NORWAY OUR WAY!

On a trip to Southern Norway, Vicki Lacy finds challenging hikes, Viking treasures and a road with the 'wow' factor

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As we sipped our G&Ts and watched the sun glistening on the water in the late evening, we reflected on the events that had brought us to this beautiful spot. A few hours ago, we'd resigned ourselves to a night in a ferry lane, after our mid-afternoon crossing from Jektvik to Kilboghamn had been delayed by technical issues. Luckily, a replacement boat arrived and we crossed in the early evening, en route passing south across the Arctic Circle.

It was long past 'aperitivo time', so we looked for an overnight stop as soon as we disembarked, and a waterside spot just off the Fv17 road winked out at us from park4night. We crossed our fingers as we approached, certain that every other 'van on the ferry already had the same idea.

Our luck was in! We were only the third vehicle there, and although a few other campervans joined us later, we spent an idyllic evening looking across Liastranda and the Norwegian Sea. Had our ferry been on schedule, we would have zoomed past what would be one of our favourite stopovers in Norway.

Some days earlier, we had crossed from the Lofoten Islands to Bodø by ferry, then joined Fv17 - the spectacular Kystriksveien coastal highway. After our serendipitous stopover at Liastranda, we continued on the Fv17 to Sandnessjøen, then headed east to join the E6 south. Although we lost our coastal views, Norway's inland north-south artery wasn't lacking in scenery - almost every bend in the road revealed a breathtaking new vista.

After a stopover in Trondheim, where we mooched around this lovely city in the afternoon and spent the night packed in like sardines in the local BobilCamp, we left the E6 and headed coastwards again to Kristiansund.

On the waterfront