July 7, 2023
Flam to Gudvangen
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We woke to the sounds of the constant rush of water from the steep ravine of the wild Kårdalsfossen waterfall at our campsite under stately pine trees. We had been joined by two German brothers who arrived after we’d already gone to bed. They were heading up from Flam so we shared our experience of the hairpin bends to Myrdal and the snow onwards to Finse. Ann enviously eyed their new Dale of Norway sweaters and Steve and I agreed, at least they would stay warm at the higher altitudes; and perhaps there might be some shopping to be done in Bergen!
After a lazy breakfast we were soon enjoying our payback ride after the workout of the last three days, a leisurely 16km coast down to Flam. The scenery was stunning. Waterfalls tumbling down precipitous mountainsides, farms clinging to steep slopes and small hamlets nestled in tiny outcrops of land before we came to a wide open valley just before Flåm.
In Flåm we changed out of cycling gear and joined the crowds who had already arrived by train and boat, for a non-camp lunch of salmon, roast pork, ice cream and coffee while we charged our phones and waited for our 4pm boat departure time.
Flåm is nestled innermost in the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the 204-km long and up to 1308-meter-deep Sognefjord. When planning last February we had read that the cruise from Flam to Gudvangen was a “must” of any visit to Norway and that sailings fill up fast, so we booked and knew we had to be in Flam on July 7. The boat ride promised to show us “Norwegian nature at its most beautiful and magnificent”, and it did. We sailed through the Aurlandsfjord and then continued through the narrow and UNESCO protected Naeroyfjord before we arrived at Gudvangen two hours later. It is a trip through pristine Norwegian nature with more impressive waterfalls, small idyllic villages, stave churches and coastal farms. A fellow passenger pointed out the snow-capped peaks of the Jostedalsbreem National Park with the largest glacier in mainland Europe. It is a beautiful and dramatic landscape.
All too soon it was over and we were in Gudvangen and peddling off in search of a campsite. We had planned to stay in Bakka where the campsite has glowing reviews but we had a chance to look it over from the boat and decided it wasn’t worth backtracking 7km. And we have been bitten by the allure of wild camping, so thought that if the perfect spot came up we might opt for that again.
About 7km out of Gudvangen, we found the spot- on an island. It had the challenge of getting us, our stuff and our bikes across a two foot wide swinging bridge but the result was heavenly, sitting beside the clear, rushing Naeroydelselvi River, a flat pitch for the tent and a ramshackle shelter with a bench that we could have breakfast in if it rained. We couldn’t believe our luck.
After our huge lunch, supper was a simple affair of cheese sandwiches and chocolate but it was eaten in one of Norway’s awe-inspiring places. It had been another good day in majestic Norway “a place that makes every adventurer's heart skip a beat”.
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Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 3,166 km (1,966 miles)
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