Archive for category Nature and the great outdoors
Did you know? Ytre Hvaler National Park
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on August 20, 2010
- The national park was opened on 9 Sep 2009. It is Norway’s 31st national park, and Europe’s first marine national park (jointly with Koster NP in Sweden). It covers a surface of 354km2, although only 14km2 of it is land (see map above).
- The national park features many unique traits such as deep soft and hard bottoms (over 200m below), very exposed shallow sediments and rocks and deep water coral reefs. The deepest point in the park is 462m deep. The area also boasts a great variety of marine species (around 7,000), including invertebrates, fishes, sharks and seals.
- The national park is also a great place for bird-watching: sea birds and wading birds in particular are plentiful here – more than 260 species have been observed on Akerøya alone.
- Some 50 shipwrecks lie on the seabed in the area, the most famous of which is the frigate Lossen, which sank off the island of Vesterøy on Christmas Eve 1717.
- Tisler has the largest inshore reef in Europe, 1,200m long and about 200m wide. It is home to species not found anywhere else in Europe. The reef was discovered as recently as 2002.
- The waters between Heia and Torbjørnskjær are an important pupping area for common seals. They keep to the most remote areas to avoid the worst of boat traffic.
- On land you’ll find rare plants and flowers such as the musk orchid or the horned (yellow) poppy for example – 32 of them feature on the Norwegian Red List (i.e. are threatened) and should not be picked.
Worth their weight in gold
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on August 16, 2010
The chanterelle (cantharellus cibarius)
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Nature and the great outdoors on August 16, 2010
This highly prised mushroom, which comes in season here in Norway from as early as June, is super tasty, easy to recognise and can grow in big amounts – hence its popularity among wild mushroom enthusiasts. The Østfold forests are full of chanterelles this time of year, and it won’t take you long to find a spot where to pick some. Chanterelles like mixed woods (this means both pine and conifer) but also often grow along forest roads, so just keep your eyes peeled for dashes of gold on the forest floor as you drive around.
How to identify them:
- The cap: bright yellow to orange, smooth, often becomes wavy at the edge as the mushroom matures.
- The flesh: firm and white, tinged with yellow and smelling slightly fruity.
- The stalk: thick and full, not hollow.
- The gills: not true gills, but thick ridges, similarly coloured or lighter than the cap, that run part way down the stem.
Eat them fresh, dry them (on a tray covered with newpapers for 2-3 days, thereafter in a net, preferably somewhere airy), or freeze them (cook them first to get rid of as much of the water as possible). My preferred way of eating them is just fried, with a bit of salt and pepper, on a slice of bread. Or add cream, and a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon – they are delicious prepared this way too. And of course you can use chanterelles in many dishes (see links below). Don’t feel restricted to use them with meat only though. My sister makes a fantastic salmon and chanterelles lasagna – the two go very well together too.
More info, and some recipes, at www.mssf.org/cookbook/chanterelle.html and www.wild-harvest.com/pages/chanterelle.htm
Butterflies, bumblebees and botany
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on August 10, 2010
Vestre Pålsrød Herb Garden, Rygge
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on August 10, 2010
OK, it’s not Kew Botanical Gardens, nor even Monet’s Garden in Giverny, but this little herb garden in Rygge, near Moss, is a charming place for a wander. It is the brainchild of local resident Anne Sofie Larsen, who has spent the last 20 years weeding, planting, watering and generally speaking nurturing this plot of land into what it is today. A labour of love indeed. ‘Welcome to my garden’, entices the sign by the gate. From the dirt road a narrow path leads into a wood, past a little pond and on to the prize-winning garden. The idea behind Anne Sofie’s life project is for people to enjoy themselves here, and take some time to reflect on the nature around them, and the joy it gives them. She herself has been diagnosed with cancer three times, but refused to give up the fight against illness, and found much comfort working, and relaxing, in this garden. Here and there insightful quotes (in Norwegian) engraved on slate or rock have been placed by a fern, a tree trunk or by the mulch path, where a few strategically located benches also invite to contemplation. At night candles light the way. The garden itself, although small, boasts 300 different kinds of plants, including local herbs and flowers, and information on their history and use. On the day we visited earlier this summer, a multitude of butterflies and bumblebees were also buzzing in the flowerbeds. Concerts occasionally take place here, and you can buy plants in the barn if you so wish (a nice way to contribute financially to the upkeep of the garden). There are also several short walks departing from the car park if you want to explore the area further.
Vestre Pålsrød, Rygge. Tel: 69 26 33 85, www.urtehagen.no. Free entrance (please leave bikes at the gate if you cycle there).
Fishing in Østfold
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on August 1, 2010
Going fishing? You’ve come to the right place! With its long coastline and hundreds of lakes, Østfold is a fishing eldorado. Here is what you can expect to catch, and where:
- Salmon: Enningdalselva in Halden (see http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/03/enningdalselva-salmon-fishing/) is the best river in the county, although Ågårdselva in the Sarpsborg municipality also draws its fair share of salmon enthusiasts. August is fly-fishing season in the latter. Remember that a fishing card/permit is required. Salmon can also be caught in Tista, Halden, and in the Glomma.
- Trout: The small lakes in Trømborgfjella, Degernesfjella and Rakkestadfjella in Indre-Østfold are all good bets, and so are the ones in Vestfjella in Aremark. Again, permits are required – you can usually get those from the approach road to the lakes, where you leave the amount in a marked box with your car registration number.
- Sea trout: Can be caught along the coast, often near land. You could try your luck off Bevø, Torsnes, or Engelsviken near Fredrikstad, for example, or pretty much anywhere on Hvaler. No permit or card required for fishing in the sea.
- Perch and pike: Can be caught in most big lakes. The Glomma is particurlaly good for pike, and so are Vansjø and Haldenvassdraget. Pikes can get big – fish of 20kg and more have been caught here, and 10kg is not unusual.
- Zander: The only place you can catch zander in Østfold, and one of the few places in Norway, is Vansjø, near Moss.
Shelter for the night?
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on July 30, 2010
Walking in Østfold: Fridtjof Nansen’s Hotel
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on July 30, 2010
This is a great day walk in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansen, the famous polar explorer, who used to hunt in this area some 100 years ago. The ‘hotel’ is just a sheltered spot under a rocky face where Nansen and his fellow hunters would rest for the night, and not much to write home about, but the nearby lake makes for a good picnic spot before you head back on the return leg of your trip. You will feel like you’re really venturing into the wilderness on this walk, which is quite exciting, but you should make sure you have appropriate footwear (and pack enough water and mosquito repellent) before you set off. Allow about 5 hours to get there an back, with a short pause half-way.
The terrain is varied, ranging from pine trees and carpets of blueberry bushes to bog and green conifer forest, and peppered with little lakes, making for a pleasant walk. The path, which is quite narrow in places and from time to time disappears under lush wild grass, is marked all the way, but not used all that often. Finding the blue spots to follow can be a bit tricky as a result, as the paint has peeled off some of the trees. When this has happened keep going straight and just look for the next blue spot. We only struggled twice to find our way – when we reached the little forest road, about one-third in (you have to follow the dust road to the right for about 50m before finding the path again on the other side, skirting the bog) and again about two-thirds in, when the path seemed to have all but disappeared, and we found white marks, instead of blue ones, going down to a little lake on our right. We continued straight for a few minutes, and found our path again, slightly to the left, after about 50m.
How to get there: From Halden follow signs for Tistedal, and then continue on Rv21 along Femsjøen (the big lake on your left). You will pass the crossing for Brekke Sluser (locks). Continue on Rv21 for about 4.5km, and you will see a sign for Fridtjof Nansen’s Hotel on your right, a couple of km before Store Ertevatn (another, smaller lake), where Rv21 goes to the left towards Aremark.