Sustainability

The 8 Greats of Fjaerland

Fjærland is the perfect destination for hiking, fishing, and kayaking in the summer. In the winter, backcountry skiing offers intrepid explorers the chance to ascend majestic peaks with unforgettable fjord views and virgin powder snow.  Fjærland is the area surrounding Fjærlandsfjord, a branch of Sognefjord. With the booktown of Mundal at its heart, there are just 300 people living here, most of whom are engaged in farming and tourism.

Even though Fjærland is small, there are plenty of wonderful things to do. These are our eight favourite activities.

1 The Magical Norwegian Book Town

Around 3km into the Fjaerlandsfjord, you will find the quaint little book town Mundal. Old cow sheds and pigpens are now home to charming little book shops with more on ferry quay and in the Mundal Hotel. After being officially recognized as a book town in 1996, Mundal became the eighth book town in the world and the first in Scandinavia!

Here in this remote village of Mundal the people have turned abandoned buildings into bookstores. There are more than 10 second-hand bookshops in enchanting waterfront wooden houses, former ferry waiting rooms, stables, local banks and a post office, below towering mountains and magnificent glaciers. Bokbyen (the Book Town) is now home to a collection of over 150,000 used books. Indeed, there are more books and pine trees here than people – and the people are warm and welcoming!

Ten years before the booktown became the reading hub it is today, you could only get to Fjærland by boat. The first road to the valley was built in 1986, and now there are bus routes to get in from the north or the south. In 1995, Mundal officially became the first “booktown” in Norway.

2 Norwegian Glacier Museum

The Norwegian Glacier Museum is an interactive experience and award winning museum, which offers something for the whole family.

If you are interested in glaciers and the climate this is the leading centre in Norway, answering key questions like ‘Why is glacier ice blue?’, ‘Why is the fjord green?’ and ‘How were the fjords formed?’. You can even perform your own experiments with 1000 year old ice from the nearby glacier Supphellebreen.

You can also enjoy a unique and staggering panoramic film about Jostedalsbreen National Park, and experience the climate exhibition which takes you on a journey through Earths’ climatic history.

3 Explore Fjaerland by Bike

If you would like an alternative way of exploring Fjaerland and the charming Norwegian Book Town of Mundal, you can hire a bike! Bike hire is easy - you can simply ask Glacier Tour to organise hire for you or you can find them for rent at Bøyum Camping, close to the Norwegian Glacier Museum.

Photo: Terje Rakke -Nordic Life As - www.fjordnorway.com

Both good for you and good for the environment, heading off on two wheels will give you a different perspective of this quintessential Fjord-side village, originally only accessible by water.  Park up your bike and browse the bookshops that occupy various buildings such as the ferry port, tourist info, cafe and a couple of cowsheds.  Enjoy!

4 Go Kayaking 

If you enjoy getting a little closer to the water and being in a boat of your own, why not hire a kayak for a fun, relaxed experience right among the calm and beautiful Fjærlandsfjorden. Paddling here is great, whatever the weather is like or whatever previous paddling experience you have (or do not have), getting out on the Fjærlandsfjord  is a must-do activity.

Starting at the kayak base in Mundal you will be met by a Fjaerland Guiding official guide who will take good care of you and share all sorts of interesting information about Fjærland and the surroundings. The views to both Bøyabreen Glacier and Flatbreen Glacier are stunning, cameras are a must, to capture the incredible scenery that you only get from the cockpit of a kayak!

Kayaking is something for everyone. You can paddle in a single or double sea kayak for 2 or 4 hours.

Other boating activities on the fjord are possible from the Fjærland Fjordstove Hotel. From there you can rent a rowing boat, go fishing with a personal fishing guide, or on a guided boat trip to isolated and historic fjord settlements in the Fjærlandsfjord.

5 Hike the Glaciers

For the adventurous (and fit) the full day hike at Haugabreen Glacier in Jølster, is a must!

Setting off from Stardalen for a full day trip to the glacier where you can walk on the glacier itself.  You will need to have some experience with trail hiking and be physically fit enough for the one hour hike to reach the glacier where we then typically spend 2-3 hours on the glacier itself. We can choose different routes on the ice, depending on ice and snow conditions on the day.

This activity is demanding and participants need to be reasonably fit to do it*.  It is an all day activity(up to 7 hours) available to those traveling between July to September (and over 12 years of age).

*Medium to hard (medium for people who are used to hiking in mountain terrain, and hard for people who are not used to hiking in mountain terrain).

You will need to bring the following equipment and clothing with you:

• Good solid mountain boots

• Clothing for a day in the mountains:  insulating underwear/wool, wind/waterproof clothing

• Thin gloves/mittens

• Sunglasess/sunscreen

• Thermos with warm beverage and lunch

• A small backpack (20-40 l)

Alternatively, Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on the European mainland and has several glacier arms that flow out in different directions. In Fjærland you can get very close to two of these glaciers, namely Bøyabreen and Supphellebreen.  On several of the glacier arms to the Jostedalsbreen glacier, hikes can be arranged with experienced glacier guides daily during the summer. You can walk on the Flatbreen; a demanding, but great trip where the ascent to Flatbrehytta is at almost a thousand meters.

6 Hiking

Hiking in the Fjærlandsfjella or in the lush valleys in the lowlands gives you a wide range of options. Local guides offer the extra ingredients you are looking for to have a very special experience. Fjærland is one of the few places on the planet where you can see glaciers, fjords, and mountains at the same time

7 Skiing

Winter is full of joys in the white element. Here you can go cross-country skiing, mountaineering, or have fun in a local ski resort. In and around Fjærland, there are exciting opportunities and degrees of difficulty that suit everyone.

8 Flatbrehytta

Flatbrehytta is located 1000 meters above the fjord and right next to the mighty Flatbreen. The view of both the fjord and the glacier at the same time is truly impressive! The trip up to the cabin is spectacular, partly steep, and physically demanding. We advise all hikers to consider their own physique or to hire a guide.  For the hike you need to allow 2-4 hours up and 2-3 hours down (total 4-7 hours).

The Glaciers of Norway

Even when hundreds of meters deep, glacier ice is always on the move and strong enough to shape the Earth. It was the Ice Age glaciers that carved out Norway’s characteristic fjords, valleys, and steep mountainsides. Remnants of those prehistoric glaciers remain in place today.

Some glaciers, like Tystigbreen and Folgefonna, are home to summer ski resorts with prepared slopes you can ski and snowboard in your t-shirt and work up a tan. The meltwater produces lush valleys below, bathing its rivers and fjords in a distinct greenish glow.

In Norway, as in the rest of the world, temperatures are rising due to climate change, and the glaciers are slowly melting. According to the Center for International Climate Research (CICERO), the total area covered by glaciers has decreased by 11 per cent in the last 30 years. Since the mid-1980s, more than 326 square kilometers of glaciers have disappeared. The northern parts of the country especially, is seeing them retreat at a rapid pace.

The monitoring of glaciers contributes important information to climate research. Researchers working from the ice shields of Greenland and Antarctica obtain ice cores that stretch several kilometers long and contain climate data going 800 000 years back in time.

Scientists agree that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased, and that this will lead to climate change. But there are still uncertainties, given that man-made greenhouse effects and those occurring naturally affect each other. Moreover, we do not fully understand the driving forces behind the climate, e.g. the coupling between the sea, the atmosphere and feedback mechanisms, such as those influenced by changes in the Earth's surface, e.g. ice/snow covered landscapes turning to water.

Most climate researchers share the opinion that, by 2050, the Earth's climate may reach temperature conditions unlike anything mankind has experienced throughout history. We don’t know what life will be like on our planet then. Regulations or adjustments may become challenging for us and any counter-measures against climatic changes must be built on knowledge, not on fear.

The climatic challenges we face will need action at several levels. The issues have to be solved through national and international leadership. The actions of each individual are important - with a little effort, we can all make a big difference.

DID YOU KNOW THAT JOSTEDALSBREEN IS THE LARGEST GLACIER ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT?

It has a length of approx. 80 km (50 miles) and covers an area of 474 km2 (183 square miles). In several places the ice layer is over 500 m (546 yards) thick. The total ice mass stores as much fresh water as you can fill into 300.000.000.000 bathtubs – enough to supply Norway with water for over 100 years. Read more facts on the National Park page.

Bøyabreen Glacier 2014. Photo: Pål Gran Kielland.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE 2534 GLACIERS IN NORWAY?

There are 1252 in the southern part of Norway, covering a total area of 1523 km2. In the northern part of Norway there are 1282 glaciers covering 1169 km2. In addition, Spitsbergen has 2128 glaciers, and they cover an area of 36591 km2 in total.

Vetle Bøyabreen Glacier 2014. Photo: Pål Gran Kielland.

DID YOU KNOW THAT JOSTEDALSBREEN IS NOT A REMNANT OF THE LAST ICE AGE?

About 8000 years ago, during a period of warmer climate called Atlanticum, the glacier most probably disappeared. When the climate cooled again some 5000 years ago, a new glacier formed.

Supphellebreen Glacier 2010. Foto: Torunn Bøe.

Jostedalsbreen National Park is a landscape shaped by ice and water. The National Park was established by Royal Decree on 25 October 1991. It covers 1315 sq. km, with half of the area covered by glacier, and 90 % above 800 m elevation. The Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on the European Continent with an area of 474 km² (183 sq. miles).

The purposes behind establishing the National Park were:

• to protect a large, varied glacier area with associated fauna, flora and geology

• to permit enjoyment of nature not dependent upon technical facilities

• to protect our cultural heritage

A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE JOSTEDALSBREEN ICE CAP

• Area: 474 km² (183 sq. miles)

• Length: 60 km (37 miles)

• Highest elevation: 1957 m asl. (Høgste Breakulen)

• Lowest elevation: 60 m asl. (the foot of the glacier Supphellebreen)

• Maximum thickness: 571 m

• Greatest snow depth measured: 12 m

• Total erosion of rock material: 400 000 tons/year

• Glacier volume: 73 km³ (95 • 10  cu.yd)

• Fresh water equivalent: 73 • 10¹² litres (16 • 10¹² gal.) = 300 thousand millions bathtubs of  water or the water consumption in Norway for 100 years

Such a thing as Viking Cheese?

In just one dairy in Norway, there continues a long tradition.

The village of Vik, a small town on the Sognefjord, is home to expert cheesemakers who continue to produce a cheese believed to date back by over 1000 years!

Named Gamalost - it simply means ‘old cheese’ and is almost certainly one of the world’s most unusual cheeses and among Europe’s oldest; not just eaten but consumed for its healing properties and apparently its ability to boost the sexual prowess of men, a talent which earned gamalost a reputation for being the “Viking Viagra.”

Once more popular, there is now just one commercial gamalost dairy surviving. The decline in consumption is not hard to understand given its pungent smell and reputation for tasting like old socks!  The younger generations are for sure choosing cheese that actually tastes like cheese.

Gamalost was once a staple of the Norwegian diet, in large part because it could be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration. But because of the difficult production process, the tradition of making it now lives on only at the TINE dairy in Vik, which produces about 150 to 200 tons of Gamalost per year and has also developed a spreadable version.

Traditionally, after the milk had been soured, the curds were heated in copper cauldrons, and then transferred to wooden moulds lined with jute or linen. After a few days the cheese was wrapped in dried marsh grass in preparation for aging. Every other day during the maturation process, the cheese had to be rubbed by hand to faciliate the absorption of the necessary bacteria.

These days, modern dairy production methods have reduced the aging process from an entire summer to 12 to 14 days. Still, the principles of making Gamalost remain the same, with much of the work done by hand to obtain the best quality and aroma.

Gamalost fra Vik (Gamalost from the town of Vik) has earned the EU’s labeled Protected Designated Origin label in recognition of its role in Norway’s traditional food heritage, and at the 2018 World Cheese Awards competition held in Bergen, it was awarded with a bronze medal.

The name gamalost actually refers to the aging process needed to mature skimmed cow’s milk curds into cheese, which (so legends suggest), traditionally required wrapping them in dried marsh grass or hay and placing them in a cloth-lined wooden box under the bed of a dairymaid who, for months, regularly rubbed the cheese to evenly spread the bacteria.

But “old cheese” could just as easily refer to gamalost’s pedigree, a heritage likely more than a thousand years old. Since Olav Johan-Olsen claimed that he’d identified a reference to gamalost in Njal’s Saga, an Icelandic Viking chronicle written around 1280 AD, it’s been widely accepted as proof of the cheese’s Viking origins.

Each June during the Gamalostfestivalen the community holds a four day celebration of gamalost and its role in Vik’s past and present.  During the Gamalostfestivalen, the cheese is prepared using a traditional, open-air method and sharing it with the crowd.

Gamalost, it seems, is actually a serious superfood, rich in peptides and Vitamin K2, high in protein (50%), yet low in fat (just 1%). The secret is in the Mucor mucedo mold which is added to the skimmed-milk cheese after being cooked in acid whey. At the Gamalost fra Vik dairy, they’re coming up with new ways to feature the ancient cheese while playing off of 21st century health consciousness and modern culinary trends in recipes such as oven-dried gamalost chips, salad croutons, and sprinkles for fresh fruit or ice cream.

Gamalost is traditionally eaten on buttered bread or salted crackers and topped with sour cream and cranberry jelly or syrup. Some Norwegians actually marinade it in port, sherry or brandy. This old cheese is a story in itself, so much more than just a taste. It is made up of centuries of tradition, innovation and survival - definitely something to experience.