Norway - October 2025

Our rearranged holiday to Norway eventually arrived, and we were both really looking forward to it. 

We set off really early to Manchester Airport, expecting there to be lots of traffic going over the Woodhead Pass, and although there were some delays, we arrived around 4 pm which was as good as we could have expected.

The Meet and Greet we’d booked wasn't that easy to find. Signposting was really poor, and there was no ‘meet’. You had to go and park your car and then find the reception to hand in your key. After getting out of the car, finding reception was also a challenge, with one member of airport staff sending me to the completely wrong place. Eventually, though, we found it, and the key was handed in around 4:30 pm. Now 4 hours to our flight.

Unfortunately, our flight was delayed by an hour due to an earlier delay from Copenhagen. In addition, Storm Amy had crossed the UK and was heading over the North Sea, so we were expecting a bad flight across. Our fears came to the fore, and the weather stopped us from landing in Bergen. After two failed attempts on our ‘roller coaster’ of a plane, the pilot announced that we were going to have to divert to Oslo and stay there overnight. Some people did not like the turbulence, and one person was taken ill and had to have treatment.

We stayed in the Hotel Clarion in Oslo, just a few miles from the airport. We didn't arrive, though, until around 3:30 am that morning, so we had a little sleep and had to spend most of the next day, the Saturday, just waiting around to go back to Bergen airport on the 5:20 p.m. flight. Donna was really pleased on this flight as we had the pilot from the previous night's flight sitting next to her on the plane, and a ‘dishy’ chap he was too…Donna’s words, not mine, of course.

By the time we arrived back in Bergen and picked up the car from SiXT, it was around 7:15 pm when we were heading north to get to our first accommodation in  Forde.

We arrived there around 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm. We were worried on the way up as we expected to miss the ferry by a couple of minutes, but we later discovered that a coach driver had phoned ahead to ask for the ferry to wait for them. So we were fortunate that we didn't have to wait another hour for another ferry. It was funny when on the ferry, the coach driver told me I was driving too slowly, and that meant he had to phone ahead.

I slept like a log that first night, which was great. I was really refreshed as we had a long drive up to Alesund planned for the next day.

We made quite a few stops on the way up, as today's weather wasn't too bad, at least in the morning. On our way, we made a couple of detours, one to a waterfall and viewing point called Holvikfossen, and also to another called Twinnefossen, one that you can go underneath, but we didn’t as it meant clambering over a few wet rocks. Today, we had to use two ferries on our journey. 

As we arrived so late and we hadn't been able to get anything to eat on the way up, we went and had a pizza. It was absolutely gorgeous, but a bit too big even for me to be honest. However, it did last for lunch the next day. Donna was much more sensible and went for a reasonably sized option.

On Monday, we had another full day out, heading north through Molde up to the Atlantic road. It’s a famous road, only about 5 miles long, but famous for one bridge that goes high up, crossing the stormy waters below, and in winter, the waves can really crash high up over that bridge. It was a sight to see. We had a couple of stops there, and had our lunch overlooking the sea. Today's ferry ride was slightly longer, about 35 minutes each way, so we had time to relax in the cabin of the ship. 

We decided to have more of a chill day on Tuesday. At least that's what we said we’d do. In Donna's TripAdvisor, there was an old lighthouse made of wood about a 30-minute drive away, on a small island. So we decided to head over there in the murky, wet weather. Unfortunately, when we got there, the whole of the lighthouse was covered in scaffolding and netting, obviously under repair, which was a little disappointing to say the least. However, we visited a small art exhibition at a visitor centre there, and then sat and had lunch just looking out across the water, with the waves crashing against the rocky beach below. It’s amazing sometimes how you can enjoy doing something so simple.

We then headed back to our house in Alesund. We got back around 1 pm and decided to spend a couple of hours before heading down into the town for a walk around, and then go to the burger box for tea, and then maybe up onto the hill to look over the town when it was lit up at night.

After a chilled time back at the house, we decided to head down into Alesund for a walk around and to go to the Greedy Box for a burger for tea, as planned. 

However, even though we parked right outside the Greedy Box within the time it was supposed to be open, it wasn't. So we decided to have a walk around the town anyway and ended up going to Lamella and having an ice cream before we walked back to the car. It's a lovely little town, with lots of history after being burnt down around 100 years ago. Some of the Art Deco houses are beautiful.

Luckily, when we arrived back at the car, the Greedy Box was open, so we headed in. We both had a cheeseburger with Parmesan fries and a glass of Fanta before heading back in the direction of home. It wasn’t the best, it wasn’t the worst.

After filling our faces, we decided to go to the viewpoint up above the city, or should I say town on the hill. We drove up the hill to Askjal viewpoint, where we waited for about an hour just as the sun was starting to set, and then we took a few photos and headed back home for the night. It was, I must admit, rather windy and cold up there, but worth it for the views.

And so on to Wednesday, a special day for me as it's 11 years since my dad died. So always a day when I think back to all the great memories of when he was with us.

Even though it was raining really heavily, the forecast was for the second half of the afternoon to be a little bit clearer, so we headed inland. Firstly, going to Gudbrandsjuvet Ravine, where we spent a little bit of time enjoying the force of the waters as they channelled through the narrow ravine. We then continued and went down the infamous Trollstigen Pass, a road full of switchbacks right down to the valley bottom, which was interesting to say the least. And as a bonus, there is a waterfall that crosses beneath the road on the way down.

We then continued over to Altanes. The point of going there was that I wanted to get the Rosdalen cable car up to Rampresteken Viewpoint, but also just to look at another of the lovely small Norwegian towns. Donna didn't want to go up; she's a little bit wary of cable cars, so I jumped on and was soon heading up into the clouds. It was £42 for a return trip and took 5 minutes to get to the top, where I spent about an hour in total. I spent some time taking in the views from all around. The light was trying to fight through the clouds, which provided rays of sunshine breaking through into the valleys; those views alone were worth the trip up. I came down after having a Mocha drink and a piece of apple cake overlooking the fjord.

On the way down, I was chatting to a young lad from Nottingham who was spending time living in Oslo doing part of his university degree. He'd been on a long hike really high in the hills and got stuck in a snowstorm, saying that at one point, said he was really scared because of the conditions. Having been up there and looking across the snow-covered mountain tops, I can understand what he meant.

When I got back down, I met Donna, who was waiting at the bottom, and then we headed back the same way that we'd come earlier in the day. 

At Trollsteigen, it was now much clearer, so we got great views from up above. We walked out along the metal paths and out onto the viewpoints, which provided a great view over the valley below, and the snake-like path that we had both been down, and then back up.

It was now around 6:30 p.m., so it was time to head back to Alesund. It was around a 2-hour drive back, so just a few stops along the way as the light really started to fade into darkness, and we arrived back around 8:30 p.m. Quite a tiring day, so I, for one, couldn’t wait to get to bed.

Today, Thursday, it was our last full day in Alesund, so we didn't plan a great deal, particularly as the weather was wet and windy. In the morning, we headed over to the aquarium, which is out quite exposed on a peninsula and has the largest seal pool in Europe, apparently. We had a great time there. We saw penguins and some seals, although they were quite shy; although the highlight was the otters. They were having a great time chasing each other and playing in the pool. It was mesmerising just watching them, and trying to keep up with what they were doing as they were so quick. 

On the way back, we had our picnic lunch over on the peninsula overlooking the rough seas, watching the waves dance around. We popped to the supermarket to get some groceries, and in the afternoon and evening did nothing except relax. Donna packed some stuff in the case, ready for travel day tomorrow, Friday. I went and lay in bed for a couple of hours, and we just watched TV at night, and read. 

So tomorrow, Friday, we leave Alesund and head over in the direction of Stryn for our new home for a few days.

So, on to Friday, and travel day down to Stryn. We left around 11:00 because access to the new place wasn’t until around 5:00 p.m., although I had asked if we could get in any earlier. We received a message back saying the house was ready for us, so we could go in at any time, which was a bit of a bonus..

It was another wet day, and on the route down to Stryn, we had a few stops to take some pictures in the cloudy conditions, and our main stop was at Hellesyit, where we sat next to a thundering waterfall, close to a port where you can get the boat down to Geiranger. We didn't stop there too long, though; we sat next to the waterfall in the car, and of course I took a few photos whilst we were there, getting rather wet whilst doing so.

That night, we had a short walk around the town of Stryn to get our bearings and see what was available on the main Street. There was a place that looked like a nice bistro for dinner tomorrow night.

Saturday, it was forecast to rain, and it did little else, so we just went for a 3-hour drive out along a couple of small lakes,  not far from Stryn, then headed back to the house to spend the rest of the day. We didn't even leave until the afternoon, so we had chilled in the morning and then had lunch before we set out.

We had a little more planned for Sunday, though. We decided to get up early and head over to Geiranger, as we had booked a 10 a.m. RIB boat experience along the fjord. We set off at 7:30 a.m. and, after about an hour, were absolutely devastated when we arrived at a road closure on the route over a plateau. There was no way around it other than a 4-hour drive and a long ferry ride, so I contacted the RIB boat company and told them we couldn’t make it. I had a right ‘titty lip’ on, as Donna would say. She found it funny. After hanging around for a short while, Donna noticed some workmen appear on the road not far from the junction. So, in hope, we just loitered and eventually our luck changed and the barrier was lifted.

When we arrived in Geiranger, the first thing we did was go to the RIB boat reception and explain the situation, they realised who we were and they booked us on the 12 noon boat. 

We spent just over an hour on the boat as it took us down the fjord close to the waterfalls. The views were absolutely amazing, and thankfully, it was dry and was a great experience. Being so close to the towering mountains beside the fjord, with their autumn colours, was a sight to see. And after all the recent rainfall, the Seven Sisters waterfall had expanded out to eleven. After we arrived back at the shore, we went for a meal at a little restaurant beside the harbour, where Donna had a grilled chicken sandwich, and I had the fish soup, and both were really nice. We spent a little more time looking around Geiranger, most of it beside the raging waterfall, before heading off back up the hill and for the one and a half hour trip back home. As the weather was good, there were plenty of stops along the way, and we really enjoyed our day out after all the initial frustration.

And now onto Monday and travel day. Today we will be driving from Stryn down to our Aurland, close to the well-known cruise ship destination of Flam. Only one major stop on the way, and that was Boyareen Glacier, where we spent about 30 to 40 minutes and also took the opportunity to enjoy our ‘saggers’ lunch, something we had almost every day whilst in Norway. It's amazing to see how much the glacier tongue has receded up the hill, but still a great sight to see. 

On route, not far from where we would be staying, was the longest road tunnel in the world, at 24.5km long, and at 6km intervals, the lights were different colours, to ensure that drivers travelling through it had some stimulation to keep them focused.

We arrived at our next house around 4:15 p.m., and it's in a stunning location overlooking the fjord, just along the fjord from Flam. After unpacking, we went for a short walk. I mean, I went for a short walk whilst Donna finished unpacking, and took a few photos. We then sat out and had our tea overlooking the fjord, and then for the rest of the night just enjoyed relaxing and settling in. We would be at this gorgeous house from Monday to Friday before we head back to Bergen for the last three days of the holiday.

The weather forecast for today, Tuesday, was really quite good compared to what we were used to. The plan for today was to head to a small village called Vikoyri, about an hour and a half's drive over some mountains and then drop into a nice bay beside Sognefjord. We were heading there to see a traditional Norwegian stave church. These are traditional Norwegian churches that are made of wood and covered in a sort of bitumen to protect them from the elements. Some are close to a thousand years old.

The drive over the tops was really quite mystical. We were driving through the clouds, hardly able to see where we were going, but it was really atmospheric. Really spooky but enjoyable.

Whilst in Vikoyri we also went to visit and stone church which is really quite unusual as they don't normally have them in Norway. Today’s picnic was on a bench overlooking the still waters, under sunny skies. What a life.

We were back at the house around 5:00 p.m. or maybe a little before then. After freshening up, we headed down into the small port of Aurland, where we sat for about 30 minutes waiting for a large cruise ship to come down the fjord. The ship had spent all day in Flam and was now heading along the fjords out to Alesund. A little walk around the waterside before stopping off in SPAR for some groceries, then the walk back up the hill to our house.

As we were staying just outside Flam, we wanted to go on the famous Flamsbana railway, famed as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. It's about a two-hour round trip to Myrdall, with a short stop before heading back down through several switchbacks in the sides of the mountains. We had looked at going on Tuesday, but as there was a cruise in the port and the trains were sold out we decided to go for Wednesday, instead, going on the 8:20 a.m. train,  getting back into Flam at 10:30 a.m. it's a gorgeous train ride although I must admit there are quite a few tunnels on the route so you don't see quite as much as you expect. It goes from sea level right up to about 850 meters, so quite a climb up into the mountains and most of the journey when you're not in the tunnels, the views are absolutely fantastic. 

After having a cup of coffee and a cake at the bakery in Flam, we then took a long drive to a small village called Unredal. It's a very quiet village on the edge of a fjord with lovely wooden houses, quite picturesque. It was funny on the narrow lane going down there that on both the way there and on the way back the road was blocked by goats, and no matter how money times you hit the horn on the car it was really difficult to get them to move on. It did make the journey interesting, though, with plenty of photo and video opportunities

Later on in the afternoon, we headed up to the Stegastein viewpoint. This was around 6 miles up a narrow, single-track road with multiple switchbacks, a very challenging drive. Donna didn't like it one bit! From the viewpoint up there, you could see right over the fjord; it was stunning. And Donna was brave enough to walk three-quarters of the way along the viewpoint, although there was no way she was going to the end. She did really well, though, considering how much she doesn’t like heights. On the way back we stopped off and picked up a pizza to cook back at the house, and then went home and spent the night in. Donna did say that of all the roads we had been on in Norway, this was by far the scariest, and to ne honest I couldn't argue, it was a bit of a challenge.

On Thursday, we didn't have a great deal planned. So we spent the morning just chilling in the house and then set off around noon. We drove to the Borgund stave church, which was a real bonus as it's in a lovely setting and really well preserved. Just a pity that, like many things in Norway this time of year, it was closed, so we couldn’t enjoy the delights of the interior. There's also another church beside it, which is also a wooden one but far more modern and painted red, not quite the same dramatic effect as the stave church, but still interesting in its own right. 

Not far from the church, there was a gorge with water pouring down it in torrents, swirling and gushing. We do like a gorge with water running down it, with beautiful blue color mixed with white swirls and lots of small eddy currents. After picking up some more stuff from SPAR, we headed back to the house for tea and then to set ready to travel tomorrow down to Bergen.

Friday would be a long, tiring day; we had 9 hours of driving, including stops. We went through a tunnel with a colour-lit roundabout inside it, and what I hadn’t realised was also on our route was the 1.34km long suspension bridge that, on one side of the fjord, just exits out of the mountainside. We ended up stopping off here to have a walk around and get a better view. It was an amazing construction.

We then drove on to Voringfossen, which, by the sound of it, is ‘just’ a waterfall, but it is so much more. There is a large gorge with waterfalls spilling down it, but also a pedestrian bridge that spans from one side to the other, not something for someone without a strong stomach for such things. Here, after we had another car picnic, Donna had a steady walk around, and I headed up across the bridge. It was a great experience, but I must admit that a lot of the viewpoints and the bridge itself are made of smooth metal, and given that there was a little snow on the ground, it was quite slippery.

We turned back around from our detour and then continued on the Bergen. The scenery changed a little into more subdued heights, but also aligned with stunning slopes with small coloured villages. Our last stop would be at Steindalsfossen, a well-known visitor spot where you can walk behind the waterfall. But of course, our luck was out as the area behind the falls was closed off, as some of the fencing needed repairing. It was nice to see it, though.

On our first full day, Saturday, we went down into Bergen and spent a few hours in the town, mainly taking in the UNESCO World Heritage site at Bryggen, where there are historic wooden houses and backstreets, all painted in bright colours. Very beautiful. We did have a short drive around, as street-parking was limited to 2 hours, but to be honest, the traffic was getting me very anxious, so we headed back to our apartment with its large balcony overlooking Bergen.

For Sunday, we planned to take a 4-hour cruise from Bergen, up through some of the smaller fjords. When deciding on whether to go for the morning or the afternoon, as the forecast was for better weather in the afternoon, we chose that option. And of course, the forecast was switched around, and we ended up with a wet trip along the fjords. It didn’t really spoil it for us, though; we had our waterproof gear on, and it did make it a moody boat ride with hills slowly coming into view as you crept upon them. It was also a bonus that Donna managed to find a seat by the window after people started moving around, she did however spend a lot of time their on her own as I was up and down like a jack rabbit. Towards the end of the cruise, we both went on the top deck as we found a lovely sheltered spot where we could keep out of the rain.

We arrived back around 4:30 pm, and although we had initially planned to go on the Funicular railway up to the mountain above Bergen on Monday, we decided that, as it had turned into a better evening, we would take the ride today. And it was well worth it. We got to see the city as it was starting to light up, which made it all worthwhile. It also allowed us to see the famous Floibanen goats who reside at the top of the hill, and are so used to mixing with people. 

And so on to Monday, and our last day in Norway. It would be a long day as we needed to be out of our apartment at 11 am, and our flight was not due until 7:30 pm. Donna had found a burger joint on Tripadvisor, with a great reputation, so after an aborted visit to another restaurant, we went there. It was a bit rushed, and we chatted to a lovely Canadian couple whilst there, but the burger and parmesan fries were scrumptious, definitely in our top 3 burger joints. On the way to the airport, we decided to find the Fantoft stave church, which had been moved into a small park in the suburbs, to protect it. However, after walking up the short but steep hill to see it, it was all fenced off for the off-season, a bit of a wasted diversion.

So instead of just hanging around, we then headed straight to the airport. Ok, we would have quite a few hours to pass the time, but we did find somewhere comfortable to sit, and with a few drinks, the time soon passed. Unfortunately, the flight was again delayed, but only by about 45 minutes; however, fortunately, Eric, the lovely member of cabin crew who had been with us on our earlier flight, was on that flight, so time passed quickly as we had lots of natter about.

Home by around 10:30 pm, and back to reality.