A Sunday drive in troll country

This post is mainly going to consist of pretty pictures of the fjords and lakes we saw on our drive between Sunndalsora and Trollstigen and then to the Marsdalfossen Waterfall. The Trollstigen is an insanely twisty piece of road going up a mountain - "Trollstigen" means "the troll's footpath". It has a 9% gradient and 11 hairpin bends, going up to 850 metres. My parents first came up here in the 1970s, when apparently it was just a gravel road - it must have been terrifying! I'm still amazed my mum agreed to come back. This time, it was not scary (at least for me). I'll post some videos when I get around to it.

It was hard to narrow down my selection of photos, the scenery was just mind-blowingly beautiful, and we had fantastic warm, sunny weather - couldn't have asked for better!

The drive along the fjords to Trollstigen. Then the drive to Mardalsfossen was along the right-hand side of the long lake that goes vertically up the middle of the map

In Andalsnes

Also Andalsnes

We found a troll! A friend of mine on facebook asked if he was our "Fjord Escort". Groan

Somewhere on the side of the road

At the top of the Trollstigen

The Trollstigen

The Stigfossen waterfall plummets 320 m down the mountain next to (and underneath) the Trollstigen

Not the ideal place to meet sheep on the road

Look-out point on top of the Trollstigen

Trollstigen visitors' centre, only completed in June this year. The water was amazingly clear

Stigfossen waterfall/river by the Trollstigen

I told dad you wouldn't be able to see me in the photo if he didn't come closer

In some bits, it was incredibly misty first thing in the morning

At Andalsnes

Mardalsfossen Waterfall (in the background). 650 m high

Mardalsfossen Waterfall

Stopping for a chocolate break! We had a bit of a chat with the lads behind me, turned out they were Scots who worked in Norway vaccinating salmon. Who knew that was a job?