Edge of Glory

In the southwest corner of Norway, the Stavanger region is home to the infamous Pulpit Rock – and so much more!

Think Norwegian fjords and you might imagine crowds of shuffling retired cruise passengers – but it isn’t necessarily so. Hit the trail in Stavanger’s wild backyard and the paths seem never-ending: wending deep into forests, skirting fjords that shine opalescent like gem­stones, cresting moonlike rockscapes and inching their way along clifftops and granite formations so peculiar they look like freaks of nature.

Even if you’ve never heard of Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen as they say in Norwegian, you’ve probably seen it – you know, that immense fist of rock that punches vertically above a cyan-blue slither of a fjord? One of Norway’s big­gest natural icons, the rock draws day-trippers in their thousands come summer. Some are content to merely gaze on its magnificent proportions from a boat as they cruise on by. Others want to get that bit closer and hike the path to its plateau, so they too can enjoy the top-of-the-bean- stalk views from its knife-edge ridge to the fjord below and grey, muscular mountains beyond.

This picture – the picture of a million postcards – is clearly etched in our minds as we board the boat in Stavan­ger that is going to take us across the Lysefjord to the trailhead. But the Nordic weather gods are unleashing their worst on this midsummer day. Dark storm clouds are gathering overhead and the mist is creeping inland, rendering the jagged spurs of land but silhouettes. On such a dull, rain-spattered day, the water is near-lumi­nous – going through a spectrum of blues from azure to brightest turquoise. Up on the deck, cagoule-clad tourists are huddling under umbrellas that continuously buckle in the wind, eager for a glimpse of the sheer granite cliffs that razor hundreds of metres above the inky fjord, and posing for selfies in front of the rainbow-laced waterfalls that thread down their rock faces. Mist hangs in the pleats and folds of the mountains like a gossamer veil, and clapboard cottages crouch on the shoreline, dwarfed by their sur­rounds. Rain cannot detract from Lysefjord’s loveliness.

Pouring out of the boat, we make our way to the trailhead close by, kitted out in waterproofs and walking boots. Fog obscures the view as we begin our steady march uphill through pine and birch trees, over twisted roots and rocks that are slippery underfoot given the recent rain. In the gloomy, monochrome light, the approach to Preikestolen has a sense of mystery, with ragged moun­tains and lichen-swathed forests that look like a figment of Tolkein’s imagination.

It’s just a two-hour hike to the top on the main trail, which was partly hewn by Nepalese Sherpas, but it’s like entering another realm. We pick our way through high moors fringed by shaggy woodlands before clambering over granite slabs to a ridge that teeters along exposed cliffs to the plateau. Then, suddenly, there it is: a massive wedge of rock that appears to drop to infinity, its contours smudged by the mist swirling ethereally around its sum­mit. Pulpit Rock emerges.

You can see it in photos and on postcards but nothing compares to the reality of actually standing on the 604m rock and feeling a giddy mix of vertigo and exhilaration wash over you. Sure, there are higher cliffs, but few are as heart-stoppingly sheer as this one. We inch our way slowly to the edge. On clear days, apparently, the views reach for miles – you can see the Lysefjord scything its way through the rippling mountains. Admire its wondrous blues. Today, peering over the edge reveals infinite grey nothingness. It’s as though all the colour has been sucked out of the world. A few masochistic hikers are dangling limbs over the edge, but we keep a cautious metre distance between us and what with one misjudged footstep would result in sudden death. As we retrace our steps, wispy threads of mist peel back from the fjord to reveal flickers of electric blue – just enough to make you realise how astonishing this must look when the sun does shine. We promise ourselves we’ll come back – and next time to tackle the more challenging, 28km version of the walk, which takes seven to eight hours.

In the fjord-riven region of Rogaland in southwestern Nor­way, Stavanger makes a terrific base for several other mem­orable day hikes. Way up there with Pulpit Rock in terms of drama, but less crowded and twice as high, is Kjerag, to the east. A hairpin-riddled road corkscrews to Øygardstøl where the trail begins. Heading up and over slick granite, the 10km hike to the top (allow six hours return) is steep in places and secured by a steel cable in part. While the precipice itself is striking enough and the view of Lysefjord nothing short of remarkable, it’s the boulder that sticks in people’s memories.

A five-cubic-metre chunk of rock jammed into a crack between the cliffs, it looks as though it will drop like a pinball any minute. It doesn’t of course: no matter how many hikers climb onto it, arms outstretched in that edge-of-the-world moment, it stands the test of time. Kjerag doubles as one of the world’s foremost launch pads for base-jumping, thanks to its 1,100m of vertical, and it is quite something to see these intrepid souls free fall from the summit, opening their para­chutes Bond-style just before they touch down.

West of Kjerag is one of the region’s other top-ranking walks: Flørli. Except it is not a trail as such, rather one of the world’s longest wooden staircases, which follows the water pipelines that supply the region with hydropower. There are a whopping 4,444 steps to puff and puff up in around three hours. The steps ease you in gently, but the higher you climb, the steeper they get, though they are still a doddle when you consider workers used to haul loads of up to 80kg up here. The halfway house at step 2,000 gives you a taste of the view to come. After this step aerobics of sorts, you reach the look­out at 740m, where the panorama sweeps over the blue spar­kle of Lysefjord and the jagged mountains of the Preikestolen massif. Alternative routes head back to the trailhead.

Tempting as it is to spend all our time absorbing the beauty of the fjords, the Jaeren region that unfolds south of Stavanger is worth more than a cursory glance. This is farming country: a land of flat, fertile meadows that roll to the crashing North Sea; a land of big skies and wide-open horizons. The rain has swept away during the night to reveal a morning as clear as cut crystal. The light here has a crispness and purity that sharpens every contour on the coastal road – one of Norway’s 18 national tourist routes – that scenically runs through the region. For hikers, the big draw is simply walking along the gorgeously long, dune-flanked beaches like Borestranden and Solastranden, perhaps stopping off for a dose of heritage on the way at sights like Sverd I Fjell. Here three huge Viking swords embedded in rock mark where King Harald Fairhair did battle to unify Norway into a kingdom in 872 AD.

From here, the road cruises on south and gradually the scenery begins to change. The lush meadows give way to an otherworldly landscape of gigantic, scarred boulders and pockmarked hillocks of pale grey rock mottled with vegeta­tion. I’ve arrived in the Magma Geopark. While glacial erosion at the height of the last Ice Age had a hand in shaping this bizarre landscape, its origins reach back many millennia fur­ther. ‘Lunar’ might be the word that springs to mind and it’s bang on the money as the dominant rock here is anorthosite, a rare igneous rock more common on the moon than on the face of the earth, formed by red-hot magma around 930 mil­lion years ago.

Such facts have geologists rubbing their hands with glee, but even if you are indifferent to the rock, the hiking here is superb, the setting unique. Sogndalstrand is a fine base for dipping into the park. Hugging the shore of turquoise Jøssingfjord, the little harbour village is jam-packed with listed timber buildings from the 1800s, which are liberally decorated with flower baskets in summer. A boat ride across the fjord takes us within a hair’s breadth of the rugged rocks and the waterfalls pummeling their faces. Sea eagles wheel overhead in the bluest of skies. We dock in Helleren, where two rudimentary houses nuzzle under an overhang. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, but the current build­ings date to the 1800s, when they provided shelter to farmers who eked out a living from fishing and shepherding. Close by, a marked trail makes leads 300m up and over gigantic slabs of anorthosite to Hellersheia – a moonwalk of sorts – providing tremendous views over the weird, potholed rockscape. At the top, the views crack open to reveal the blue sweep of Jøssing­fjord and the sea beyond.

More enthralling still, perhaps, is the park’s star trek: the three-hour circular hike to Brufjell. The descent to the coast on a waymarked trail (and the ascent back up again) is not with­out challenge, but it is made easier by steel handgrips in places and refreshing dips on the white-pebble beach of Sandvig. Resembling caves and thrashed by waves, Brufjell’s enormous horizontal potholes are so big you can climb inside some of them. Here, almost at the country’s southernmost tip, you can look out along coastline as it dips and curves, imagining the raw elemental forces and grinding glaciers that have, over mil­lennia, carved out this most exquisite of countries.

Let’s Go – Norway

Get There. In the south west of Norway, about 200km south of Bergen, Stavanger is both a city – the third largest in the country – and a region, home to some of Norway’s top natural attractions. Norwegian and SAS airlines operate direct flights to the city of Stavanger from a number of other European airports.

When to Go. May to October is the best season both for hiking and cruising the fjords, with warmer temperatures and longer days because of almost round-the-clock daylight.

Where to Stay. Norway is not cheap. But once you’ve got over that hurdle, you can sleep and eat remarkably well in and around Stavanger. If you want to be close to the hiking coun­try and at the trailhead to Pulpit Rock, consider spending the night at Preikestolen Mountain Lodge, a one-stop shop for outdoor activities. Upping the budget, Comfort Hotel Square has trendy digs with a contemporary edge bang in the heart of Stavanger. See also Region Stavanger for a list of holiday homes, cab­ins, guest­houses and camp­grounds.

What to Take. With this being Norway, you should always pack layers, waterproofs and sturdy boots as the weather can change at the drop of a hat. Stock up on picnic provisions as most trails are without facilities.

Boat Trips. Rødne Fjord operates boats across Lysefjord; these include cruise and hike trips to Preikestolen, Kjerag and Flørli.

Food and Drink. If you like fish, boy are you in for a treat in Stavanger. Top billing goes to incredibly intimate Omakase, where Roger Asakil Joya – the world’s fourth best sushi chef, no less – serves up a multi-course feast that sings with fresh­ness and simplicity. Fisketorget by the harbour is more Nordic in look and style. For locally sourced picnic treats, stop by the Mathallen market, and tie this in with a cracking deli-style lunch at Ostehuset Øst. And for your picnic, check out the Norwegian delicacy brown cheese – cheese with a distinct caramel flavour.

Fitness, Maps and Guides. The main trails in the region, including the ones featured in this article, are well marked (follow the signs and red Ts), easy to navigate and doable for those with a moderate level of fitness and surefooted­ness. Anyone who suffers with vertigo should bear in mind that Pulpit Rock, Flørli and Kjerag are all high-level routes with some steep and exposed sections.

Should you wish to venture further off the beaten track, it’s worth investing in a decent 1:25,000 scale topographical map. The Norwegian Trekking Association lists web­sites and stockists where you can order maps online. These show the details of the terrain as well as lodging facilities. GPS maps are also available.

Cicerone’s guide Walking in Norway includes 20 walking and trekking routes in the main mountain areas of Norway.

Trolltunga. As well as Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten featured here, another much-photo­graphed and equally don’t-look-down-ish natural Norwegian attraction is Trolltunga, or Troll’s Tongue – a terrifying lick of rock stretching out over a lake 700m below. It’s also in the south of Norway, about 250km west of Stavanger. Getting to Trolltunga involves a tough, 10-12-hour hike with nearly 1,000m of ascent from the village of Skjeggedal – you’ll need to be fairly fit, with good hiking boots, waterproof layers, food and water. The reward is yet another mind-blowing Kodak moment.

If you fly into Stavanger and out of Bergen, a bus service connects the three sights so you can do them all in a thrilling long weekend.