Where's Bertie? He's in a picnic area on the edge of a lake at the village of Nesflaten (exact location: 59.75157, 6.78482).
Having driven much further than intended to find somewhere to park last night, we only had 16km to go this morning. We could, of course, have covered that distance yesterday, but with the small capacity of picnic area for which we were aiming, and with it having free electric, it seemed highly unlikely there would be space. We thus went for our usual tactic of arriving between 9 and 10, when people usually start to move off for the day.
To our surprise, there were only 3 vans in residence when we arrived (all just having an alfresco breakfast), and there are four electric sockets, so we parked up and plugged in.
A while later the aged Land Rover conversion next to us left, so we moved to their spot. A while later a German van in a less obtrusive position left and we moved again. That is where we are still sitting.
View from Bertie
The day had started fine (a good job too - in last night's rain I was all ready to leave Norway at the earliest opportunity and search for somewhere drier and warmer) and it was showing no signs of deteriorating after we had finished an early elevenses, so a stroll around the perimeter of the village was in order.
I have no information as to the history of this futuristic power station building which sits on the edge of the village.
Weather calm enough to turn the water into mirrors
By the time we had completed our circuit the day had warmed up enough for us to sit around outside for a few hours, enjoying our lunch at one of the picnic tables. Then cloud came over, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and I decided it was time for another walk, choosing a route that started on the opposite side of the village.
This one didn't go so well. I easily located the start of the path, but it was so overgrown that I gave up just after the first switchback. Given that I ran the last 100m or so back to Bertie, as a violent shower came through, I was glad not to have pushed on any further in the hope of the path improving.
The near view, of the power station, was a bit of an eyesore. The far view was greatly more pleasing.
By the time I got back, our only remaining neighbours (also German), had gone. Since then we have been on our own. It seems positively bizarre that no one else has arrived today (it is now 8pm). Yesterday the motorhome parking in Odda was pretty full, at 200NOK per day, with no services except electricity (even the service point is a municipal one, located in the next street). Most campsites seem to charge around 200-300NOK per night with electricity and showers often (usually?) extra. Yet here we are enjoying a stunning and incredibly quiet location, with impeccable toilet facilities (clean, modern, soap, hand towels and hot water) and electricity for free - and by ourselves.
Bonus snap: That's a lot of logs ready for next winter.
(Random extra note: as with most shops, the supermarket here is closed on a Sunday. Yet it still has stock, in the form of bags of compost and displays of pot plants, outside. This is not unique to this sleepy village - we've seen the same at plenty of other places, including in towns. One has to deduce from this that, even with the high prices in Norway, theft must be rare.)
Having driven much further than intended to find somewhere to park last night, we only had 16km to go this morning. We could, of course, have covered that distance yesterday, but with the small capacity of picnic area for which we were aiming, and with it having free electric, it seemed highly unlikely there would be space. We thus went for our usual tactic of arriving between 9 and 10, when people usually start to move off for the day.
To our surprise, there were only 3 vans in residence when we arrived (all just having an alfresco breakfast), and there are four electric sockets, so we parked up and plugged in.
A while later the aged Land Rover conversion next to us left, so we moved to their spot. A while later a German van in a less obtrusive position left and we moved again. That is where we are still sitting.
View from Bertie
The day had started fine (a good job too - in last night's rain I was all ready to leave Norway at the earliest opportunity and search for somewhere drier and warmer) and it was showing no signs of deteriorating after we had finished an early elevenses, so a stroll around the perimeter of the village was in order.
I have no information as to the history of this futuristic power station building which sits on the edge of the village.
Weather calm enough to turn the water into mirrors
By the time we had completed our circuit the day had warmed up enough for us to sit around outside for a few hours, enjoying our lunch at one of the picnic tables. Then cloud came over, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and I decided it was time for another walk, choosing a route that started on the opposite side of the village.
This one didn't go so well. I easily located the start of the path, but it was so overgrown that I gave up just after the first switchback. Given that I ran the last 100m or so back to Bertie, as a violent shower came through, I was glad not to have pushed on any further in the hope of the path improving.
The near view, of the power station, was a bit of an eyesore. The far view was greatly more pleasing.
By the time I got back, our only remaining neighbours (also German), had gone. Since then we have been on our own. It seems positively bizarre that no one else has arrived today (it is now 8pm). Yesterday the motorhome parking in Odda was pretty full, at 200NOK per day, with no services except electricity (even the service point is a municipal one, located in the next street). Most campsites seem to charge around 200-300NOK per night with electricity and showers often (usually?) extra. Yet here we are enjoying a stunning and incredibly quiet location, with impeccable toilet facilities (clean, modern, soap, hand towels and hot water) and electricity for free - and by ourselves.
Bonus snap: That's a lot of logs ready for next winter.
(Random extra note: as with most shops, the supermarket here is closed on a Sunday. Yet it still has stock, in the form of bags of compost and displays of pot plants, outside. This is not unique to this sleepy village - we've seen the same at plenty of other places, including in towns. One has to deduce from this that, even with the high prices in Norway, theft must be rare.)
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