12th of August to 14th of August 2022.
Distance: 85.8km. 3 days.
One of the most famous railway lines in Norway is Bergensbanen which is running between Oslo and Bergen, highlighted by its passage over the mountains in the centre of the southern part of the country. The most famous of the stations is Finse, situated at 1222m, and if one does not plan to travel there on foot, on skis (in wintertime) or on a bike, taking the train is the only way to get there. There are no public roads available to get there.
Nygardsvatnet, at the start of Rallarvegen from Haugastøl.
To build Bergensbanen, the workers needed a way to transport the necessary material and supplies, this became what now is known as Rallarvegen, named after the railway construction workers. ‘Rallar’, a Scandinavian term for a navvy (not to be mistaken for navy).
Nygardnøse.
In present day, this old route is now a passageway over the mountains that is very popular by bikers. At Haugastøl you can rent a bike, which you can return at the end of the trip at either Finse, Myrdal or Flåm. Popular places to spend the night on the way are Finse (where both a hotel and a staffed DNT cabin are available), the DNT cabin at Hallingskeid and the hotel at Vatnahalsen, unless a tent is the preferred way.
Nysetlægret.
Though, one can also walk it of course, and that is what I had in mind when I was looking for a short three-day hike in the vein of a long-distance trail. An early morning departure from the central train station in Oslo and some four hours later I found myself at Haugastøl, a deep breath of fresh air greeted me as I stepped out of the train.
Grytåni bridge over the Ustekveikja river.
The twisted suspension bridge before Oksebotn.
From Haugastøl it is about 27km to Finse, from there 19km to Hallingskeid, then 17km to Vatnahalsen. And from Vatnahalsen down to Flåm there is 20km, which also will include walking on paved roads. A total of 83km. I will have to be at Flåm in two days, before my train departs back home, although where I spend the nights between are still unknown.
Oksebotn, an old guard house next to the old railway line, now a café for the bikers and other passers-by during the season.
As Rallarvegen was built for transporting goods and supplies, and is now mainly used by bikers, the path is wide and easy to walk on. From the start it is slowly winding its way up into the mountains, following close to the Bergensbanen railway line. Expect to see the train hurrying by while you walk or bike next to it, which always is an excitement.
Rallarvegen meandering ahead next to where the Bergensbanen railway appears out of a tunnel.
Mountain cabins with Hardangerjøkulen in the background.
The hike starts off gently next to the Nygardsvatnet lake, with the sky in the horizon having a gloomy tint to it in the beginning. Soon passing by Nygard, once a vacated mountain farm and the last settlement of the Hallingdal valley. During the construction of the railway this farm was used as a place where the construction workers or other involved people could get food or accommodation, and use as a resource for knowledge about the mountains.
Hardangerjøkulen seen from across the Finsevatnet.
At the beginning there are several cabins visible from the path, but as the route ventures deeper into the mountains they become more and more scarce. Some of them are old pastures houses, others are cabins that was used as guard houses.
Finse, at 1222m, the highest point of the Bergensbanen railway line.
Many of these old guard houses are interesting places to visit while either hiking or biking on the trail. Some of them even functions as cafés during the season, where one can buy drinks both hot and cold, as well as food like waffles (a Norwegian tour favourite, not to be mistaken with the Belgian kind). The first one these that I arrive at is Oksabotn, where one also can find an old barracks for the construction workers and a house used by the engineers of the railway. Old tools and signboards adorn the wall, which is otherwise worn by the weather. Whilst drinking a hot coffee you can wave to the passengers on the trains passing by.
Hardangerjøkulen as seen when leaving Finse.
Winter can be hard in the mountains and makings its toll on both the people and buildings up here. Close to the trail, I pass by a suspension bridge over the Ustekveikji river. It is all twisted around, as if a giant has played ‘hoppetau’ with it. It might be possible to cross over it, but it looks kind of precarious.
Moon over Rallarvegen from Sandåvatnet.
After several hours of walking through this beautiful mountain scenery, I reach Finse, the final approach going through Finsefetene. These are wetlands created by the sediments from the rivers coming down from the glaciers, where there is a rich birdlife during spring. On the other side of Finsevatnet the majestic glacier of Hardangerjøkulen is rising up and being reflected in the calm lake.
Morning mist over Sandåvatnet on the second day.
Finse is the highest point on the Bergensbanen railway line at 1222m and a nexus for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. The place greets me as it always has, by its strange houses making me wonder who lives there for the place or who lives there for the work. The answer is probably both. Of the ice rink used by the famous Norwegian athlete Sonja Henie there are only faint remains left of. I take a longer break at the Finse 1222 hotel, having some beers and get a nice conversation with a father and daughter biking the Rallarvegen. They are living in the very place that I grew up in, Nærsnes.
Fagernut Vaktarbustad, also an old guard house now serving as a café during the season.
About an hour away from Finse I find a suitable place to camp on a promontory in the Sandåvatnet lake. Across the lake, warm lights are emanating from the windows of the old guard house Sandå.
Rallarvegen after Fagernut. The railway line seen to the left is the old Bergensbanen and is not in use today.
Next morning, a light mist is covering the lake, soon leaving a clear blue sky above. Another guard house, Slirå, is passed by after Sandå. This was also a metrological station, abandoned in 1964. The trail undulates its way towards the highest point, at 1343m, a spot where the bikers stop to catch the moment for the digital memories. Big patches of snow are still decorating the mountains. The waters and lakes are beckoning, but they do not offer any high temperatures despite being in the summer.
Inside an old railway tunnel, snow still in place and water dripping from the ceiling.
Fagernut is another old guard house, built in 1905. Outside bikers are basking in the sun, inside there is a small museum dedicated to Rallarvegen and another possibility for something to drink and eat.
On the way down towards Lågheller. The building is another old guardhouse, Grjotrust.
Walking on Rallarvegen next to the Låghellervatnet lake.
In modern times, the railway line does not go next to Rallarvegen after Finse as it did it in the old times, instead it is now going through a tunnel for about 10.3km. The old railway line is still clearly visible from where I walk now. Sometimes it is passing through tunnels, with snow blocking the entrances. At one of those, I venture inside the tunnel, having to climb over the snow to get in. The ground inside is icy and treacherous, and I do keep a little watch on the ceiling in case loose stones will fall down.
Approaching Kleivavatnet, a beautiful view with the top of Klevanosi at the back
At Lågheller the trail will be going next to the railway line again, but before that it descends steeply down from Grjotrust, care is needed when going down here as bikers may pass by at high speeds. Grjotrust is also one of the old guard buildings, now beautifully restored overlooking the Moldådalen valley below. Here the trail goes close to both the railway and Låghellervatnet lake.
Kleivavatnet.
From Hallingskeid, with its self-served DNT cabin, railway station with just a few train departures, old powerplant from the war and numerous cabins and small mountain farms, Rallarvegen is entering a wonderful section of the route. The walk next to Grøndalsvatnet and Kleivavatnet lakes is simply put beautiful, but it is what awaits at the end of the last lake that is the most awe-inspiring.
Kleivabrua bridge with Moldåfossane below.
First it is the impressive engineered Kleivabrua bridge, with the Moldåfossane waterfalls ‘buldrende’ underneath it. Then the steep and narrow Kleivagjelet leading you down towards the Seltuftvatnet lake, another section where care is needed. When the river is finally relaxing again there are several ponds inviting a dip in the water.
Steep descent for bikers on Kleivagjelet.
Walking next to the Seltuftvatnet and Reinungavatnet lakes the railway is going higher up in the mountains above. After a pleasant walk I arrive at Vatnahalsen Hotel. The first hotel was built here in 1896, but unfortunately that old and beautiful building burned down in a fire in 1940. As at Finse I take a longer break, enjoying the nice weather and a couple of beers.
Looking back while walking next to the Reinungavatnet lake.
Myrdal lies at the start of a valley without an exit. Here Bergensbanen is again disappearing into a tunnel on its way to Bergen and where the famous Flåmsbanen railway begins its popular journey down towards Flåm. I find a nice spot for my tent just down from the station with its old construction worker buildings.
Looking down at Flåmsdalen, with the tracks of the Flåmsbanen railway to the right.
Myrdal.
A chilly morning greets me on the third and final day, but it soon changes to a beautiful and warm day. From Myrdal and Vatnahalsen, the bikers and hikers will have to get down to the valley below if they are to reach the end of the journey at Flåm. Flåmsdalen lies 350m below and the path follows the 4 km long gravel road known as Myrdalssvingene, consisting of nothing less than 17 curves on its way down. If going down in curves does not attract you, one has the option of taking the Flåm Zipline, it goes in a straight but steep line down instead.
The waterfalls of the Myrdøla.
Nestled between the steep mountains, the Flåmsdalen valley is the home of several old mountain farms, the Flåmselvi river and at times the sound of the historical Flåmsbanen train passing by. There is little of traffic in the valley, but expect bikers to come hurrying by in the season.
Kårdal, an old farm at the end of the Flåmsdalen valley.
Kårdalsfossen waterfall.
Instead of following the gravel road, I opt for trying to follow where the old Rallarvegen was going. This leads me past the waterfall and old mountain farm of the same name, Kårdal. The path is faint, overgrown and uneven, sometimes hard to follow. Tall grass makes my legs wet, but the walk is beautiful. Even more when walking through a grove of birch when the sun reaches the valley floor. On the other side of the river, the sounds of the bikers are as prominent as the silence when they are not there.
The old Rallarvegen.
The trail now follows the road all the way down to Flåm. Walking down I am surrounded by the mountain sides, verdant at the bottom, granite grey at the top. Here and there old farms and mountain homesteads visible, as well as newer additions. At Tveiti the river is pummelling down a constructed hole in the mountain, angrily emerging below again, allowing both the railway and road to continue unhindered further. In the west side of the valley, the Rjoandefossen waterfall is making its free fall down the mountain side, creating rainbows where the water meets the sunlight.
Berekvam, the station below is where the trains going up and down can pass each other on the way.
Flåmsbanen is never far away on the walk down. The only section of the railway where there are double tracks are at Berekvam station, halfway down and where the trains going up and down are able to pass by each other.
Looking back at Flåmsdalsvegen.
It is hot when I arrive at Flåm, next to the old and fashionable Fretheim Hotel built in the late 18th century. Although I have not been alone on my hike from Haugastøl, it is nothing compared to the hustle and bustle that awaits me here. Flåm is a popular tourist destination. I have some time available before my train departs, so among the throng of people I enjoy a dinner and a couple of well-earned beers at Flåmbryggja while the sun is warming.
Rjoandefossen.
What better way to end my hike by taking the very same trains that Rallarvegen was built for. Taking the Flåmsbanen back up towards Myrdal is an enjoyable encore, looking back at where I walked down earlier, as well as seeing parts I did not see from my perspective on foot. The same goes for the journey back to Oslo on Bergensbanen, with familiar scenes from the last days keeping my memories fresh.
Detail from Flåm church.
Thoroughly satisfied with my hike of Rallarvegen, and so lucky with the weather. In terms of hiking through untouched wilderness, this might not be the hike for you, but it more than makes up for it with the historical buildings that one will be seeing along the way. It is a part of Norwegian railway history and while walking past the old buildings from the time of construction one cannot help but wonder how life must have been here during those times. And although adorned by the infrastructure of man, the scenery it still beautiful.
Huldra at Kjosfossen.
