A few weeks ago in June I was finally able to tick off my bucket list hiking up Norwegian Fjords! Not just a fjord hike but one of the best – a hike to Preikestolen. This trip had been embedded in my mind since previously visiting Oslo and loving the Scandinavia look and feel, as well as working within the cruise industry; having to lust over the summertime fjords cruise itineraries. But with Norway being one of the most expensive countries it was not my usual type of budget weekend trip. However, trust me when I say the views were worth every single penny.
There are so many beautiful places in Norway (thanks to Instagram publicly displayed their outstanding natural beauty), especially those like Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Alta, you really are spoilt for choice however sometimes limited by budget. After seeing affordable flights to Stavanger; a little city by the Lysefjord in Southwest Norway, and having looked up the surroundings we knew that we could easily hike to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) from here and this would be a good place to conquer our first fjords hike.
We decided to stay in Stavanger Sentrum as the hotel was only about a 10 minutes walk from the ferry to Tau (for the hike to Preikestolen) and to the old town and harbour; making it an ideal location. Norway has always been known for being expensive so be prepared to spend some money, here are some costs to bear in mind:
Hotel in Central Stavanger
https://www.booking.com/hotel/no/myhregaarden.en
- 3 Nights £226.00 total for a double room
Norwegian Air Flights from Gatwick to Stavanger
- £100 per person RTN
Airport Bus is really easy to navigate
- £18.00 (200NOK) per person RTN ticket
Tips to Hiking to Preikestolen
We were somewhat ecstatic to wake up on our 3rd day to blue skies and sunshine seeping through the curtains. We arrived on our first day in pouring rain and had held out until our last full day to take on the hike in hope of better weather, lucky for us it was. If you’re travelling to Preikestolen by public transport here’s what you need to do:-
Get on the ferry from Stavanger to Tau from Fiskepiren dock
Cost: £11 (120NOK) per person – Return Journey
You can only buy a ticket on board the ferry and the first ferry is at 7:30/7:45 during the summer June to September. https://www.norled.no/en/maps-and-schedules/ferry/rogaland
2. Buy a bus ticket either online or at the Fiskepiren terminal for one of the companies that provides a bus service from Tau to Preikestolen Mountain Lodge
Cost: £22.00 (230NOK) per person – Return Journey
Companies: GoFjords, Pulpit Rock Tours https://www.pulpitrock.no
3. Start your hike from The Mountain Lodge 🙂
The hike takes about 2 hours so they say, we did it in 1.5 hours. The route has recently been renovated which makes it easy to navigate and impossible to get lost! Although bits of it are somewhat rocky if you aren’t that stable on your feet. The route winds itself up the mountain through woodlands and marshlands. As you climb you see the changes in the surroundings from alpine trees at the start to vast areas of smooth rock and alpine lakes towards the top of the mountain.
The last push up to the top is quite steep on smooth rocks you feel like you’re about to slip backwards on, but this just added to the satisfaction you feel when you reach the top and look out across the fjords. It was already busy when we reached the plateau of Pulpit Rock and after building up a sweat on the way up, it soon disappeared when on the top as it was pretty windy and cold so remember a jacket!
The views (I hope) speak from themselves:
Fancy zip lining back down? – YES!
On the way down the mountain, which seemed to be just a tiring as the way up, we decided to zipline down the last little push; 350 metre long wire across the tree tops what better way to get down to the bottom.
The ride was £18.00 (200NOK) per person which we happily threw our money at the assistant, not worrying we had to buy our dinner that evening with whatever money we had left over!
P.S: The only downside to the hike was the abundance of little black flies which latched onto you and bit you, covering your arms in faint red marks; although unfortunately my friend had a reaction to them and they became swollen and itchy, so take cream if you are prone to getting bitten!
