Monty the Motorhome is surprised to find himself on another campsite tonight, as he was fully expecting to be wild-camping. We are at Saltkjelsnes Camping, about 12km from the town of Åndalsnes.
It has been another glorious sunny day, with temperatures reaching 25 degrees centigrade at one stage.
Our day started with a drive round the southern coastline of Averøya, on a very quiet road, stopping at Kvernes Stave Church. These places of worship are one of Norway’s contributions to world architecture. Originally dating from the Viking era, they are some of the oldest wooden buildings on earth. Named for their vertically supporting posts, they can be ornately decorated in almost an asian manner. Of the 500 to 600 originally built only 28 remain, often in very picturesque settings. We were slightly too early for the church to be open, so looked around the outside and admired the fjord views.
Then it was on to the Atlantic Road. Due to it’s short length we drove north to south to get our bearings and suss out the vantage/photo stops. Then south to north, stopping and taking the piccies. Finally another north south drive just to fully absorb the ambience. I commented yesterday that this has been described as one of the world’s best drives. Well that is stretching it. True it is stunning, and the bridge designs really take your breath away. However it it over in a jiffy and the experience is fleeting.
Then on to the tiny coastal village of Bud, huddled around it’s small harbour, complete with wooden racking for drying cod (though not in use at present). It had a charm, but also felt a bit strange as the place seemed deserted, apart from the odd tourist.
Pressing on we were soon in Molde, a sizable town spread out in a ribbon development along the coast. Initially I had planned to walk up to the viewpoint overlooking the town, from where it is said 222 peaks are visible. However the venture was cancelled on seeing how far away it was, and how high, combined with the unrelating sunshine.
Our last visit of the day was to another Stave Church, at the small hamlet of Rødven. Once again we were out of luck with it being open. We were two days out of the summer opening season. However it was beautiful to look at, once again in a fjord setting, with an immaculate graveyard.
By now we were on the lookout for a wild camp. However there seemed to be a marked lack of anything suitable, and as we are getting into Fjord country there seems to be more restrictions on overnighting. So mindful of our experiences last week, when we ended up desperate for somewhere to stay, the easy option was taken when we spotted a campsite on the fjord side that just seemed idyllic.
The welcome was a bit dour, but the facilities are tip top - including unlimited showers. Yippee.
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