FULLDAY EXCURSIONS

TOUR TO GEIRANGER

From Olden the route takes you to Stryn, which is the biggest population centre in the municipality, and then through Hornindal valley, past Lake Hornindalsvatnet, Europe's deepest lake, and down to the ferry landing at Hellesylt. Here you board the ferry which takes you to the imposing Geirangerfjord, with high mountains plunging into the fjord on both sides. You will pass the waterfalls De Syv Søstre (The Seven Sisters), and tehre are farms clinging periously to the mountainside, without any other connection with the outside world other than the sea route. In Geiranger, you will og ashore and begin the ascent to the mountain top Dalsnibba - 1500 metres above sea level - where there is a view on the grandest scale over Geirangerfjorden and seven parishes.

From here our tour continues to Grotli and alog the old Strynefjell Road, which is a masterpiece in itself, given that it was built at the time of horse and carriage and is still fully usable now in the age of motorcars. You will drive past the Stryn Summer Ski Centre, by the Tystigbreen glacier, where it is possible to ski all year around.

The tour continues past Videseter and the Buldrefossen waterfall, down Hjelledalen, along Lake Strynsvatnet and back to Stryn and Olden.


AROUND LAKE JØLSTRAVATNET AND ASTRUPTUNET

This tour starts at Olden, passes through the beautiful villages of Innvik and Utvik and crosses the Utvik mountain, which is a popular destination in both summer and winter. From there you have a fantastic view over Nordfjord on one side of the mountain and over the Våtedalen valley and Breim on the other side. The route continues further into the Våtdealen valley, with its multitude of goats grazing in the summertime.

You then drive through Skei and, leaving the main road, continue along the south side of lake Jølstravatnet. On the steep but fertile hillside you will find Astruptunet, the home and smallholdeing of the painter and graphic artist Nikolai Astrup (1880 - 1928). This is now a museum, and a modern art gallery has been erected on the site of the old barn. As well as a permanent exhibition of Astrup's paintings, graphic art, plates for woodcuts and sketches, the gallery houses varied exhibitions each summer.

From Astruptunet there is a panoramic view across Lake Jølstravatnet and the surrounding villages. Here you will be able to experience at first hand the inspiration for many of Astrup's masterpieces.


STRYN SUMMER SKI CENTRE / VIDESETER AND GROTLI

This tour takes you from Olden through Stryn and along the River Stryneelva and Lake Strynsvatnet. The drive goes through villages such as Mindresunde, Oppstryn, Hjelle and Folven, and it continues through three long and imposing tunnels, which provide Nordfjord a fast and safe connection to Eastern Norway. The tunnels are 2560 metres, 3660 metres and 4506 metres long respectively. On emerging from these tunnels, you pass by Lake Breidalsvatnet, where a british plane crashed after an air battle in 1940. The plane, which is now of historic interest, was salvaged by British and norwegian divers in 1974.

At Grotli the route leaves the main road and follows the old Strynefjells road which is a masterpiece in itself, given that it was built at the time of horse and carriage and is still fully usable now in the age of motorcars. The road passes Stryn Summer Ski Centre, where you will find a 975 metre long chairlift to take you up to the glacier. Here there are several kilometres of superbly laid out cross-country skiing tracks, as well as a number of pistes for the alpine enthusiast.

From Videseter, a little further down the valley, there is a famous view across the valley towards Skåla (1840 m above sea level) with the Skåla glacier and Breifonn. Another sight worth seeing is the Buldrefoss waterfall.

A little further down from Videseter you rejoin the main road, and the tour follows this road back to Stryn and Olden.


RUNDE AND THE ISLANDS OF SUNNMØRE

This tour starts at Olden and heads, via Stryn, towards Hornindal. The route follows the south shores of Lake Hornindalsvatnet, Europe's deepest lake, towards Nordfjordeid. You then leave Route 15 to drive over Stigedalen to the ferry point at Folkestad, where you take a ferry to Volda, which is a large industrial site and educational centre. On the journey onwards to Ørsta, you pass Ekset, an old farm in the Aarflot family, and the farm Åsen Gard, which was Ivar Aasen's birthplace. At Rjånes the ferry will take you over to Eiksund.

Now you have arrived in the island area of Sunnmøre. We would recommend a trip over to the islands of Gurskøy, Herøy, Remøy, and out to Runde. All these islands are connected by bridges. On Runde you will have the opportunity to see the "bird mountain", and a boat trip around the island can be arranged.

The return trip takes you across Gurskøy to Årvik, over on a ferry to Koparnes and onwards to Åheim, where you will find the world's largest "olivin" plant. You pass through Jetmundleiet, with its superb view across the valley of Almkløvdalen valley, Åheimbygda and Vanylven towards Stad. Then continuing across Maurstadleiet, you will arrive at Maurstad, the birthplace of the actor Toralv Maurstad. You then drive along Nordfjord, through charming places such as Kjølsdal, Stårheim and Torvik, to Nordfjordeid, the Mecca of the Fjord Horse. The journey continues along Lake Hornindalsvatnet towards Hornindal, throught Stryn and back to Olden.


TOUR TO SANDANE AND NORDFJORDEID

On this tour you will start by travelling through the beautiful villages of Innvik and Utvik. The route then takes you away from the fjord across Utvikfjellet mountain. On your ascent up the mountainside, there is an imposing view of inner Nordfjord. On the other side of the mountain there is an equally imposing view over Lake Breimsvatnet and the valley of Våtedalen.

The route continues to Sandane, where you can visit Nordfjord Folk Museum, which has 22 old buildings, including an open-hearth cottage, smoke-oven rooms, lofts and an old school cottage.

Next you pass through Vereide, where you will find Nordfjord's oldest and only stone-built church, which was built approximately 1160. At Anda you board a ferry across Nordfjord to Lote. From this side there is a fantastic view across the fjord. You can, for example, see into Gloppenfjorden to Sandane.

You then have the chance to look around Nordfjordeid, which is popularly called the Mecca of the Fjord Horse. On the return trip you drive along Lake Hornindalsvatnet, the deepest lake in Europe, towards Stryn and back to Olden.


TOUR TO SELJE AND STADTLANDET

From Olden you drive through Stryn towards Hornindal. You then continue along Lake Hornindalsvatnet, which is Europe's deepest lake, to Nordfjordeid, popularly called the Mecca of the Fjord Horse. Onward along the north shore of Nordfjord, you pass through the charming population centres of Stårheim, Kjølsdal and Maurstad, the birthplace of actor Toralv Maurstad. Here you leave Route 15 to drive across Maurstadeidet, 781 feet above sea level, coming down through Jetmundleiet, with its fantastic view over Almkløvdalen valley, and the villages of Åheimbygda and Vanylven towards Stad. You then continue past Åheim, where you will find the world's largest "olivin" plant.

From Åheim you drive along the fjord to Kjøde and on to Selje, from which a boat can take you to the monastery ruins on the island of Kinn, the first seat of a bishop in Western Norway. Your route then takes you across Sandvikseidet, where there is a fantastic view across the sea on one side and in towards Åheim and Sunnmøre on the other side, then along Vanylvsfjorden to Leikanger and across Årvikfjellet to Kjerringa.

Kjerringa, which is 496 metres above sea level, has a straight drop into the ocean. There is a strange atmosphere out there, and the views are superb. Kjeringa rises like a fist, and from there you can see for miles inland over the Sunnmøre Alps, the significant mountain of Hornelen and the Ålfotbreen glacier. On clear days you can even see oil platforms far out at sea.