The High Life on Hareidlandet

This is a good place to stay and see out the heatwave that we have in south-western Norway at present, being as it is, about 150 metres above sea level, it attracts a breeze through the valley when the sea below looks quite unperturbed. It’s also ten metres from a stream, that some may even call a river, but either way, Roja is very happy with it.

Today started out in a leisurely way, though as with yesterday, 8 / 9 am is the warmest time of day in effect, with no breeze at all. There are even some trees for shade here also, perfect for breakfast and a couple of hours reading.

A young Austrian woman in an old VW T4 had arrived last night, but we didn’t speak. This morning though, she said hello, as at about 8 am, she wandered off on the path that goes around the lake. She was away for 6 weeks, and indulging in her hobby of painting landscapes, which she hoped at some stage might make her some money.

I had a route in mind that I wanted to do today, but had some concern with the hot weather. But by mid-morning a decent breeze arrived, and there is plenty of boggy pools and puddles to keep Roja hydrated. In the end, we got further than I had hoped, and took in two peaks, Kvamstua at 429 metres, and Høgenausa at 489 metres. Having left the bog, climbed a steep 270 metres or so, the ridge was spectacular, the best hiking so far this course. We passed two young women coming the other way, with a young black labrador also off the lead, which is very rare here in Norway. They had added a day to the long weekend holiday and started out early. We agreed, that so long as the dogs can be trusted, they can be difficult to manage on steep ground. They key is of course, that the dog is well disciplined, and doesn’t tear around disturbing ground nesting birds, or being a concern with cliffs around. On the ridge, the ground to the south-east drops almost as steeply as a cliff to the sea.

Here’s a short documentary from the first summit..

https://videopress.com/v/0j6p04B2?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Back at the van Roja was more than happy to be out of the sun for the afternoon, taking his siesta in the shade. Later in the afternoon, I headed out for a second forty minutes on the bike as I had done yesterday.