The scenery has been stunning today, and we’ve only touched a small piece of northern Norway. This is what we came for… mountains, lakes, fjords and wonderful views!
The rain has also stopped and we’ve had lots of sunshine between white fluffy clouds. Now we’re so far north, there’s very little night. The sun won’t set until after midnight tonight, then it rises again at 2 o’clock. So far, the lack of darkness hasn’t affected my sleep. It’s fairly dark in Molly and I wake at 3 o’clock in the morning for an hour or two even at home in the middle of winter!
The drive has been on good roads but very winding, around mountains and lakes, and up and down hills. We’ve passed freshwater lakes, saltwater fjords, rivers and waterfalls, all surrounded by mountains, many with remnants of winter snow. Beautiful!
We drove through another long tunnel and, eventually, over another eye-catching bridge to get to the island where we’re camping tonight at Torghatten. The road on the island was very narrow and a motorhome coming in the opposite direction clipped Molly’s wing mirror, having not slowed down or moved over. It’s fine though… nothing broken… just a scuff mark. Phew!
Torghatten is a mountain with a hole through it, which we could see from miles away! It’s famous in the area and we’re glad the weather improved for us to see it. Spot the hole in the photo on the left below.
We parked up on the campsite at the foot of the mountain then set off to walk through the hole. The path headed up a stone staircase of over 1000 steps, which was apparently built by skilled Sherpas from Nepal. We wondered how they managed to lift the huge slabs into place, many of which are local granite.
We passed what would have once been a pothole in a river, known as a trolls’ cooking pot. Then, after about 20 minutes, we reached the huge and impressive hole through Torghatten, which is around 160m long, 35m high and 15m wide.
Geologists believe that the hole was formed by frost weathering and coastal erosion along a zone of weakness in the mountain at the end of the last Ice Age. The legend is far more fun… it says that the hole was created when a Troll-King threw his hat into the air to deflect an arrow fired at a maiden by a horseman because he was disappointed in love. The arrow passed straight through the hat and, when the sun rose, it turned into stone, leaving the hole.
The views from the hole are lovely in both directions. We spent some time there, me with my camera and John with Dave the drone. Then we headed down the steps on the far side of the hole and followed a coastal path back to the campsite. It was an enjoyable walk, and good to get moving after long days of driving.
We’re heading to the Seven Sisters mountain range tomorrow, hoping to do a longer and higher walk on Saturday. Then we’d like to visit a glacier. Trips depend on ferries and weather so nothing is set in stone. Fingers crossed!
Ramblings 
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