We had embarked on a 10 day campervan trip from Bergen to Trondheim. Our intended route would cover just under 1000kms and would take us through the world famous Western Fjords. It was an epic adventure and we have had to split it into two parts because so much happened, but first we had to collect our van.
We set off to the Bergen Train Station to make our way to the pickup location for our campervan, only to find out that the local train wasn’t running. No fear in true Norwegian style there were back up busses, after jumping on the bus for 30 mins, followed by a short taxi ride, we were at the Indie Campers base on the outskirts of Bergen.
We were early and had to wait a while before they were ready for us, but it wasn’t long before we were jumping into our new home for the next 10 days. Being campervan first timers the whole thing took a little getting use to, like where exactly does the poop go? And who gets to deal with that job?
Drivers licenses confirmed and insurance up to date, they let us loose with our own 7m long 2.5m wide moving house. Day 1 was a short drive to Voss, which was one of the towns we had passed on our train ride to Bergen. We got a spot next to the lake and settled down to our first night in the Van.
Day 2 started with a quick walk around town before setting off for our next destination the small town of Flam, which is wedged between the mountains and the end of Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the vast Sognefjord.
The drive to Flam was stunning, blue skies, with waterfalls cascading off the massive mountains all around us, and lots and lots of tunnels. We thought Italy had a lot of tunnels, Norway makes them look like child’s play. We pulled over at a rest stop for lunch and a quick game of Uno No Mercy, which was brutal.
We arrived at the Flam campsite with plenty of time to spare and Rowan and James went into town to rent bikes and go for a ride. There was an amazing cycle path following the Fjord and the weather was showing off, the trip was only curtailed by the lack of water, read here bad male preparation, so a little parched they headed back to find a drink.
Day 3 we set off for Briksdalbre or the campsite known as Volefossen, loosely translated to milk waterfall. This wasn’t our original planned destination it was a spontaneous detour, and what an amazing adventure it turned out to be. Probably the biggest advantage of traveling by campervan is the ability to go wherever the day takes you, allowing you to make last minute changes which often end up being the best part of your trip.
As this wasn’t our planned stop the drive ended up being a little longer than usual, but we got a chance to see some amazing sights, including the backside of the glacier we were planning to camp at that night, although we didn’t know that at the time.
Lets set the scene, its the end of a long day, we are driving our massive van on these tiny, often single lane roads, up this winding valley with huge mountains and crystal blue lakes on each side. There are majestic mountain glaciers in the distance getting closer every minute. Then you arrive at the campsite, no one is on duty, but there is a sign on the office door saying pick a site and make yourself at home we will come and sort out payment when we are next in. You are surrounded on three sides with some of the most awe inspiring mountains and glaciers you have ever seen and of course the milky white Volefossen cascading down right on your door step.
Once the office had opened again, we booked a family sauna, which was built on the edge of the mountain stream so that you can go and do a cold dip in the fresh glacial water between sweats. We also used the outstanding facilities to have a braai, as they were a lot better than our tiny BBQ, still in its carboard box in the van. It was an amazing day not to be topped, until tomorrow.
Day 4, we were so taken aback by the beauty of the place that we decided to spend another night, using the day to hike up to the Briksdalbreen Glacier. This has got to be one of the most beautiful hikes we have done as a family this year. While the distance wasn’t that far there was quite a lot of altitude we had to gain in order to reach the lake at the bottom of the glacier. You spend the day crisscrossing the river flowing out of said lake, winding around waterfalls and climbing through forests as you make your way up the valley. Being so far north it was fascinating to see that the sun only made a brief appearance around midday, popping above the mountains for about an hour before dropping us back into shadow. We had gotten into Geocaching and spent some time looking for hidden treasure on our way up.
The way back was all downhill, we even had some time for a couple of work calls. We went past the restaurant at the car park for a quick lunch, before walking further down back to our campsite. Tired and dirty we had a quick 5 minute, 10 NKR shower and turned in for the night. Ready for the next days adventures including a boat trip through the famous Geirangerfjord, more on this in our next post.
Until then, thank you for reading.
Lots of love,
The Grow Travel Family.
Take me back!
That scenery is spectacular. And your motor home looks just the way to travel.