Day 54 – to Bardufoss

Alongside the still fjord waters this was another of the great overnight stops. It was only a couple of kilometres across the fjord to the E6 road running north south down the coast, with the sharp sided huge peaks towering above. There must have been a light breeze from the west though, as there was no sound at all. Darkness falls about 7:30 pm at the moment, and we were out wandering around the nearby paths at the time, very special.

There was more orange and red to the trees noticeable today on the lower slopes of the hike up to Balsokka Fell. The parking for the track was just a few kilometres away, at the back of Storsteinnes town, by its school and sports facilities. But in no time, amongst the beech trees it soon seemed like wilderness. It was varied scenery, but the highlight was the two or three kilometres above the treeline on the rock close to the summit.

The summit, with its visitor’s book, as ever, in which I inscribed the usual message.

The descent was steeper, a bit more tricky with damp and tree roots, especially for those with dodgy hips and backs. A couple of kilometres from town it passed a hut, the most looked after I have seen. It’s such a good thing, to be able to come up here for lunch, or a beer, or to stay over, even in the peak of winter, to light a fire and enjoy the place. It made me wonder whether such a venture would work in our local hills. I’m sure it’s all funded and looked after by locals, the equivalent of our Parish Council.

After lunch I drove the 50 k into Bardufoss, where LPG is available, the first place since my failure in Alta this time last week. I was more fortunate here, and managed to get it up to about 55% full. It’s an underslung tank, and they only fill up to 80% at the very best of times. It seems I am usually filling mine on a very warm day, or a cold one like today, and after 55% the delivery into it slows to a trickle. But 55% is probably plenty for me for the remaining 6 weeks. I only use it for cooking.

I’m holed up at the town’s considerable sports facility, away from the centre. It’s got plenty of walking tracks, one of which we took in the early evening. But it’s a Friday, and the Rugby Premiership’s first one of the season, so I will settle in with that this evening.