Map
Hamneidet in northern Norway (February 2024)
February 15 (Thursday): Departure from Amsterdam, via Copenhagen, to Tromsø. Transfer of 3,5 hours from Tromsø airport to Hamneidet by rental car
February 16 (Friday): Visit to Skjervøy
February 17 (Saturday): Visit Reisa national park
February 18 (Sunday): Tour by car to Storvik on the peninsula visible from the cabin on the other side of the fjord
February 19 (Monday): heavy snow! Done some shopping in Skjervøy, afterwards stayed at home for the rest of the day due to code orange road closures and avalanche danger
February 20 (Tuesday): best nothernlights of the holiday on FV869 in Skjervøy along the road leading to the ferry
February 21 (Wednesday): Tour to Reisa National Park
February 22 (Thursday): Tour to Kilpisjärvi in Finland
February 23 (Friday): Skjervøy city walk, searching for northernlights viewing points along small roads
February 24 (Saturday): Easy and well maintained hike to Stussnesfjellet, great views to mountains and Skjervøy
February 25 (Sunday): Transfer by car from Hamneidet to Tromsø, 1 night stay in Scandic Ishavshotel
February 26 (Monday): Return home. Departure from Tromsø, via Oslo, to Amsterdam
Cabin: Hamneideveien 17, Hamneidet
February 15-26, 2024
Jørpeland (July/August 2023)
We visited the area with 2 much younger cousins. There are loads of activities possible around Stavanger like: hiking, biking, canoeing, and sightseeing.
Our rental house is located in Jørpeland in the Province of Rogaland. The house is spacious, comtemporary, and very well equipped. Everything you need and more is available.
The sundeck on the 2nd floor has a very nice view of the fjord. A barbecue, dining table and chairs are available on the deck, so we enjoyed dining outside. Luckily in the week we visited Jørpeland, the weather was pleasantly warm and sunny.
Location: Gaupevegen 80, Jørpeland
July 28 – August 5, 2023
Friday July 28: Departure from Amsterdam to Stavanger. Activities: visit to Sverd i Fjell monument in Stavanger; Evening walk in Jørpelandsholmen.
Saturday July 29: Activiteis: bucket list hike to Preikestolen. Preikestolen or Pulpit rock towers 640m above Lysefjord. The hike is 3,8km one way (7,6 km round trip). It takes at least 4 hours to complete, plus time spent at the top. Elevation gain is 334 meter, climbing is made easier by steep stairways although with uneven steps.
Sunday July 30: Activities: Hike to Månafossen and visit to Gloppedalsura.
The 90 meter Månafossen waterfall is close to the parking area. Chains are attached to the rocks to simplify passing of the steeper areas.
Gloppedalsura scree is an enormous pile of landslide rocks. The rocks were left at the bottom of a glacier after it melted. Due to rain we stayed only a short time in the area.
Monday Juy 31: Activities: Stavanger old town; Boat trip on Lysefjord with Rødne Fjord Cruise; Walk on the beach at Tungenes Fyr;
Part (2 km round trip) of Grimsli hike. We aborted the hike around Liarvatnet lake due to shortage of time. We started at about 20:00h, and the 10km hike was impossible to complete before dark.
Tuesday August 1: E-bike rental in Forsand; Revsvatnet evening hike.
With the E-bike we took the route to Øvre Espedal. This was a very lovely trip on very quiet roads. Afterwards we took the FV496 from Forsand to the Preikestolen viewpoint. FV496 was a bit busier. Total length of the 2 trips was about 80km. The bike-routes took us the whole day to complete, with stops to enjoy the scenery.
The evening hike to Revsvatnet was a bit more adventurous than expected. We left too late in the evening and almost not made it back before dark. Paths are muddy and wet, rocky and slippery, scattered roots and exposed rocks make this hike treacherous.
Wednesday August 2: Activities: Short hike at Liarvatnet; canoeing on Liarvatnet lake.
We were getting bored with narrow, rocky, muddy, and root infested paths, so we cut the hike short at about 1 hour. Afterwards we rented 2 Canadian style canoes and paddled across the lake.
Thursday August 3: Activity: Walk to Vistnestangen Fyr. This is a nice and easy walk, of approximately 2 km one way, The path leads along the beach. When you reach the lighthouse there is a small picnic area.
Friday August 4: time to leave, however KLM flight was cancelled due to a bird strike. We were booked into a hotel (Clarion Hotel Air) as our new departure was the next day.
Saturday August 5: Departure to Amsterdam at 06:00h
Long weekend Ålesund (July 2019)
Thursday July 25, 2019: Amsterdam – Ålesund. After check-in in the hotel: a city walk, and evening hike to viewpoint Fjellstua Aksla. The evening is not the best time of day to visit Aksla.
Friday July 26, 2019: Morning visit to viewpoint Fjellstua Aksla. Rest of the day: Atlantic road or Atlanterhavsveien. A spectacular road along the coast.
Saturday July 27, 2019: Geiranger, Dalsnibba viewpoint, Trollstigen viewpoint.
Sunday July 28, 2019: Transfer Ålesund – Runde Island, check-in in Runde Miljøsenter. Afternoon hike to Lundera (no puffins), Gannet rock (lots of gannets), not many other birds. It was extremely warm. Back via a cross country short cut, which seemed to be a well travelled path, but ended up between sheep and in a watery and muddy area.
Monday July 29, 2019: small tour via Remøya, to Nerlandsøya. Short walk to Golleneset fyr, a small lighthouse. Evening bird watching boat tour around the island. At night sundowner to Lundera, again no puffins., we left at 22:30h.
Thursday July 30, 2019: Drive back to Alesund, short visit to Alnes lighthouse on Godøya Island. Return trip Ålesund – Amsterdam
Our first visit to Norway in summertime was a great success!
25-30 July 2019
Weekend Tromsø (Februay 2016)
It was a quite some time ago that we had made a trip to the Northern Lights. So were really due for a return visit. We were only briefly in the far north this time. We visited Tromsø for 1 weekend, leaving on Thursday 11 February and returning on Monday 15 February.
Saturday: February 13 2016: drive to Sommarøy, along the coast of the Kvaløya (peninsula) island.
Sunday: Feburary 14, 2016: drive to the fishing village of Tromvik.
Monday: Feburary 15, 2016: Tromsø – Oslo – Amsterdam, Flights back home
11-15 February 2016
Tromsø – Malangen – Tromsø (March 2013)
Thursday, March 7, 2013: Amsterdam-Oslo, Stay in airport hotel Oslo
Friday, March 8, 2013: Arrival at Malangen.
What a coincidence, we have house #33 again, exactly the same house as last year. After dinner we drove around the Malangen Peninsula hoping to see some northern lights. Unfortunately, there was no activity. We went back around midnight.
Saturday, March 9, 2013: We went for a walk to Camp Nikka, which is 1.6 km from the resort. The camp consists of a few wooden houses and a half open wooden lavvo.
After our dinner we saw the familiar green lines appear from the window. At Camp Nikka a lovely fire had been lit, so we were sheltered from the wind in the lavvo with a little warmth from the fire. There was a whole group of Japanese people who were building a party. It was a happy mess!!! There were also a number of English and Dutch people.
After a about an hour we spotted the first weak northern lights. Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated quickly, so we started the return trip to the resort, in the dark, snowy forest! We arrived back in the cabin at midnight.
Sunday, March 10, 2013: Visit Ishavs Cathedral in Tromsø, also known as the “Arctic Cathedral”. The Church is open from 2 to 6. You can only pay in cash (40 NOK per person). The church built in the shape of a triangle. The concrete of the walls are made to look like ice. Light enters from different sides. It is a special building to view. After our visit to the church we drove back to Tromsø. In the evening it was cloudy, so useless to to.
Monday, March 11, 2013: Again a the walk to Camp Nikka. It was lovely to walk in the sun, and then sit in the lavvo for a while. In the evening the weather conditions remained great, and at 9 we left for the camp. We had no idea if there was activity, because the Internet was not available. We sat in the lavvo by the campfire until well over midnight, but nothing happened.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013: Again the start of a sunny day! But that wouldn’t last long. Today the destination was Kilpisjärvi (Finland). That is a long drive from Malangen, an hour or two, but it is a beautiful journey through forests, mountains and eventually a white plateau. That evening by 9 o’clock the skies cleared and we saw the best northern lights show of this trip. We stayed outside until 2 am the next morning. First at Camp Nikka, and later for our own cabin at the resort.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013: Time to return home. After two flights we returned to Schiphol early in the evening.
8-13 March 2013
