Heathrow Hikers - Outdoor Group for West London

Wednesday 20th July - Arrival in Oslo
Thursday 21st July - The journey to Spiterstulen
Friday 22nd July - Ascent of Glittertind
Saturday 23rd July - Rest day at Spiterstulen
Sunday 24th July - Ascent of Galdhøpiggen
Monday 25th July - Hike from Spiterstulen to Memurubu
Tuesday 26th July - Memurubu to Oslo
Wednesday 27th July - Morning in Oslo

Our Ryanair flight from Stansted to Oslo Torp arrived on time and after collecting our luggage we boarded the Torp Express bus service for the 2 hour journey into Oslo city centre. One of the first things I noticed about Norway was the number of boats of all shapes and sizes. I began to wonder if every one of its 4.5 million citizens owned some kind of water going vessel.

Our first night in Oslo was spent in the Anker hostel, relatively cheap, well at least by Norwegian standards. After an evening meal in a local pub I decided to return to the hostel for an early night while the others checked out the nightlife of Oslo.

We had an early start on Thursday, having to make the short walk from the hostel to the bus station to catch the 09:30 Nordfjordekspressen route 147 bus to Lom. Whilst Lom is not too far north of Oslo the bus did not arrive in Lom until 16:10, stopping at many little towns on route including Lillehammer, the venue for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

At Lom we then caught a local bus to the Spiterstulen mountain huts, a short journey, largely up a steep and narrow road. Once we had checked in and unpacked I decided to hunt for a geocache that I knew was close to the huts. Having located it within 5 minutes I removed a bottle opener keyring and left some English, Canadian and Moroccan currency. We made our way to the main dining room for the three course meal. The food was excellent but be warned, the prices are steep and by the end of my stay I had switched to eating in the cafeteria on the lower floor.

After helping ourselves to the tea, coffee and biscuits on offer we gathered around the lounge, drawn by the singing of two Norwegian men. They turned out to be guides and the singing was a nightly introduction to the talk they gave about the following days trips. After asking if there were any English speakers, we were taken to one side and the trips explained. We liked the idea of crossing a glacier, something we were warned not to do without a guide. As a result we decided to alter our plans slightly so that Friday was to become the day we would climb Norway's second highest mountain, Glittertind by ourselves.

Breakfast was served in the dining area, self service and as much as you wanted. With packed lunches prepared and water bottles filled we were ready to begin our walk. Many of the main routes in Norway are signposted by means of red letter T's on rocks. The markings are clear and appear regularly, so much so that you really could walk without looking at your map once.

The route up was interesting, the terrain altering from grass to rocks with a few streams to cross. It did seem to be taking a while to near the summit, not helped by the fact that we kept stopping to chat to Norwegians.

Finally we could see the summit, and it was at this height that we found ourselves walking through thick snow. When the summit was reached we sat down and relaxed. It had been a long day already but it had been worth it for the views.

View from Glittertind summit - Photo by Gary Box

After a short break at the top we began the trek down, passing people still making their way to the summit. As the sun began to fall and the shadows lengthened, I noticed a large herd of reindeer grazing on the lower grassy slopes. Finally the hut was in view and it was not long before I found myself at reception buying a much needed drink. The restaurant had stopped serving food so it was not long before I simply retired to bed for a much needed rest.

Being unwilling to get up early after a long day on Friday I decided to make this my rest day. The weather was good and I spent much of my time either walking around taking photographs or relaxing in the lounge area watching Norwegian children playing card games.

Outside Spiterstulen Hut - Photo by Gary Box

After lunch I was passing reception when I overheard English being spoken by a woman with an Irish accent. Shortly after I met this women, Mary, who was from Cork. Mary had visited Norway ten years previously and knew the country well. Rather than being reliant on public transport, Mary had brought her car with her on the ferry from Newcastle and had already explored some of the West coast. We got chatting about Norway and hiking in general and by the end of the day had agreed to climb Galdhøpiggen together the following day.

I awoke to another fine day, perfect for reaching the summit of Norway's highest mountain. The others decided to leave Spiterstulen but I decided to stay on, determined to reach the highest point in Norway. After sitting down with Mary to eat breakfast, we packed the rucksacks ready for the trip. We crossed the bridge, followed the markers and before long found ourselves on a steep uphill path. Slowly but surely we made progress, stopping every now and then to chat to other walkers and to have our photograph taken.

Mary & Me on route up Galdhøpiggen - Photo supplied by Gary Box

Galdhøpiggen was very different to Glitterting in that the snow level was much lower, making the walk more challenging for us Brits & Irish who are not so used to snow. The effort was worth it as the views all around were amazing. There were so many other mountain peaks to look at, not to mention the glacier of Styggedalsbreen.

Finally we had reached the summit which was complete with a small wooden hut. The hut sold basic snacks and drinks as well as a few items of clothing. There was also a book where you could log your visit to Norway's highest point.

View from summit of Galdhøpiggen - Photo by Gary Box

Once we had soaked up the views and taken some photographs it was time to consider heading back down. The route down was far quicker, with us on our bottoms racing through the snow for much of the descent.

Safely back at Spiterstulen, Mary and I headed for the cafeteria for a well earned meal. Later in the evening the guides gave their talk and I booked on a trip from Spiterstulen to Memurubu for the following day.

After having had a few days with a light rucksack, I found myself Monday morning loaded with a full 75 litre pack on my back. The trip was to be a 15 mile hike to the hut at Memurubu, crossing two glaciers.

I said goodbye to Mary, we both agreed to keep in touch. Hopefully we will meet again on a future Heathrow Hikers trip to Ireland to do the MacGillycuddy's Reeks walk. I then met the other people on the trip to Memurubu, all Norwegian and all somewhat younger than myself.

The start of the walk was quite easy, the path being level and well marked. Before long we had reached the first glacier and this is where the fun began. The guide ensured we were all roped together and gave us instructions about the distance we must keep between each person. He felt that the heavy rucksacks some of us were carrying were not ideally suited to the simple 4 point crampons he was carrying and therefore he tried to pick a way across the glacier that would not require crampons. For Norwegians this was a simple enough task but I found it very difficult to remain upright and so decided to wear the crampons.

The pace across the glaciers was slow, I was finding the uphill sections particularly tough with all the weight I was carrying. We stopped for a short lunch, taking on much needed energy and enjoying the views that included yet more reindeer. Lunch over, we pressed on and before much longer we had left the glaciers behind us for terrain that was more to my liking.

Much of the remainder of the walk was downhill, crossing a stream or two, before finally Lake Gjende came into view. The hut at Memurubu is one of three huts on the southern banks of Lake Gjende, it being pretty much in the middle when you look at a map. The other huts are Gjendubu on the eastern end and Gjendesheim on the western end of the Lake. Lake Gjende is 11 miles (18km) long, about the same length as Lake Windermere in England's Lake District.

Once we had secured rooms for the night we were treated to our evening meal before we all headed off for showers and our beds.

The plan for Tuesday was to walk to the hut at Gjendesheim via the famous Besseggen ridge. Unfortunately I awoke to overcast conditions and decided that as it would be hard to get good photographs, I would instead catch the ferry to Gjendesheim. The ferry was just a short trip and a coach was already there waiting to go to Oslo.

I had no Norwegian money left and so I began to walk, hoping to hitch a lift to a town with a cashpoint machine. After just a couple of miles a driver took pity on me and stopped. He was with his daughter, 2 sons and the family rabbit who I believe was called Thumper. The man had been visiting his father's log cabin and was now heading back to his home town of Bergen. He kindly dropped me at Beitostølen, a small town where I was able to withdraw money. The town was also on the Oslo bus route but since one was not due for another couple of hours I took the opportunity to visit a restaurant and have lunch.

By late afternoon I was back in Oslo and managed to secure a bed at the Anker hostel. Once I had unpacked and had a shower I felt ready to explore Oslo. Whilst I realise Norway has a small population I was still surprised when I bumped into one of the men I had shared the Spiterstulen to Memurubu walk with. He explained he lived just around the corner and wished me well for remainder of my stay in Norway.

Since I only had the morning to see Oslo by daylight, I checked out of the hostel early, leaving my rucksack for collection later. I had a map of the city and began walking, passing places of interest along the way.

Aker Church in Oslo - Photo by Gary Box

After a brief visit to the Aker Church and then St. Olav's I headed for The Royal Palace, the residence of the Norwegian Royal Family. There were a few tourists around but I guessed that most would be at my next destination, Vigeland Sculpture Park.

St. Olav's - Photo by Gary Box

The Royal Palace - Photo by Gary Box

Vigeland Sculpture Park is named after Gustav Vigeland, who is responsible for modelling all the scultures that appear in the park as well as the layout of the grounds. Many of the sculptures themselves feature nakes men, women and children, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups.

Photo by Gary Box

Photo by Gary Box

Angry Little Boy statue - Photo by Gary Box

With time ticking on, I left the park heading back towards the hostel to collect my rucksack. On the way back I passed the National Theatre, stopping for a quick photograph.

National Theatre - Photo by Gary Box

Back at the hostel, I collected my rucksack and walked to the coach station. I boarded the coach for Torp, checked in my luggage and just a few hours later I was back in England.

It had been a great introduction to Norway and with so many great mountains I hope to return one day.