Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Surrounded by steep forested hills and settled comfortably beside a lazy lake busy with
beavers, pretty little Dalen is a jumping-off point for ferries along the Øst Telemark Canal
system. It makes for a delightfully peaceful few days' rest.
High above town onthe Rv45 toHøydalsmo is the quaint, 14th-century
Eidsborg Stave
Church (guided tours Nkr40)
, dedicated to St Nicolas and with a single nave. The
grounds are open year-round, and a caretaker can usually open the church if it's locked.
Sleeping
Buøy Camping
CAMPGROUND €
( 35 07 75 87;
www.dalencamping.com
;
tent sites Nkr240, cabins Nkr600-1150;
)
Surrounded on all sides by water, this attractive and well-run campsite has plenty
of activities for the children, lots of shady pitches for tents and quaint Little Red Riding
Hood-style wooden cabins. Campers aren't the only ones who like this place; the waters
around the campsite are home to several beaver families whom you'll almost certainly get
to meet if you go on a dusk walk along the river. There's a restaurant here and bike rental
is available for Nkr150 per day.
Dalen Bed & Breakfast
B&B €€
( 35 07 70 80;
www.dalenbb.com
;
s/d with shared bathroom Nkr840/890, s/d from
Nkr890/970; )
It might not have the history of the Dalen Hotel but in our opinion
this family-run venture is the better option. Cheaper rooms match the surrounding forests
with their soft pine tones, while the pricier rooms are a children's paint box of bright col-
ours. An excellent breakfast is included, and staff dole out free maps pointing you to the
area's best moose- and beaver-spotting sites.
Dalen Hotel
HISTORIC HOTEL €€€
( 35 07 90 00;
www.dalenhotel.no
; s/d Nkr1350/ 2200; )
The ornate Dalen
Hotel, with its faint resonance of a stave church, first opened in 1894. Although looted by
the Nazis in WWII, it remains a comfortable place to soak up an old-world atmosphere.
The public areas are a riot of antiques and moose heads. Room 17 is said to be haunted
(by a headless moose possibly?). The restaurant serves suitably old-fashioned Norwegian
countryside staples (mains around Nkr165).
