Norway > Along the Hardangerfjord

Getting up this morning is a bit harder than usual. Yesterday’s long travel day was tiring. Although we are driving further south today, the route is not as long as yesterday. We can take it easier. By nine o’clock, the car is packed again. We take a short walk to the small church of Undredal. This is the smallest still-active stave church in Norway.

Norway - The smallest church in Norway holds a maximum of 40 people

Inside the white church, there is room for forty worshippers. Unfortunately, the door is closed. We leave Undredal by car and drive onto the main road to Voss. Immediately, we enter an eleven-kilometer-long tunnel, the longest tunnel so far on our trip. We pass Voss and head towards Odda. Along the way, a sign reads "Skjervsfossen." We decide to stop and see the waterfall. Via a rocky staircase with over 400 steps, we reach the base of the waterfall. We see the water plunge almost vertically in two streams some 150 meters down. A magnificent sight and a nice break. When we reach the Hardangerfjord, the navigation directs us to the right. We had expected to turn left. Now we would have to take an extra ferry after eight kilometers. Since it is already difficult to pass oncoming traffic on the narrow road, turning around is even harder. We decide to drive on to the ferry, as we are not in a hurry. The ferry, however, is also not in a hurry. The next boat on Sunday will leave in about forty-five minutes. We turn around and take the other route. Through a six-kilometer-long tunnel, we reach the other side of the fjord. We continue to Odda. The road along the fjord is narrow and full of curves. It is also busy with holiday traffic. Campers and caravans can barely pass each other. Luckily, there is no truck traffic on Sunday. We follow the line of cars obediently, with two caravans leading. In Odda, we fill up the tank again. In the mountains, the car consumes more diesel. In Norway, it is better to fill up too early than too late. You never know when the next diesel pump will be available. We leave the main road and continue on a yellow-marked route on the map.

Norway - The 150meterhigh Skjervsfossen waterfall

This means narrower roads, more curves, and steeper sections. The road goes uphill immediately. With several sharp hairpin bends, we quickly gain height again. On the other side of the mountain pass, we descend again. The gradient reaches up to ten percent. We try to brake using the engine as much as possible, to avoid overheating the brakes. Traffic behind us must adjust to our speed. We safely reach the Jøsenfjord. From here, the road runs along the water. The road is flatter but has many tunnels. Sometimes there is only a short open stretch before the next tunnel begins. Some tunnels are fifty meters, others are kilometers long. Eventually, we reach the ferry across the Jøsenfjord. The ferry is just arriving. Again, we are lucky. In about twenty minutes, we cross to the other side. It is still about sixty kilometers to Jørpeland. In Jørpeland, our hotel for the night is waiting. From here, we hope to climb Preikestolen tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weather will be good. The forecasts contradict each other. We go to bed early.