Take a fjord fiesta in Norway!
With its outstanding scenery featuring raging rivers, dozens of waterfalls and snow-capped mountains, Norway is the sort of country that draws you back again and again
Threading our way through dozens of islands and skerries off the west coast of Norway, it was difficult to believe we were on a ferry bound for England and not some luxurious Scandinavian cruise.
As a changing vista of ships, mountains and tiny coastal communities floated by, I couldn't help recalling that not so long ago ferry journeys were something to be endured, rather than enjoyed.
On board standards and facilities have improved a lot since then. Ships are bigger and more comfortable, and on the DFDS route from Newcastle to Bergen, the voyage is very much a part of the holiday.
Norway is a country known for outstanding scenery - and high prices. Once visited, it's the sort of country that draws you back again and again.
With that in mind, and for our fourth visit in 30 years, we booked a contrasting two-centre holiday, sampling first a wood cabin high in the mountains and then a city centre hotel in Bergen - easy to research on the DFDS website.
Sailing over in the Queen of Scandinavia, the 26-hour journey went almost too quickly thanks to a comfy cabin, a good choice of restaurants and bars, entertainment and films.
The buffet dinner, with its wide choice of hot and cold dishes, Scandinavian seafood specialities, and mouth-watering desserts, was a particular highlight.
We really did arrive at Bergen - Norway's second largest city with a population of just 242,000 and the gateway to the fjords - feeling rested and relaxed. No airport stress, delayed flights, lost baggage and cramped plane cabins.
Driving from the port, it didn't take long to appreciate how unlike most European countries Norway is, and what difficult terrain its roadbuilders have had to tackle to provide communication links across the country.
On an excellent road, we plunged into tunnel after tunnel, hewn through rough rock, and as we climbed higher into the mountains, we passed raging rivers and dozens of waterfalls, with white and red-coloured cabins clustered round lakes large and small.
After collecting our keys and bedding, we turned up a gated private road, to arrive at our cabin, high in the Kvamskogen mountains - an area popular with skiers in the winter and walkers in the summer.
The cabin had every modern comfort, including satellite TV, DVD player and underfloor heating. The huge outside deck commanded dramatic views over the surrounding summits - some snow-capped even in August - and a large lake below.
The peace and quiet, broken only by the occasional tinkling of bells on wandering sheep, was intense.
Next day, we set out to explore the locality. The nearest town, Norheimsund, had good supermarkets, and yes, we found almost everything much more expensive than in England.
But with careful shopping, it's possible to live within a modest budget. Alcoholic drinks, for example, are so expensive, it is worth taking beer and wine from Britain.
Norheimsund has good tourist information facilities and is handily placed on the Hardangerfjord. Strange to think that after more than an hour's drive inland from Bergen, you're still by the sea.
Locally, the attractions included Steinsdalsfossen, a massive waterfall, which you can walk behind while listening to the deafening roar of the cascade as it crashes to the ground below.
There are boat tours of the fjord, a local art gallery and many walks in the hills and mountains, with printed routes available from the tourist information.
We followed one up to some summer pasture and a tiny collection of cabins high in the mountains, where until only a few years ago milkmaids lived making the traditional brown goat's cheese.
Ferries, frequent and relatively inexpensive, link most of the major fjord towns.
You can take one to Jondal where a road leads up to a ski centre where even in summer it's possible to go snowboarding, skiing or for a guided walk on the Folgefonn glacier.
We crossed to the pretty village of Utne and then followed the fruit farms of the Sognfjord, all selling morello cherries at roadside stalls, to Agatunet, where a collection of buildings dating back to the Middle Ages.
A guide will tell you about how life was in centuries gone by. But for me the village has a special resonance. I worked on a farm here for two months back in 1978 - and was delighted to find my former employers still living in the same farmhouse.
After a week in the mountains it was time for the bustle of city life in Bergen.
Staying at the very comfortable Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz, right beside the city's historic Bryggen waterfront, we were ideally placed to explore its charms.
Bergen, designated a World Heritage City by Unesco, can be enjoyed from the water, the ground and the air (well almost).
As the sea is the dominating influence in Bergen's development as a trading centre, we took a harbour cruise to orientate ourselves.
Passing by huge cruise liners; working ships, large and small; wharves, the fish market, and a submarine base, it's possible to see many of the key attractions and get a sense of Bergen's seafaring traditions.
From the ground, we were able to walk to many of those attractions, like the aquarium and the art galleries.
Regular coaches and buses will take you further afield to the home of Norway's most famous composer, Edvard Grieg, at Troldhaugen; and to the Fantoft stave church.
A Bergen card, bought at a tourist information office, gives free or reduced price admission to most attractions as well as travel concessions. But it's from above that Bergen is perhaps best appreciated.
A cable car to the peak of Mount Ulriken - at 642 metres highest of the seven mountains surrounding the city - with wide-ranging views out to sea and inland. But on the day we went up, mist and cloud obscured most of the horizon.
We had better luck with the Floibanen, a funicular railway operating since 1918, which takes you in just a few minutes from the heart of the city to the top of the 320-metre Mount Floyen, where grand viewing platforms give expansive views. There's also a restaurant and giftshop.
Take your hiking boots too, for marked paths lead off into the less frequented hills, woods and lakes - making it possible to be enjoying a country walk just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the harbour.
It is expensive to eat out. But it is possible to find good, relatively inexpensive restaurants by shopping around. Holbergstuen, which opened in 1927, was particularly good, serving traditional Norwegian dishes like fish soup and scallops, and sirloin of reindeer.
At the popular fish market on the harbour front, it's possible to get all kinds of seafood, fish and chips costs about 10 a portion though.
All too soon our holiday was over, but we still had the return journey to look forward to.
Commodore Class for our return voyage offered a larger cabin, complimentary minibar, television and access to a private lounge with tea and coffee.
Instead of heading directly for England, the voyage takes you along the coast, calling first at Haugesund and then Stavanger, giving about six hours of cruising with spectacular views.
After another day of enjoying the ship's many facilities, we again arrived back feeling thoroughly relaxed and wondering where the next ferry journey might take us.
TRAVEL FACTS
Trevor Mason was a guest of DFDS Seaways, which currently offers six night B&B hotel stays in Norway from 436 per person, including three nights' onboard ship in Commodore Class and three or four nights' B&B at the Solstrand Hotel in Bergen, plus carriage of standard car.
Seven night self-catering holidays in Norway this summer start at 1,221 for two people sharing inside cabin with return ferry crossings, from 1,241 for two in outside cabin and 1,375 for two in Commodore Class cabin.
DFDS offers log cabin stays this summer starting at 130 per person, incl two nights' onboard ship, carriage of vehicle and 4/5 nights in lodge.
DFDS Seaways reservations: 0871 522 9955 and www.dfds.co.uk/activityholidays
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Weather for Biggleswade
Sunday 12 February 2012
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