Saturday 25th August 2018
In Norway there are 18 National Scenic Routes or Nasjonale turistveger and we were lucky to be in the vicinity of one known as Aurlandsfjellet.
As we were staying in Flåm we began our trip in the village of Aurlandsvangen, on the east side of the Aurlandsfjord and drove towards Lærdalsøyri , a total of 47 kms.
As we headed away from Aurlandsfjord the drive up Bjørgavegan, with its’ several sharp hairpin bends allowed us stunning views of the fjord and the village below and apart from one encounter with a novice motorhome driver, who was finding it difficult to pass other vehicles, we made it safely to our first stop, the spectacular Stegastein Viewing point. (During the winter months, this is the only section of the route open).
We continued up the road passing one or two farms on the warm side of the valley before the road climbed even higher and the landscape became desolate and mountainous.
This part of the road, known as the ‘snow road’ is closed in winter.
Even on the day we drove it there was snow laying on some parts of the rocks and the car temperature display showed the outside temperature at 4 °C. At its highest point this road reaches 1306 metres above sea level.
We did at one point on the drive spot a few reckless/adventurous people taking a dip in one of the lakes! Rather them than us at 4 °C!
We paused at a spot named Vedahaugane to enjoy the views of the mountains and the valley below that we would be driving towards, although we didn’t follow the walkway, a curved bench which takes you to an art installation called ‘the den’.
Back in the car the road began to descend through a series of sharp bends between the trees following the Vardhaugselvi river on FV 243, where we passed several cyclists on their way up!
Finally crossing a small bridge we came to the arm of the fjord where the road leads to the large town of Lærdalsøyri in Sogn og Fjordane County.
Research had told us that we were not too far from another Stave church, Borgund, so we decided to make use of the good weather and pay it a visit.
The main road out of Lærdalsøyri took us to a roundabout, where one exit takes you towards the Lærdal Tunnel and the other onto E16 and our destination Borgund.
We parked at the visitors centre and after paying for admission to go into the stave church, made use of the exhibitions about the history of stave churches in Norway and their role in the Middle Ages.
A short walk from the centre takes you to Borgund Stave Church and its’ outbuildings. It is still possible to enjoy the exterior of the church for free.
To end the day we went back to Flåm via the Lærdal Tunnel for one last time.