Lyse Fjord

It does rain in Norway! 

It was a rugged moonscape of rock dotted with snow patches that greeted us as we got to the top. The weather started to deteriorate, visibility dropping to as little as 50 yards and the wind gusting to 30 knots at times, rugged indeed! The base of the clouds scudded along at about cliff top height so we go glimpses of the grand scene below in gaps in the cloud. We hope it would not get any thicker for when we arrived at our objective, the top of the massive vertical cliffs we had seen on the way up the fjord with water cascading down the shear drop. The route was well marked through the rock and snow. After 2 hours we came across a cairn and signpost, clearly pointing to our destination nearby but by now the fog had completely closed in around us. After 200 yards the markings petered out, it was not going to be safe to go on. Getting lost up here could seriously spoil our day! Just as we turned back 2 walkers spotted us and called out that they had found the cliffs. They pointed us in the right direction and within 200 yards the top of the cliff opened up before us and the cloud parted, divine intervention?! What was laid out before us was one of the most amazing sights I have seen. The scale is impossible to convey in a photo, you have to come and see this for yourself! 

This boulder is also quite an attraction; since Victorian days people have stepped out onto it to have their photo taken 3000’ above a fjord, but it was not for us on a wet windy day!

For the descent from the cafe we had taken our trusty bikes for an exciting 7km  gravity driven thrill ride round 74 hairpin bends and through a mile long tunnel in the pouring rain. The sunglasses are to keep the rain out of my eyes!

After Lyse Fjord we left the fjords behind us and headed for the lowland south of Norway to make some miles towards Olso. We stopped in at Stavanger then headed off into a forcast of force 4 winds and blue skys. It very qickly became apparent that the forcast was wrong as we got out into the main channel out of Stavanger. 

Rescuing damsels in distress!

The coast line is now quite different. Generally low and  very rugged, surprisingly arid and rock strewn.

Over the last 3 days we have had some very beautiful anchorages, 

collected a vast quantity of kelp and a few giant cockles on our anchor (breakfast?)




 

 and this evening enjoyed an excellent chicken dinner under way with a warm gentle breeze and some lovely sunshine!