Morning view excluding the cruise ships

At about 3am an influx of seagulls descended on Vin and used him as a platform to eat their morning catch. Scurrying around, squawking and scrapping for food got Mac n Tosh all fired up and drove them bonkers. After half an hour of frantic arm waves in an attempt to scare the seagulls they finally took flight but we guess it was more to do with the fact they had full bellies rather than scared away. Back to bed we trot.

Woken by sunlight as it pierced through the blinds, as bright and hard as a laser beam. Through the window we have our first glance of a not one but two cruise ships…parked right outside our front window. Cheeky or what, lol! With nice blue skies and no storm clouds…we are back on track! After a bite to eat we set off and as we pull away I notice one of our side lights was not working. We pull in a down the road and went in search of a bulb. After searching through half a dozen shops we remember seeing the local garage. We tootled over and got sorted. In Norway, it is mandatory to keep your lights on all the time, so having a blown bulb is not something that can wait a day or two.

View down the valley

We set off following the river upstream and towards the narrow twisting valley dotted with timber and stone houses. As we continue to drive the rock walls become steep with vigorous torrents and waterfalls cutting down through the mountains, chiselling out gorges and crevices. We follow the river and over the little wooden bridge. The valley narrows even more and the lust green farmland shrinks to small strip of vibrant green pastures. Some of the valley walls are so steep and tight they are treeless and bare. We twist and turn and as we do the river becomes paler, changing from an emerald green to a milky blue. Eventually we turn the final corner and in front, a perfect v shaped wall that reveals and leads the eye remorselessly upwards to white bulk of Briksdal Glacier. Wow, that looks might grand and amazing. We are spell bound.

Our view of the glacier

At the end of the road a campsite. We notice a daily parking charge of NOK50 (about £4) but decide to ask how much for overnight. In the reception we are greeted by Inga and his wife. A lovely welcome and a warm smile followed by lots of information about their campsite. At a charge of NOK180 (£15) per night we opted to stay. With a view like this we would be daft not too. We parked up and our spot is the best ever with a view Briksdal Glacier to the front, another arm of the glacier to the right, behind us the 24th largest waterfall in Norway and to our left and inviting river valley view.

We did not budge all day. We made ourselves at home and tinkered around our motorhome and new ‘back garden’ all day. We did a few chores like washing but with views like this, it was a pleasure to wash and gaze. Mac n Tosh also settled in pretty quickly. Running around their new garden and darting up and down the tiny hill and rocks. I have never seen them so giddy. It truly was an awesome day.

Inga fell in love with this place when he was 15 years old and has been here ever since. Slowly but surely Inga and his wife have built this campsite and it is absolutely superb. We cannot praise it enough. Not only the best views but the campsite is sympathetically done with nature in mind. They work with the rocks and environment to make hidden and secluded camp spots for motorhome, caravans or tents. It really does feel like you have your own space. Onsite they offer showers, electric, toilets, washing machines, a wooden hut with open fire and BBQ facilities, small shop, cafe, free wifi and saunas. In and around the campsite they have created a number of walks and trails for families with stone age cave, climbing wall, viewing platform and much more. You can also rent camping chalets that start at NOK 250. This family run campsite including a beautiful granddaughter is one we cannot recommend enough.

Craig tootled off to the shop (20 mile away) on Eor for some cheeky beers and a few goodies whilst I got the BBQ ready. We enjoyed a scrumptious evening meal with a tiny sausage each for the dudes before we went for a walk. A walk that took us right up to the snow line to our right. We climbed high above the tree line with Mac n Tosh darting in and under the undergrowth. They had a ball chasing mice, chimp monk looking thing (not sure what it was) and squirrels. They ate half the plant life and god knows what else.

Well folks we can honestly say we have found a real hidden gem of a place. We cannot fault it and with all this natural beauty around we feel like this place could well come one of our top places.

We have good wifi connection, so we have managed to upload all our video’s from the last few weeks. Mac n Tosh Boogie nights is just excellent plus the drive along the pass. Click here for our youtube channel.

Our sleep spot tonight..Melkevoll Bretun campsite with drop dead gorgeous views in every directions.

GPS position N061.664000 and E006.816657

Route: Olden to Birksdal Glacier

Weather: Low 6 and high 25…summer sunshine all day