has a coast like no other; its 100,915km coastline could wrap round the earth two and half times and is the second longest in the world after Canada, meaning it beats Australia, Antarctica and even Russia. Needless to say, there’s a lot to explore so where do you start?

Bergen: Art and Appetite

Only one place can claim the title of “Gateway to the Fjords”: Bergen. Norway’s second-largest city stands on the southwest coast and is a city of colour and culture, with a lot more to offer than just the world-famous rickety port houses of Bryggen.

It has an extraordinary network of five art galleries called KODE, the harbour market is the perfect spot for foodies to enjoy straight-off-the-boat seafood but more importantly than Munch or munchies, Bergen is a great base for accessing the fjords.

You can hike the best bits of a single ford in a long weekend but it’s not for the laid-back. We rented a car from the airport and headed straight for the Hardangerfjord, Norway’s second-longest and the world’s fourth-longest fjord stretching 178km inland from the Atlantic.

Driving legally in Norway is a somewhat slow process; the roads are excellent but small and winding so limits can trickle down to a crawling 30kph. Neither the speed limits nor blind bends seem to slow down the natives though. The jury’s out on whether they’re insane or extraordinary.

Kinsarvik: The Four Falls

The drive to the Hardangerfjord town of Kinsarvik isn’t always scenic. The road runs under massive mountain ranges and the tunnels are so extensive they contain multiple roundabouts but eventually you emerge onto the kind of scenery social media was made for.

Kinsarvik is home to the Husedalen hike – a 4-5 hour return trek scaling up four thundering waterfalls. Our packed schedule meant setting out the evening we arrived but necessity turned out to be a blessing: watching the sun set over Hardangerfjord from the highest fall was the highlight of the whole trip.

Thankfully every step of this uphill slog is rewarding; because you’re wending your way up past waterfalls, there’s always something spectacular to see.

It’s also accessible to even the most unathletic adventurers. You can drive straight past the advertised car park to the Tveitafossen, the first falls at the base of the hike. From there you can walk up the gravel road to the tip and the secondary Nyastølfossen is already in sight.

If you can’t handle the whole hike, choose your own waterfall finish line but the dusk views from the final snow-dusted Sotefossen plateau are unbeatable.

Husedalen is mistakenly overlooked by hikers heading down the fjord for the infamous Trolltunga trek, leaving this beautiful hike quiet and calm for those in the know.

Folgefonna: Glaciers Up Close

Our second hike was hidden across the fjord and further south past Odda, the only (and somewhat forgettable) proper town on the Hardangerfjord. At the top of a long and wobbly dirt track is Buarbreen and the Folgefonna glacier – a hulking great ice lake inching its way over the national park.

Folgefonna has to be one of the most accessible glaciers on earth; you can see it from the car park and a three-hour return walk will have you splashing about in icy waters at the glacier’s base.

Word to the wise: dress warmly. The hike begins through woods along a stone-strewn river but starts to scale upwards along broad rock faces and crags.

Some of the steeper ones have ropes to help you ascend (gloves are a godsend) but don’t let that sound daunting – even puppies were powering up this one. The hardest part is deciding which way to look: towards the mesmeric mass of ice up ahead or the river-carved green valley behind. After picnicking in the cold winds off the glacier, we headed down and visited the roaring Låtefossen.

These treks are the perfect antidote to the tougher Trolltunga trek – not everyone wants to hike up mountains and through snow for 10 hours straight.

They’re comparatively untouched, far quieter and show totally different sides to the glorious Hardangerfjord. Of course it’s nigh-on impossible to go all that way and not want to tackle the Trolltunga but that’s a trekking tale for another time.

London flights to Bergen start from £80 return. Make sure to check trekking seasons and kit up carefully.

Norway is an expensive country to visit but you can camp anywhere for free and the quiet life on the Hardangerfjord is the perfect reason to opt for an Airbnb and make your own meals.

 

by Jo Davey

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