We don’t normally go on organised excursions laid on by the cruise company because, quite frankly, they don’t represent very good value for money. Often you can do the same trip for half the price by doing your own thing. However, that’s not always possible, and today we took a coach trip from Olden, where the boat docked, to the Briksdal Glacier.
At a cost of about £5 per mile, it didn’t represent very good VFM, but it was worthwhile and they did chuck in a cup of tea and a small piece of cake!
Snow Capped
In preparation for this trip we’d bought overselves a couple of berghaus jackets to keep us warm and dry on the basis that this is Norway. On waking this morning and opening the curtains to see snow capped peaks just outside the window we thought that was a smart move. On arriving at the start of the trail to the glacier and finding that not only was it dry but it was also 19 degrees the coat actually felt more of a hinderance than a help!
The walk from “base camp” to the glacier is only a mile and a half and had been described by the cruise blurb as being uphill at the start, sort of implying that it leveled after that – in fact, and unsurprisingly, it was uphill all the way. The reward for this uphill walk was some stunning scenary and a lovely waterfall before arriving at the glacier itself.
My mother-in-law had been to visit the glacier some 25 years ago and said that she was able to stand on it. Today you’d have had to have been prepared for some serious climbing to be able to do that it has shrunk so much. A very real example of climate change if ever there was one.
A lovely walk to a beautiful place.
