The Navvy Road Adventure and many others

Sunday 17^th July 2011 – rain

Sunset at Svanoy the night before.

The forecast was for rain and it was quite correct, we awoke to it, James walked in it before breakfast and we both walked in it during the morning so that I could see the Svanoy Manor House which dates back to the middle ages and is now protected and owned by a foundation, it certainly looked imposing and in a wonderful condition.  Opposite in the graveyard is a large stone cross dating back to ca.1000 and is one of only 4 in Norway featuring runes.  There is now no church on Svanoy the last being dismantled in 1872!

Had it been a lovely day there are various trails around the island which I am sure would have been nice to walk, which could have included a visit to the Norwegian Red Deer Centre, as it was I just made do with the short wet walk, but I was pleased to see my first foxgloves of the year and a mother duck with 14 ducklings!

I probably tried too hard to find the honesty box for our NOK 100, which I eventually did outside the pub on the quayside (which is more than a large Norge boat did!).  I also found 2 showers / loos, with no charge for the shower.  The pub and shop neither open, both had a rather uncared for appearance as did the area near the harbour, which was scenically quite pretty as was the bay we looked out at.  

However, we thought we would move on to find a free anchorage for the night and on looking in our various pilot books, I noted about 4 possible places, the first came up too early, the second was too industrial looking, we tried the third – Hellershamn on the south side of Vilnesfjorden, but it was very narrow and there were a number of small buoys dotted around which seemed to be opposite various mooring pegs on the rocks, but when James pulled one of them up to check the bottom all he found was a fish crate!  The effort of digging deep into our cockpit locker for the stern anchor and bow ladder did not appeal and we felt there were too many obstacles in the way of anchoring safely, particularly as the forecast was for strong easterly winds during the night and the barometer had been dropping like a stone all day!

The chart at the end of our day!

So we continued on to the last anchorage that I had marked which as the crow flies was not far from the previous anchorage but as we had to go around a headland and up to the end of an almost enclosed bay or really 3 bays, it was a good hour’s journey.  Vagsvagen is a wonderful natural harbour due east of Korssundet, the outer large bay is called Bygdevagen and also offered anchoring possibilities, however, having negotiated the narrow gaps through rocks we were in a beautifully sheltered five metre deep pool with plenty of swinging room and had we had a problem there was an empty pontoon nearby!

We did an engine oil change before supper!

Motored / sailed: 33 nm

Monday 18^th July – Bulandet

Bulandet

After a slow morning we up anchored and left the shelter of Vagsvagen (no strong winds had come through during the night, the strongest had been during our journey the afternoon before) in light winds we motored west to Bulandet, nowadays it is Norway’s most westerly community with 250 full time inhabitants.  Fifteen of the inhabited islands around Bulandet and Vaerlandet are now connected by bridges or dams.  We opted to cycle across a few of them to a small hill with an excellent view of the surrounding islands.  When we arrived in Bulandet the moorings around the shop were all taken so we headed to a pontoon at the end of the bay beside the fish processing factory.  Having seen the mooring charges by the shop (NOK 150 up to 35’ or 200 for over 35’ plus 50 for electricity) and not knowing whether they would apply to our mooring spot we decided to leave after our cycle ride and sail, yes those white flappy things, across the Buefjord to the Solund Archipelago, this is the westernmost island municipality in Norway and the only municipality made up completely of islands in the region of Sogn og Fjordane.  Most of the 900 population live on the main islands of Sula and Ytre Sula.

View from the hill on Bulandet

 As we approached Sula the skies darkened, the wind increased and there was thunder and lightening, James got the sail in and he put on the radar as visibility decreased dramatically in the rain.  Luckily, by the time we reached the narrow rocky channel entrance the worst of the storm was over and we had our visibility back.  Being tight we had decided to try and find an anchorage of the night and there were a number of suitable looking spots.  However, I used Judy Lomax’s pilot book and navigated James into an area she mentioned as having a number of suitable spots, we tried the bay next to the one her ‘lat and long’ gave at Boroy and found that it quickly shelved from 13 metres up to two and then James found instead of mud the anchor was bouncing over rock, on recovering the anchor in the deep water I turned to leave and suddenly the echo sounder set at 2.5 metres started to screech and then there was the grating sound of the keel on rock!  On looking over the port side there was a very shallow shelf, on the starboard side it was deep, luckily we got off and decided to try elsewhere also her description of Wagnerian scenery i.e. being surround by dark high mountains did not appeal either.  We headed back into the main channel to Hardbakke, with just one other small bay to investigate before village.  This secluded cove - Djupevag, with one rather nice house built looking towards the entrance and high hills was probably going to be too deep to anchor in, however, our luck was in as there was a pontoon with space on it, which we happily grabbed for a free night and managed to get tied up just before the next lot of rain!

Distance motored / sailed 31 nm (it had been 13.5 nm to Bulandet)

Tuesday 19^th July 2011 – Hardbakke

Views of Hardbakke

We motored the less than 2 miles to Hardbakke to arrive mid morning, when the sun was shining after the early morning rain, James decided as it was such a nice looking spot that we should spend the day here, we got space along side a wooden staging with water and electricity nearby.  The charming young harbour master was soon aboard with a map of the area and to help translate the information, showing me where everything was.  He was happy to collect our berthing fee although he would have been equally happy for us to use the honesty box.  He also told me that there was a path up the mountain that was not too difficult, with great views of the surrounding islands which would take about 40 minutes to walk.

I had thought to start the walk after lunch whilst it was still sunny, knowing how quickly the weather changes here.  However, James wanted a siesta and said we’d leave at 4, by which time it was raining.  Between showers James went to fill the water tank but managed to slip in the cockpit falling off the seating area into the cockpit well on his re-surfaced hip, which I could see hurt him a lot, so having filled the tank I washed the boat down (normally a job James would do).  After tea James thought the weather had improved enough for us to do the walk up the mountain, I could soon see that James was suffering from his hip, as normally he strides ahead of me, but this time he could not keep up so I soon sent him back to the boat and continued on my own.

I must stop being beguiled by the thought of a good view from doing these mountain walks as they always prove more difficult than they sound!  Having being promised that only a little climbing was necessary, I was not expecting as much as I got!  The route followed a mountain stream for the early part, crossing backwards and forwards and was rather boggy.  There were cairns daubed with red paint to follow.  I nearly gave up when I came to a virtually sheer 8’ wall of rock to get down; however, I managed to find a 4’ area to lower myself over, but not before the midges had plagued me.  I continued up for another long scramble until I had super views over to the Sognefjord – the other side of Sula and Hardbakke but eventually, I felt I was high enough and the going was now just up rock, also it had started to rain again, so I started back down although I detoured off in areas to get views over Hardbakke.  Just I as started down I met a youngster doing the walk/climb at a trot and she said that I was nearly at the top, but I felt enough was enough, I still had to get down which I often find is more difficult than going up.  Both ways I was glad of my Nordic walking poles to help me with balance and support.  Interestingly, climbing back up the 8’ wall of rock was much easier as there were foot and hand holes that I could see and use.   My young lady over took me on the return just before the end of the walk, having been to the top.  I was glad when she said that you could not see the guest harbour from the top, which was really the only reason I had continued on climbing for as long as I did!  My walk/climb took me 3 hours from start to finish, so I was back on the boat, wet & tired, at 20.30.  My darling husband then cooked us a delicious omelette, whilst I had a shower!

On arrival in Hardbakke we saw again a boat we had met in Floro, an English family (flying a red ensign on a Norwegian registered boat) it turned out that they had not chartered the boat but live and work in Bergen.  On chatting to them it was interesting to hear them say that they thought the cost of food was 3 times as much as in the UK.  I know we find everything really expensive here.  However, they said the life style suited them, as they loved skiing, mountaineering and sailing all of which Norway offers in abundance.

[Info: Hardbakke Guest Harbour fee NOK 100 + 50 for electric.  There is a shower block with washing and drying machines.  The tourist office is nearby and a Spar supermarket about 5 minutes walk up a hill at a small shopping complex, including the library.  A room is available for free internet access and although the tourist office and marina also have free WIFI the signal is very poor as they are situated midway between two aerials.]

Wednesday 20^th July 2011 – King Olav’s Statue

Having seen that the wind was forecast to be quite strong and from the south for the afternoon, i.e. on the nose, we thought we better leave Hardbakke reasonably early to get across the mouth of the Sognefjord before it became unpleasant.  Therefore, an 08.30 start was made because our mast height is more than 15 metres we could not go the direct route out south from Hardbakke under a 15 metre bridge but had to retrace our steps north and then cut through some islands adding 25 miles to the journey! 

King Olav's statue

Skjerjehamn

We broke our journey at Skjerjehamn, on the northwest tip of Sandoy, where there is a huge statue of King Olav, which had been originally commissioned by the burgers of Oslo who then rejected it and somehow it has ended up here, standing very tall and imposing overlooking the waterway between the Sognesjoen and Fensfjorden.  A fish farmer has spent a lot of money on putting in pontoons and building a conference centre / entertainment area / restaurant at the end of the peninsular and a hotel in a grand looking house overlooking the bay.  We enjoyed waffles Norge style, like pancakes, with jam and cream from the café.  After a brief walk around it was back on the boat to continue down the Radsund a narrow channel where we should have had the tied with us but until the very last few minutes it was against us!  In fact that day we seem to have 12 hours of adverse tide along with the wind! 

Berth at Havoy

We were about 10 miles from Bergen so it seemed a good time to look for somewhere for the night, preferably free. We had a quick look at a pontoon just before leaving the Radsund but thought if the wind came up a predicted we would be blown on so we continue out and across the Radfjord to the bay of Flatoyosen opposite a marina at Litlebergen.  The depth of water in the bay was too deep, so when we saw a 2 metre wooden jetty on Haoyma we grabbed it taking bow and stern lines to mooring posts on the shore where James again managed to slip and fall on the re-surfed hip – he is not doing well to fall on it twice in two days!

Distance motored: 70 miles

Thursday 21^st July 2011 – back to Bergen

View from the top of Havoy

View from the top of Havoy

James on the top of Havoy

View of Litlebegen

Before leaving our wooden jetty we took an early morning walk up the 170 metre hill, around a series of hairpin beds, to the top of Havoy which was an old fort from where we had super views of the area.  The area has been fortified since the Eleven Hundreds to protect Bergen, in the First and Second World Wars the fortifications were built up but since the Nineteen Fifties it has been demilitarised and now is a place for recreation.

On arrival in Bergen we went straight to the chandler, who had ordered the new bow thrusters control for us which was delivered to Kristiansund 2 months previously but which they refused to take payment for until our return to Bergen, to pay up and refuel however on seeing the price of their diesel at NOK 10.95 a litre, almost 1.50 kronner more than in Alesund, we only added 50 litres!

Looking around the Vagan (town harbour) in Bergen it was very full but we saw a free wall near the fish market and as we approached James suddenly recognised an old NFU colleague Edward Coles and his wife Sue, who is a keen sailor, and hailed them to come and take our warps. They then came on board for coffee; it turned out that they were on a P & O cruise as staff for the week, as Sue was teaching silver jewellery making during the days at sea – small world!  Sue and I enjoyed a walk around the tourist shops as she was keen to get design ideas for jewellery and the many other crafts that she does.  She is also in the process of writing her 14^th craft book for which she has been commissioned.

Our berth near the fish market in Bergen

Bergen Vagan

Later in the afternoon we went and booked train tickets for Myrdal for the next day so that we could cycle the Navvy Road to Flam.  We purchased some very good fish for our supper from the fish market; I had a whale steak and James a marinated salmon fillet.  During the evening a Dutch boat moored alongside us and ended up coming for after dinner drinks, so it was a very social day.

[Info: James was ready to pay the harbour master NOK 200 as per our previous visit, until the Harbour Master told him it would be cheaper if he bought it from the payment machine on the quay and even took him to show him how to do it and it only cost NOK 150 for the night – why they could not have told us that on our first visit I don’t know as that would have saved us £6 a night!   There was water available right beside us but the electricity supply was a long distance away, so we did without it!]

Distance motored: 10 nm

Friday 22^nd July 2011 – The Navvy Road from Myrdal – Flam

We had an early start to catch the train from Bergen to Myrdal just before 8 am.  We took our bikes and their bags, into which we folded them, for the train trip thus saving NOK 175 per bike each way!  We spent the trip in the buffet car in very comfortable armchairs with a good view through the window, rather than use our allocated seats; as this was the fast train to Oslo all seats are allocated hence pre-booking is necessary.  We had done this trip last on 13^th May, when there was still a lot of snow around and the top lake near Myrdal was frozen.  Now there was still a little snow on the highest mountains but all the waterways were ice free.  We were at Myrdal in less than two hours and quickly had the bike reassembled.  Of course it had started to rain just as we approached the station, a few hours earlier, than the local weather forecast for the area had suggested!

The start at Myrdal

Walking down a hairpin

Goats blocking the road!

 The first part of the cycle ride was really a walk down steep hairpin bends which were boulder strewn and very bumpy, halfway down the road then became tarmac which made the going much easier, for most of the 12.8 miles it was downhill, although there were a few ups and the descent height was 865 metres with 21 sharp bends along the way.  For much of the cycle ride we were alongside the fast flowing river and sometimes the train track for which the Navvy road was originally built for.  At one point our route was blocked by a flock of goats (are goats a flock or perhaps they are a pack or herd?) lying all over the road beside the farm to which they belonged.  This enticed us in to see what they were selling: goat salami and cheeses, one a dark brown I would almost describe as salty fudge which I think is rather an acquired taste, we bought some of the white cheese.  I reckon that they train the goats to lie on the road so you have to call into the farm!

A sad notice we saw on a bridge above the river below.

Just before the Aurlandsfjord we stopped at the village of Flam and looked around the sweetest little church.  Then it was on to Flam junction for a train back to the top of the mountain, our cycle ride / walk had taken less than 3 hours all in rain.  Our shorts were soaked and covered in mud so we steamed gently all the way back to Bergen.

View from the train of some of the hairpin bends we had cycled down!

I was very glad that the train from Myrdal to Bergen had its heating on.  On return to Bergen we were surprised to hear that they had not had any rain as Bergen is considered to be the wettest city in Norway getting approx. 2200 mm of rain a year.

We were back on the boat at about 17.30 so decided to leave and motor for an hour or so.

When it was time to stop we checked out a couple of anchorages but ended up tying up to another miscellaneous wall, beside some disused warehouses on a small island opposite Boroyna.

Distance motored: 9 nm

Saturday 23^rd July 2011 – Lysoen Museum i.e. Ole Bull’s summer villa

James kicked me out of bed so that we were on our way by 07.30, supposedly to make the most of the ebb tide! We were shocked to get a call from Jeremy, checking we were no where near Oslo (and I thought he’d been tracking his inheritance on AIS!) as they have had a mad man blow up a building in Oslo then go on to a small island full of young people at a summer camp where he shot dead 80+ people, such a tragedy for the Norges.

At anchor in Lysoyvagen

By midmorning we had anchored at Lysoyvagen but guess what it was raining, so we both spent time with our respective computers before having a quick lunch as we though the rain had stopped, so we got the dinghy out for only the second time this year and pumped it up, then we had another shower of rain.  We eventually rowed ashore for about 13.15, no sooner had we landed then it rained again, we sheltered under trees for an hour hoping the rain would stop, but it never did.  However, we met other people who had been walking who told us that the walk to Ole Bull’s villa / Lysoen Museum was through the woods all the way, so reasonable sheltered.

Ole Bull's Villa

 We arrived in time for James to have an ice cream and I had a waffle before the last tour of the day at 15.15.  The tour was split into Norge or English speaking groups and we learnt about Ole Bull (1810 -1880) – he was the ‘Rock Star’ of the 1850’s, a world-famous composer and violinist who greatly inspired Edvard Grieg and in 1850 he founded Norway’s first theatre in Bergen.  The tour was around Ole Bull’s villa which his descendents have given to the nation to be a museum about Ole Bull.  I quote:  The villa is unique in Norwegian architectural history, not least due to its onion dome and exotic ornamentation.  Ole Bull designed the villa himself 10 years before he died; he was influenced by buildings he had seen from his world travels.

Just as we came out of the villa it started to rain again, so we did not explore any more of the 170 acre island, including a grotto and an observation tower.  Once we were back on the boat it stopped rain.  However, the bay had filled up with masses of motorboats all tied to trees, so we decided to move on a further 10 miles south and opted to pay for a berth with electricity at Kaileie Batesongen, Kolbeinshamn at the N.E. end of Huftaroy Island, particularly as gales are forecast for the area and our barometer has again been dropping … oh for some lovely settled summer weather!

[Info: Kaileie Batesongen, Kolbeinshamn berth with Electricity NOK 60, without 50, showers 10, washing and drying machine 30 each per go.]

Distance motored: 24 nm