Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
A car and passenger ferry (adult/child/car Nkr30/15/82, 20 minutes) shuttles hourly from
10am to 4.50pm between Solvorn and Urnes; most drivers prefer to leave their vehicles on
the Solvorn bank.
THE SOGNEFJELLET CIRCUIT
A spectacular circular, day-long driving route, the Sognefjellet circuit runs beside
one of Norway's loveliest fjords, climbs a sizeable chunk of the magnificent Sogne-
fjellet National Tourist Route, meanders along a lonely, lightly travelled single-lane
road that threads across the heights, then plunges in a knuckle-clenching descent,
once more to fjord level. The trip can't be done by public transport and cyclists will
need to be very fit to attempt it over a few days.
From Sogndal, head out on the Rv55 to the northeast as it hugs, for the most part,
lovely Lustrafjord all the way to Skjolden at the head of the waters. About 5km bey-
ond this tiny settlement, the road starts to seriously twist and climb. You're following
an ancient highway where for centuries, when it was no more than a rough track, fish
and salt would be hauled up from the coast to be exchanged for iron, butter and hides
from communities deep inland.
At wind-battered Turtagrø you can continue along the Rv55, which runs through
Jotunheimen National Park, up and over northern Europe's highest road pass
(1434m) and on to Lom.
To return to Sogndal, turn right to leave the Rv55 and head for Årdal. The narrow
road, known as Tindevegen, the Route of the Peaks, keeps climbing, just above the
treeline, until the pass (1315m) and a toll booth (Nkr50 per vehicle).
Then it's a plunge down through woods of spindly birch to the emerald-green wa-
ters of Årdalsvatnet and the undistinguished village of Øvre Årdal. From here, the
Rv53 takes you, via the ferry between Fodnes and Mannheller, back to Sogndal.
Skjolden
POP 500
