Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Åndalsnes
Pop 2244
There are two equally dramatic ways to approach Åndalsnes: by road through the Trollsti-
gen pass or along Romsdalen as you ride the spectacularly scenic Raumabanen. The rail
route down from Dombås ploughs through a deeply cut glacial valley flanked by sheer
walls and plummeting waterfalls. Badly bombed during WWII, the modern town, nestled
beside Romsdalfjord might be nondescript, but the locals are delightful and the surrounding
landscapes are absolutely magnificent.
Sights
Trollveggen
CLIFF
From Dombås, the E136 and rail line drop in parallel northwest down to Romsdalen (you
might have a sense of déjà vu if you've seen
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, in
which the valley features). Near Åndalsnes, dramatic Trollveggen (Troll Wall), first
conquered in 1958 by a joint Norwegian and English team, rears skywards. The highest ver-
tical mountain wall in Europe, its ragged and often cloud-shrouded summit, 1800m from
the valley floor, is considered the ultimate challenge among mountaineers.
Trollstigen
MOUNTAIN ROAD
(
www.trollstigen.net
; Jun-Sep)
South of Åndalsnes, the Troll's Ladder is a thriller of a climb or descent. Recently declared
a National Tourist Route, it was completed in 1936 after eight years of labour. To add an ex-
tra daredevil element to its 11 hairpin bends and a 1:12 gradient, much of it is effectively
single lane. Several dramatic waterfalls, including the thundering 180m-high Stigfossen,
slice down its flanks.
At the top, a visitors centre has been built from concrete, rusted steel and glass, to both
withstand the extreme terrain and to mimic its many textures. Leading from here are dra-
matic viewing platforms that jut out here and there over the abyss and offer panormas of the
snaking road and the lush valley below, as well as a perputal waterfall soundtrack. Around
