Posts Tagged Walking
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.
The view from the top of Sprinkelet
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on June 28, 2010
Walks in the Fredrikstad area
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on June 28, 2010
- Mærrapanna: A short, pleasant coastal walk just west of Fredrikstad. Popular with local families. Child-friendly beach and facilities including BBQs, football pitch and toilets. Follow signs from Rv117 between Slevik and Vikane.
- Langvikkilen: A full-day tour in one of the prettiest coastal landscapes around. Path is not marked, but follow the coastline and you can’t really go wrong. Depart from Thorshøveien in Torsnes.
- Fredrikstadmarka: Recreation grounds used year-round by local dog owners, joggers, cross-country skiers, etc. Plenty of trails to choose from, right on the city’s doorstep. Start from behind Tara School, north of the centre.
- Elingård: Easy walk in pretty agricultural landscape around one of the county’s best known manors. Good picnic facilities by the river at the old mill ruins west of Elingård. There is a car park near the manor on Elingårdsveien, off Rv116.
- Sprinkelet: Great views over Fredrikstad and the surrounding area from the observation tower. The track starts from just behind Gressvik IF football pitch.
- Gamlebyen: Wandering around the Old Town’s atmospheric cobbled-stoned streets makes for a great walk, whatever the season, or the time of day.
- Blåsopp: A short, easy walk rewarded by fantastic views over the Oslofjord from the top of a rocky cliff. Follow the coastal path (kyststien) from either Oksrødkilen or Slevik.
Walking in Østfold: Høgnipen
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on May 19, 2010
Interested in history? Or rather prehistory, as it happens? At Høgnipen, on the border between Skjeberg (Sarpsborg) and Rakkestad are remnants dating back 10,000 years. These are the eldest traces of human life found in Østfold, discovered by two brothers, Alf and Odmund Schie, in 1961. The site was excavated by local archaeologist Erling Johansen.
Back in the Stone Age Høgnipen was an island, used in summer by local people who fished and hunted here. Today the walk to Høgnipen, 191m over sea level, is clearly signed, and makes for a pleasant walk. The first part of the walk follows an easy path through the forest (the bit that would have been under the sea all those years ago), and will take you to an information board (in Norwegian) and a stone marking the place where the first settlement at Høgnipen was found. The path then continues onto more rocky terrain and sparse vegetation at slightly higher altitude – just follow the small orange-painted wooden panels attached to the pine-trees to find your way. You will pass a little lake, Høgniptjernet, to your left before reaching the small observation tower at the top. From there you can see Borregaard in Sarpsborg and Isesjøen in the distance. The path makes a loop back to the settlement, so you won’t have to retrace your steps all the way.
How to get here: Follow Rv22 north from Halden towards Rakkestad. About 6km south of Degernes, the road forks out. Take it left past Ertevannet, towards Sørby. After a few kilometers you should see a sign for Høgnipen on your left. Follow the dirt road through the forest for about 4km, until you reach a small parking lot and another sign for Høgnipen. This is the beginning of the walk. It’s about 4km from here to the top. If you’re coming from Sarpsborg on Rv111, take it right at Ytterskogen School (the one with the black horse sign) a few kilometres south of Rakkestad, where you will find the dirt road on your right.
The turkopp
I was given one of those for Christmas last year, and I love it. It’s both beautiful and practical, in a very Scandinavian kind of way. Cups vary in size (8-9cm in diameter and 5-6cm high is about the norm), but all are very light – they weigh around 100g. Made of oiled wood, usually birch, the cups are cut out from one single piece, and can easily be washed with a bit of water (no detergent). They originally came from Lapland, where they are known as kuksa, although most Norwegians refer to them as turkopp (tour cup) or trekopp (wooden cup). Some have two, instead of one (or no), finger holes, and/or a leather string so that they can be tied onto a rucksack. Cheap they ain’t – expect to pay up to 200Kr in a specialist shop, although I’ve seen some on sale on the internet for less than half that price. So shop around.
See www.eagleproducts.no/hXGXzohdLG4h.16.idium (Norwegian only) to see a sample of cups – their articles are available in many sports shops.
Or (why not indeed if you have a bit of time on your hands) – make your own!… Follow the step-by-step instructions at www.bushcraft.ridgeonnet.com/Kuksa%20tutorial.htm
The Hvaler International Sculpture Project
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on May 2, 2010
Walking in Østfold: Rødshue, Hvaler
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, Nature and the great outdoors on May 2, 2010
This is another lovely walk on Hvaler. There is a sculpture park with several works by artists from both Norway and further afield (Italy, Japan and Sweden to be precise) interspersed along the coastline here. The most striking is probably Fortidens Vitner (Witnesses of the Past) by Alessandro Stenico, two grey stone columns (they look like metal from a distance) overlooking the ocean (see photo above). It was the first sculpture to be erected on the site in 2005. A new sculpture is due to be unveiled every summer, giving locals and visitors alike reasons to come back year after year.
Stone industry experienced a boom in Hvaler, as well as in several other parts of Østfold, during the latter part of the 19th century, and the area around Rødshue is a testimony to this, with discarded stone blocks of various sizes still dotting the landscape, and the remnants of quarry activity still visible in many parts. This makes for an interesting landscape to explore. Depending on how much time you’ve got on your hands, and/or how energetic you feel, you can continue on to Grønnebakke to the north, or Ørekroken to the east, both of which offer good swimming opportunities. Just north of the sculptures there is also a big stone cross erected in 1995 to mark 1,000 years of Christianity in Norway.
More info about the Stenkunst Hvaler project (the Hvaler International Sculpture Project) at www.stenkunsthvaler.no/english.html
How to get there: Coming from Fredrikstad on Rv 108, take the first road to your right once you get to Kirkeøy (after the Hvaler Tunnel). This is a small road that goes past many hytter (summer houses). Keep going straight for about 800m until you get to a small car park. There is no P sign but you can’t drive further on anyway, so you’ll know you’ve reached your destination. A path leads from the car park to the coast.