A few weeks ago I met up with Stacy, a fellow expat. Her husband had found a beautiful hiking spot not far from Stavanger. After spending a warm, sunny afternoon exploring with her and her son I knew Arthur and I would have to come back! So a few days later we packed up the furry boys and set off for a picnic and hike on the island of Rennesøy.
It's a short 30 min drive, half of which is spent in sub-sea tunnels, to the quaint fishing village of Vikevåg. Another short drive up the switchbacks of a mountain and we arrived at a small parking lot with a trail head. This was the dogs’ first hiking experience in Norway so they were pretty rambunctious and at this point in my pregnancy, I am in full-blown waddle-mode. So Arthur took the dogs and walked in front while I followed.
The trail head started at a small wooden gate. On our left was a pasture filled with sheep and adorable baby lambs. I'm kind of obsessed with lambs right now. Every field was full of them this spring and I think they're just about the cutest baby animal I've ever seen!!
On our right was green rolling hills and Mastrafjord. Couldn't have asked for a more picturesque view! After a few more old wooden gates, I'm assuming with the sole purpose of keeping the sheep and lambs where they're supposed to be, we approached Dalstemmen Lake. At this point, we could choose to follow several different trails that would lead us to various sights and viewpoints around the island.
Unfortunately, those trails will have to be explored at a later date cause I'm a preggo slow poke! We decided to continue past the lake and up a short walk to the top of the mountain. We picked a grassy spot near the top with the most breathtaking view of the fjord to stop and stopped to enjoy our picnic.
The dogs also enjoyed their lunch of farm-fresh, local, organic sheep poo. Dogs are so gross!
The view over the fjord was breathtaking! The sun was out and you could see all the way back to Stavanger. I just can't get enough of the views here. The blue sky against the bright greens of the grass and glittering water is incredible. Add to that the pastoral scenes of green rolling hills, lambs, and old wooden farm houses surrounded by tulips and everywhere you look is a friggin' postcard! And don't get me started on the cool breezes and fresh air...such a welcome departure from the oven that is Texas in the summer!
We sat for a while, soaking in the view and the sun and then Arthur decided to explore. I would normally be right there with him but instead I decided to curl up on the picnic blanket and take a little snooze. He walked down to a creek flowing nearby which turns into a waterfall at the base of the mountain. You can hike all the way down the mountain following the creek and I can't wait to do just that hopefully later this summer!
When he returned, the clouds had started to roll in and were threatening to rain. So we decided to pack up and head out. We're right on the North Sea coast and the weather in this region can change pretty rapidly. It frequently goes from warm and sunny to cold and rainy within a matter of hours. We stopped again at Dalestemmen Lake for a bit to snap some pictures and before we knew it both dogs were in the water! Little stinkers!
For dogs that hate baths they sure plunged into that icy water pretty fast! We had to drag them back to the car...stinky and muddy! I think it's safe to say they love Norway too!
Can't wait to go back again when we can explore more of the trails!! :)
How beautiful!
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