Hovden, day 1
| Date | Trip |
| 08.07.26 | Otrosåsen |
| 09.07.26 | Veggine, Syni, Mjåvasseggi |
| 10.07.26 | Svånuten, Hovdenuten |
| 11.07.26 | Hartevassnutane |
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 08.07.26 | Otrosåsen | 857m | 87m | Bykle, Norway | – | MAP |
Wednesday: We left Shetland in the morning (click here for the trip reports). The check-out was fine, the travel to the Sumburgh airport went fine, the flight back to Bergen went fine and checking out of the parking lot went fine. Textbook good trip!
Going to Shetland, we met a couple from the state of Washington – Barb & Steve. We connected quite well and it was nice to meet them again, going back to Bergen.
We got the opportunity to talk some more. Like so many Americans, they were so hospitable and welcomed us to stay with them, whenever we planned to visit the United States again. I have relatives in the same state and it would be just fantastic to go there and meet my family – and Barb & Steve!
During out Shetland stay, we had decided that we wanted to stay a few days at Hovden (Agder). We had made the reservation for a suite at Hovdestøylen and now we just had to do the 246Km drive from Bergen.
It was nice to be back in Hordaland County, especially in the Fusa and Samnanger regions, where I hadn’t been since I lived in Bergen (1998-2006).
On our way from Mundheim to Gjermundshamn, we saw something that scared us a little bit.
The road felt almost like a narrow corridor through a forest that was closing in on us. Trees were leaning out from the cliffs, branches stretching across the road towards the forest opposite. It was a powerful reminder that, left alone, nature does not preserve landscapes — it reclaims them.
The phrases “Everything is growing back” / “Nature is reclaiming the land” is used so often that its true meaning is lost. But here, it just got very real. It was scary and I wonder what the road authorities are going to do about it. In winter, with snow on the trees – this will be a problem.
Once on the Folgefonna peninsula, the traffic was bad near the Låtefoss waterfall…
… but other than that, the drive to Hovden went just fine and in the afternoon, we could check into our hotel room at Hovdestøylen.
The room was really nice. We had a main room with a TV, and a bedroom – also with a TV, and a balcony. And the price was a bargain. Which helped – as the Shetland trip was really expensive….
Anne wanted to relax before dinner (at the hotel’s restaurant) but my feet were restless, and I wanted to go for a hike to Otrosåsen nearby.
First, I had to cross the Otra river…
Next, I followed gravel roads in the direction of Otrosåsen…
Eventually, the hill appeared in front of me, and I could follow a nice forest path to the top.
The top’s prominence was only 87m, but closer to 100m than 0m, and so it “mattered”
My first Hovden top. I expected there to be quite a few more before our stay came to an end…
I took a different route down and got a nice view towards Hovdenuten.
Hovdenuten was *clearly* a top we would visit before our 4-day stay at Hovden would come to an end…
Not to mention the mountain area above the slalom hills. As a matter of fact, we took the chair lift up the very next day and had a fantastic hike across 3 P100 tops…
Eventually, I returned to the hotel, and we enjoyed a nice dinner before calling it a day…
Trip statistics: 4,1km, 120 vertical meters, 0h:49m
