under this designation. You may need your hands for safety. Special features of each day’s walk are described, hazards are pointed out and other particulars of the walk (e.g. mountain views, river crossings, shelter) are listed.
ROUTE PROFILES
The route profiles provided for each of the suggested routes allow you to gauge approximate trail steepness at a glance. Distances used in the drawings are estimates. Note that the horizontal distance on the track is represented on the horizontal axis, and not by the length along the profile line. The steeper a segment as represented on the profile line, the more the segment will exaggerate the true distance between the points it connects. The book’s limited page size will make segments of the trail drawn on the route profile appear steeper than they really are when on the trail. This vertical exaggeration becomes especially apparent for longer routes. Routes longer than approximately 90 kilometres have been divided into two route profiles to lessen vertical exaggeration.
SUMMARY TABLES
Summary tables of each route (see Appendix A) provide estimates of how long it will take to walk from point to point along each route.
CHAPTER 2:
Travel Tips
Here I am, safely returned over those peaks from a journey far more beautiful and strange than anything I had hoped for and imagined - how is it that this safe return brings such regret?
Peter Matthiessen
GETTING STARTED
Tourist Offices
The Norwegian Tourist Board maintains offices throughout the world. Their free booklet, Norway, advises travellers on just about every important detail: passports, customs, currency, travel, hotels, and the like. Specific information on walking in Norway published by Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) (The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association) can be obtained from their Oslo office (see Appendix D).
Passport and Visas
To enter Norway if a citizen of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Western Europe you need a valid passport, but no visa unless you plan to stay longer than 3 months. Your 3-month period is calculated from the time you enter any country in Scandinavia. Your passport must remain valid throughout the 3-month period. Your nearest Norwegian embassy will give you visa information.
Currency and Money
Norway once had the reputation of being the most expensive country in Europe. Price differences between Norway and the rest of Europe have now narrowed or disappeared. It’s not that Norway has grown less expensive; the rest of Europe has caught up with it. The total cost of visiting Paris, Stockholm or Copenhagen may easily exceed that in any part of Norway.
The Norwegian crown (krone) is commonly abbreviated as NOK. One Norwegian krone equals 100 øre. Coins come in denominations of 50 øre and 1,5,10, and 20 kroner coins; bills come in 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 kroner amounts. Norwegians round off change to the nearest 50 øre. The Norwegian krone differs from the Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic kroner which are not accepted.
Post offices and banks exchange major foreign currency and traveller’s cheques. You will find money exchange offices in all major airports and railway stations. They offer the best rate for traveller’s cheques, but there is often a charge for cashing them. Major credit cards are accepted in most places in Norway, and at some full-service, self-service and unstaffed huts.
Customs and Duties
Cigarettes and alcohol may be brought into Norway in restricted amounts. These restrictions are usually not of concern to visiting walkers. Returning Norwegians tend to bring in the limit.
Language
Norwegian, like Danish and Swedish, belongs to the northern group of Germanic languages. A mixed group of the three nationalities freely converse among themselves, each speaking his native tongue. If you speak a Germanic language, such as English, German or Dutch, you will recognize a large part of the Norwegian vocabulary. Norwegian is not a language for the shy; many words are enunciated and spoken with great vigour. In addition to normal vowels, Norwegian has three additional ones: å, æ and ø, which come at the end of the alphabet. Do try to learn a bit of Norwegian, although pronunciation is notoriously difficult for the native English speaker. Because of the difficulty with pronunciation I have not found phrase books helpful.
The Sami in northern Norway have their own language. Sami is closer to Finnish than to Norwegian, and thus even more incomprehensible to the English visitor. When visiting Finnmark you will notice the unusual characters, accents and spellings.
Norwegians must now take English in school, and many, particularly if under 50 years of age, can communicate in English, but only at a basic level. Norwegians will want to practise their English language, but never assume advanced proficiency. English skills fade away as you travel deeper into the rural areas. In some of the more remote lodges, the guardian may not speak English. You’ll wish then that you’d learned at least the numbers in Norwegian!
Health
For entry into Norway from infection-free nations, such as Canada, the United States or anywhere in Western Europe, you need no vaccinations nor must you take any special medical precautions. A yellow fever vaccination is required if entering Norway from an infected area.
In case of illness, only visitors from Britain are covered by the Norwegian Health Plan. Ambulance and in-patient care is free; doctor’s visits, usually paid in cash, cost around £10. Chemists (Apotek) are open during normal shopping hours. In most towns an emergency pharmacy will serve you during closing hours. Prescriptions from foreign countries will not be honoured; you should bring plenty of your prescription medicines with you. Medicines should be carried in their original bottles, or you should carry a doctor’s letter of verification.
Time
Norway, like Sweden, Denmark and the rest of Western Europe, is one hour ahead of Greenwich mean time (GMT). Daylight savings time (DST), when the clocks are pushed ahead one hour, runs from the end of March to the end of September.
GETTING THERE
Train
Many international trains connect Britain and the European continent with Scandinavia via Copenhagen and Hamburg. Ferry trains run between Copenhagen and Oslo several times a day.
Air
Scheduled air services from Europe and overseas arrive in Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, Sandefjord, Stavanger and Trondheim. From overseas Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair and Icelandair will route you to Norway through their European hub city.
From the rest of Europe, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Service) and foreign airlines work together to connect you easily to Norway, usually through Copenhagen. Direct flights or flights with convenient connections can be made from all major European cities several times a day. From Copenhagen you can connect to almost all cities in Norway.
From London, British Airways has flights to Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger. SAS operates from London to Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger and from Manchester to Oslo. Braathens SAFE, Norway’s major domestic airline (SAFE stands for the South Asian and Far Eastern routes of the shipping company), has flights between Newcastle and Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo. Other services to Norway from the United Kingdom are operated by Widerøe Norsk Air, Air UK and Dan-Air.
From
