Today’s walk with a girlfriend was to a new place on our list of walks in Inderøy. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as you will see in the pictures we got a nice surprise. The temperature was about 12 degrees Celsius, which I find a good walking temperature. There was some sunshine but also light cloud in the sky.
We parked at Røflo Lake which lies at about 188 meters above sea level. First we walked to Floåsen, which I have described in a previous blog (about Marsteinsvola). It is a very steep climb up to the check-in point for the walk, but there is a place to sit down and we both used the toilet that was available there.
You will note that at Floåsen it is 3.5 km to Marsteinsvola which I have written about in a previous blog. We came here to do our first check-in, then headed back the way we had come.
From the parking lot to Floåsen is about 1.5 km. There is no particular view at Floåsen, but it is an open area to sit and relax away from traffic and the noises of civilization. We then returned to the trail, the one we had come along and after about 100 meters we turned off to the find the new place, Aunan.
The app on our telephones told us that Aunan was about 600 meters away, but the app gives the distance in a straight line and doesn’t take into consideration that most trails have a lot of bends in them.
It is now August and there has been quite a lot of people on the trail, It was not difficult to see where we should go. This part of the trail is through forest. The trail had obviously been used by motorized traffic in previous years.As we climbed higher, it was obvious that there had been logging on this hillside recently. The trail was very steep at this point.
As I saw that the hillside had been logged, I realized that we would get some very good views from here. We were now at about 340 meters above sea level and about 160 meters above Røflo Lake. So we have had some good exercise.
This is Røflo Lake from above and our car is parked at the right of the lake, just behind some trees. In the background is more of Inderøy and on the left is Trondheim Fjord looking towards Trondheim.Looking westwards towards Trondheim Fjord and Trondheim in the distance. Levanger is on the left and Inderøy and Mosvik on the right.Leklemsvannet is a lake shared by Inderøy and Verdal. Finnheimen is located at the north end of the lake (see separate blog about Søråsen).Looking north with Steinkjer in the distance.The municipal center of Straumen is on the other side of the water, which is Borgenfjord.Time to go back down the hill to the car which is parked near Røflo Lake.
I enjoyed today’s walk. We walked about 4 km and used about one and a half hours including the pauses we took. This is a walk I would do again as the views are excellent.
On Saturday, the three of us met a couple at Solberg in Mosvik where we parked our cars and walked up to Vennes Lake.
Parking at Solberg means that we have driven up the hill, past quite a few farms. The blue lines on the map are ski trails in the winter, but we were going to take the red line, a trail up to a long, narrow lake.
The walk up to the lake takes about 25 minutes and goes through relatively open grazing areas with both sheep and cows. A lot of the walk is across bogs but a lot of planks have been put out and that made the walking very easy. It has also been a relatively dry summer so even if one stepped off the planks, for example, when meeting someone going in the opposite direction, it was not wet at all.
Crossing Naustmyra on planksBeside the map, there is some information about the lake. The lake is about 2.1 km long. There is trout and char in the lake but you have to have a fishing licence for Mosvik to go fishing. You may borrow the boats and the life vests, but please put things back where you got them.
The lake is 208 meters above sea level, but most of the height was driven in the car. There is some uphill walking, but nothing at all steep. It was 2 km from the car to the lake.
Vennesvatnet is long and narrow. We have walked 2 km from the parking area.The picnic area at the lake.
We were probably at the lake for about an hour. Having others than just ourselves to talk to, made the stay at the lake a bit longer than otherwise. There is a very nice picnic area.
We had some unusual visitors, that seem to come in our direction when they heard voices.
There was one dark cow who lead the group. She even waded through the water to come to where we were. The others followed her.She was very curious and came quite close to us. In the background you can see the brown ones following her lead. There were about six of them altogether.After a few minutes of staring at us, they moved on and we didn’t see them again.
The fun of going to Vennesvatnet is the availability of boats that can be taken out on the lake. We were five people. Two went out in a canoe and two went out in the row boat.
There is one canoe, one row boat and two kayaks available for anyone coming up to the lake.Getting a canoe ready to push into the lake.Two in a canoe.Then two more decided to take out the row boat. I stayed with our backpacks and telephones and took pictures.Two in a row boat.
The walk to Vennesvatnet is not a long walk, but it is a fun place to go to when there is something to do when you get there. Another group of three came after us and two girls took out the two kayaks. So the boats seem to be well used.
On Wednesday, the 28th of July, the three of us got out of the house for the day. We left at 10 am and got home at 7 pm. We drove about 300 km and enjoyed a warm sunny day, mostly in our air-conditioned car. However we did get out of the car several times and a couple of walks were included.
First we drove to the city of Trondheim (a two-hour drive) where a piece of used computer equipment was purchased from a private person. We then used the rest of the time to drive home a different, very indirect way.
Jonsvatnet, Trondheim
Trondheim is a city of about 205,000 people and is the third most populous city in Norway. It’s main source of drinking water is a lake called Jonsvatnet which is 8 km long and has a maximum width of 4.5 km. It’s surface area is 14.3 square km and its surface elevation is 150 meters above sea level. Maximum depth of the lake is 94.4 meters, and the volume is 505 268 million cubic meters of water. (Source: NVE Atlas). The lake is also used as a source of water for the production of electricity for the city of Trondheim.
Jonsvatnet
The lake lies in a north-west to south-east direction and we followed the road along the north-east side of the lake. We made one stop on the lake to get out and stretch our legs. The weather was sunny and the temperature was about 26 degrees Celsius. As this lake is a source of drinking water, it was interesting to see the signs posted at this lay-by.
This sign gives a map of the lake and the light-colored area is the area which drains into the lake. There is a list of things that you are not allowed to do such as swimming, using a motorboat, or pitching a tent within 100 meters of the shore.A very good sign: “Burnt hot dogs, thanks, but not right beside the lake. Camping and fires must be at least 100 meters from the lake.”Another good sign: “Camping is great, but not right beside the lake. You must be 100 meters from the lake.” In order to illustrate how far 100 meters is, there is an outline of the cathedral in Trondheim showing that its length is about 100 meters. Deg = you. A person is very small in relation to the cathedral.Jonsvatnet, looking north-west towards the city of Trondheim
Storfossen
The Homla River, which flows from Fold Lake to Trondheim Fjord, has several waterfalls on it as it descends to the fjord at Hommelvik. We found a parking place for walkers to access one of the waterfalls, Storfossen (literally, the large waterfall) which has a fall height of 40 meters. This waterfall is located in a nature reserve, Homla Naturreservat, which was set aside in 2015, to protect the river’s valley and the nature within the valley.
A map of the Homla Nature reserve The first part of the path was wide. It has been very dry and warm lately and the path was very dusty. Even though we were walking mid-week, there were quite a few other people on the trail.There were sheep out and I found this fence intriguing. People are able to easily go through the swing gate at the left. However a sheep that pushed it would not be able to manage the intricate concept that you have to hold the gate open half way, while you slide around it. This was certainly not a gate for the handicapped or very heavy people.
The two older people on the walk, found that it got a bit difficult after a bit, partly because of the heat, but the younger person was able to get to the viewing point of the falls.
Storfossen with a large pool at its base, where people were going swimming on this warm summer day.
Mostadmarka Jernverk /Iron works
We went back into our car and continued our car trip. The next stop was Mostadmarka Ironworks which existed from 1653 to 1880. Initially the Iron Works would have used iron ore found locally, though in later years it would have had to been brought in from other parts of Norway. They produced iron and steel products including wood-burning ovens, war materials, bolts and nails.
The museum was not open the day we were there, but we were able to wander around the area and peek into windows. More information about the Mostadmark Iron Works can be read here in English.
The introduction to the Mostadmarka Iron Works shows a drawing of the different buildings that have been on this site. Very few of the buildings still exist.One building that still exists and has been restored is the “Office”Inside the office building there seemed to be some information available. I would presume that the wood-burning oven to the right would be one that had been made at the iron works.
As we walked around the museum area we saw the Homla River, tumbling down the hillside. This would be the same river as falls down Storfossen.
The Homla River would have been dammed about here to provide energy for the iron works.In various places around the museum area, there were information signs which explain how things worked in various periods of the Iron Works. This sign is about delivering charcoal which would have been made by local farmers and how much they got paid for it. Charcoal was essential for getting the heat in the ovens hot enough to make iron and steel.This is a reconstruction of the smithy. Not much of the old iron works was left when the museum was established and volunteers set to work to make an open air museum here.
As we walked up the hill behind the museum area we came to a dam and a lake. The dam was built in 1900 and is used to create the lake.
This is where the Homla River starts, with this dam that creates Fold Lake.The top of Fold Lake is 209 meters above sea level. It is quite a large lake and is used for recreation. There were quite a few cabins around the lake.Fold Lake. The picture was taken from the dam.
Selbu
From Fold Lake we drove to Selbustrand where we drove along Selbu Lake to the center of the municipality of Selbu. It was now about 3 pm and time for us to have a meal. The village has a nice center with everything within easy walking distance. We found a restaurant and had two pizzas for dinner. After dinner we walked around and found the old people’s home, the municipal hall, the church and the museum.
Selbu is known for pre-built wooden houses, called Selbuhus, made in local factories and then assembled on-site. We drove by the factory as we were looking for a place to eat.
Selbu is also known for its two-color knitting patterns and here I was particularly interested. There was a small store in the local museum and I was fascinated by the displays in the windows.
The items here would be knitted by local women. Most of the mittens seen here feature the Selbu rose, in various forms. Woollen mittens made with two colors become very thick and warm.The museum and the store were housed in a large building near the church. We didn’t explore the museum, but I did go into the store and buy a book.The book that I bought at Selbu with hundreds of different patterns that can be used for mittens, socks and sweaters.Knitting was such an important part of the women’s world that a statue was erected showing a mother teaching her daughter to knit.The village center had an interesting pedestrian area. Note the Selbu rose carved into the wall.The Selbu rose was found everywhere here.Even the local savings bank used the Selbu rose as part of its logo.
I have only been able to show you some of the pictures that I took on our trip. It was interesting for us to get away from the house for a day. We were out for nine hours and saw quite a few new places. I am always glad to get home after a lot of driving, but I felt we had had a good day. I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the things we experienced.
The radio mast is the goal for this walk. There was still a little way to go to get to it when I took this picture.
Saturday’s long walk was about 10 km and my walking companions were my husband and my son. Marsteinsvola is a hilltop that has a ham radio mast (among other things) and lies at 442 meters above sea level.
This walk was much longer than any of the three of us really enjoy. was that this was the But my son has his ham radio license and my husband is studying for his license, so I thought that going up to see the mast was a good goal for a walk. A new period of warm weather was being forecast when we were planning this walk the evening before, so it looked like we would have clear skies, it wouldn’t be too warm and hopefully there wouldn’t be too many insects. Well, read on to see what we experienced.
I will start with a map so that you can see the route that we took. We were able to take a round trip, meaning that we went up one trail and came down a different one. Only the half kilometer of road out to the parking lot was done on both parts of the walk.
This is the same map as for Finnheimen and Søråsen. The red lines are the main trails and parking is marked with a large P.
We parked at Røflo (2), near Inderøy’s main water source, Røflovatnet (188 meters above sea level). We walked along the north side of the lake and took the trail through Røfloskardet (280 meters above sea level). This was our first steep climb. At roughly the T on the map, we were able to check-in to the app on our phones and get 30 points for our efforts so far. We have now walked about 2.5 km, so about half way to our final destination.
We continued on uphill on the trail to Marsteinsvola (442 meters above sea level), a challenging climb with some very steep sections that got us older walkers puffing and panting and needing breaks to get our breathing and heart beat back to normal before continuing. The younger person got to the summit much quicker than his older parents. However, we got 50 points for our efforts when we got to the top. At the top we took a good break, drinking water and eating sandwiches so that we would have the energy to get back to our car.
We took the alternative route downhill that took us through Yssedalen/Ydsedalen (two spellings found on the walk) before heading west to Fløåsen (about 280 meters over sea level) where we got another 20 points. Here we took a sit-down pause before taking the final downhill section back to the parking lot at Røflo where we found our car still parked in the shade.
How long did this take? We left the car at about 10:30. I checked in at Stubbseteren at 11:15, so we used about 45 minutes on the first quarter of the walk. I checked in to Marsteinsvola at 12:10, perhaps 5 minutes after I got there, so we used a little more than one and a half hours from the car to the summit. We spent about half an hour at the top before heading back to the car. I checked in to Fløåsen at 13:34, so about one hour after we left the summit. We had a rest for at least 10 minutes and were back to the car at 14:00. So we used a little under one and a half hours to get back to the car. As usual, it takes a little less time to go downhill than uphill. For the round trip we used three and a half hours.
Norwegian vocabulary
A lot of the place names are actually based on words that refer to a type of place. Here are a list of some of the ones that we come across a lot in our walks in Inderøy You will find these on the map above. In Norwegian, nouns use an ending to show the definite article (the) that we put in front of a noun in English. The most common endings are -en, -et, -a.
bekken – the stream, the brook
berget – the mountain
dalen – the valley
haugen – the hill
heimen – the home
hytte – cabin; hytta – the cabin
myra/myran- the bog
seteren – the mountain farm, usually used only in the summer
skardet – the gorge
tjønna – the small lake
vatnet – the lake
vola/vollen – the embankment
åsen – the ridge
Norwegian has many dialects and this will be reflected in place names. The same word can have many spellings, and pronunciations, depending on what part of the country you are in.
The Trail
The nature of the trails that we were following varied. We started on a gravel road. We had sections that were obviously originally tractor roads, wide enough for three people to walk abreast. In some places we had lovely dry forest trails and unfortunately, this walk entails a lot of very swampy, wet ground. We all had good shoes on, a must on this hike.
The first half of a kilometer was along a gravel road. We are going to turn off to the right to start climbing uphill.We won’t be the only ones out here. This gate on the road marked the difference between “innmarka” (the farm’s cultivated land) and “utmarka” (the wild area where sheep would be left on their own for the summer). The gate must be kept closed and the signs give information about who to contact if one sees damaged animals and also general information about the advantages of having sheep on the hills (mainly they keep the trails free of tall grass and bushes). Dogs must be on a leash.We met this mother with her two youngsters near Stubbseteren.Our first hill to climb. The sheep are keeping the trail open and wide.Along one section of the trail we saw a lot of these small frogs hopping around on the trail. There were hundreds, if not thousands of them in the wet grass.The higher we climbed the narrower and rockier the trail became. However it was relatively cool in the forest.One of the bridges that crossed a stream, though there wasn’t much water in the stream today.On the return walk, we had several places where there were large planks placed across the bog. This both protects the hiker and the bog. The hikers stay on the planks, otherwise people are always trying to find a slightly drier crossing of boggy areas and the bog gets very muddy.A lot of the trails that we are following are prepared ski trails in the winter. On the map above, produced by the sports clubs of Verdal, the ski trails are marked in blue.
Stubbseteren
Do you see the building here with its grass/sod roof?
We often walk around this lake, Stubbsetertjønna, but today we just saw it from a distance and kept on going. Half of the lake is in the municipality of Inderøy (where we are standing) and the other half is in Steinkjer which is on the far side of the lake.
Marsteinsvola
This was the reason for taking this long walk, though I find the walk a bit too long for me now and there is a lot of swampy ground to cross. The top of this hill, though we are 442 meters above sea level, is quite wide at the top. The weather was hazy, but there were few places where one was high enough above the trees to see the view very well.
Marsteinsvola is also the meeting of three municipalities, Inderøy, Verdal and Steinkjer. Both Inderøy and Verdal have a lot of marked trails in the area, both for hikers and for skiers in the winter.
There are several small buildings at the top. The post boxes would each have a book you can write your name in, each book belonging to a different sports club.Here you can see part of the radio mast.The small shelter to the left was built recently and was divided into four quarters, so that four groups of people could sit on benches but be sheltered from the other groups. Unfortunately we met a lot of flies here at the top, so it was not pleasant to sit at all. I wandered around, trying to catch a bit of a breeze that would help keep the flies away from me. The sign is a map of the area so you can find your way downhill again.Looking north-east from the top with Leksdal Lake. The south end of the lake is in Verdal and the northern end, which is seen in this picture, is in Steinkjer.Looking towards Straumen in Inderøy, with Mosvik in the far distance.Looking west. The gap in the distance on the right is Trondheim Fjord with Levanger on the left of the gap and Mosvik on the right of the gap.
Fløåsen
Fløåsen was a farm before 1590 that was owned by the king. In 1728 it was sold and it changed hands regularly over the next two hundred years. In 1924 it was bought by the municipality of Røra. There are two main buildings here which are owned by Røra School. In 2008, the old cabin that was here burnt down, and the present building (see the next picture) was built in 2009 by volunteers. The cabin is open for everyone to use.Fløåsbua. This building is open for anyone to use. There is a small kitchen, sitting area and a toilet room inside.The picnic tables outside Fløåsbua were interestingly built. The seats folded up when not in use, so they wouldn’t get wet or covered with snow. They were easy to fold down when one wanted to sit.
Though a 10 km walk is much more than we usually do, we had a nice morning to do the walk. I probably won’t do this walk again for several years. I need a reason to take someone on this strenuous walk.
Røflo Lake, Inderøy’s main water source. It was sure nice to get back to the lake and know that our car was only a few hundred meters away.
On Friday this week, my girlfriend and I went for a walk in the hills of Røra. The first goal of our walk was Finnheimen, which I have already written about (here), so this blog will be about the second section of our walk, from Finnheimen to Søråsen, which took about another 15 minutes.
Finnheimen on Leklemsvatnet is the starting point for this blog. This picture was taken on 2 May 2021, before the leaves were out on the trees.I have been to Finnheimen many times over the years but had never taken the trail to Søråsen. Today was the day that I would explore that path.
Most summers I take one or two walks to Finnheimen as it is a nice walk, but not too long a walk. This time we started our walk at about 4 pm, so a walk later in the day. The temperature was pleasant, about 15 degrees Celsius. There was light cloud and no wind. It has been cool the last week so we were not bothered by insects either.
The trail from Finnheimen to Søråsen.
One of the things that I noticed while walking this section of the trail was how wide it was. It has obviously been a tractor road at some time in the past, but the “road” seems to end at Finnheimen. Much of what we walked between Finnheimen and Søråsen would still be accessible by tractor, but one would have to come in from the parking area at Røflo, not the parking area at Lundsaunet where we parked today.
Here’s the map of the area. We parked at the red dot, Lundaunet, walked about 2 km to Finnheimen, then about 600 meters on to Søråsen, all trails marked with red lines on the map.At one point we came out into an open area where the threes had been logged a few years ago. This would be looking northwards, towards Steinkjer. Note the cloudy sky, which actually made it a pleasant walk.As usual, there is always a choice of where to go. We came from Finnheimen and were going to go in the direction of Fløåsen. Blue trails are relatively easy walking, but some of the hills can be steep.The landscape – some parts were open and swampy, other areas were heavily forested.In most of the open areas, and especially along the trails, the grass was kept at a suitable height for walking by these summer residents. We saw several sheep, but they were fairly scattered and stayed well out of our way.More choices. The route straight ahead leads to Søråsen. Off to the left would take you to Fløåsen.The trail to the left seemed to be kept in good shape by the summer residents. We did not take this trail. Perhaps another time.Søråsen.
In past centuries, farmers would put their cows up in the mountain pastures during the summer. Cows need to be milked every day, so young women would live up with the cows in the mountains. This sort of building would be what they lived in. Søråsen (which literally means the south hill) was an open meadow with a building in it. There was also an outhouse and a couple of picnic benches. There was no particular view from here except trees, mostly a spruce forest. Today the meadow would be kept open by the sheep that we had seen.
We sat at the picnic bench for a few minutes before returning the way we came.This stump indicated the goal of our walk, but it was almost completely surrounded by stinging nettles. Whoever put up the sign did so before the stinging nettles had grown so tall.
Søråsen was an interesting place to see, but it is probably not a place I would go to regularly. I prefer to have a view out over the landscape or come to a lake.
We used about 2 hours on our walk, so one hour each way, and had only a short stop at Søråsen. The walking was easy. There were no particularly muddy or wet areas. It was good to get out for a longer walk after we have had a rainy period. It was also good to get out with someone other than those I live with.
Today’s walk started with my son driving my husband and I to the parking area at Rostad where we started our walk. The goal of our walk was to pass two check-in points (30 points each) and get some fresh air and exercise for about an hour and a half. We usually go for our long walks in the morning, but today it poured with rain until about 3 pm. By the time we left home at 4 pm it had stopped raining. In open places there was a bit of wind. We wore hiking boots and rain jackets. It was often muddy on the paths and we had to walk carefully so that we didn’t slip. But it was good to get out for a long walk. It has been a while since the last time. Today’s temperature was about 12 degrees Celsius so for me a very pleasant temperature for walking.
The first part of our walk, from Rostad to Frøsen has been written about in a previous blog (see here). Though the previous time we took this walk, it was a warm, sunny evening, today was an overcast, gray day. I am just going to write about the section of the walk from Frøsen to Bjømnbråtte.
Frøsen is a bridge across a stream, which even after a couple of days of heavy rain and no water in it. This picture was taken on the previous walk at the beginning of June. Today the wooden boards were slippery as they were wet.This is what our weather was like today. The view from the path looking out to the fjord with Ytterøy on the left and Mosvik to the right and behind, both in the clouds. We didn’t experience any rain, but a lot of the walking we did was under the trees.This pathway we are on has information signs about historical events of places. This sign shows where Maria Mortensdatter (born in 1814) lived with her sister, Siri, after Maria’s son went to America. Maria worked the land and Siri went fishing. The house no longer exists.
The trail from Rostad to Frøsen and onwards to Sleipvika is under the trees. At Sleipvika we came out to a road with several houses and farms.
At Sleipvika, I saw this typical older house from this area with two entrances into the house. One entrance would lead into an entryway and the living room and would be used for guests to enter the house. The other entrance would be used as an area to take off muddy boots and clothing before going into the kitchen. I remember seeing this painted stone a year ago. The pandemic had started and with many activities in Norway shut down, the slogan “Alt blir bra” (meaning: all will be well) was commonly seen everywhere. It looks like this stone has been repainted newly.The sky was menacing but the rain seemed to be in the distance. This field of grain was turning a beautiful yellow and cheered up the landscape as we walked by.On the other side of this yellow field was a cottage and access to it seemed to be this path cut through the field of grain. In the foreground is the gravel road we were walking along.We are halfway on our 5 km walk.We’ve walked around the farms and head across the stream and we have a steep hill to climb.We’ve started to climb. We saw a deer making its way along the edge of the field, but he must have heard our voices and suddenly he dashed away, heading across the sands of the beach you see in this picture.We have headed into the trees again, but the climb is steep and narrow.As it has rained for two days, the trail was muddy in places. I was very glad to have a railing here as the drop goes straight down probably at least 50 meters.Eventually we got to the top and here there was a picnic bench to sit on and catch our breath from the climb. The view is looking over Trondheim Fjord to Ytterøy.Bjønndalen is a narrow ravine that goes from the farms at Nes and Rotvoll, down to the sea. There wasn’t much water in the stream at this time of year.This tree, I think an elm, has fallen down. In this part of the forest, with steep slopes, the ground can get washed away under the trees and eventually they fall. It also looked like some humans had come along and cut it up, possibly to get it off the trail. This was the first time I had been this way this summer, so I don’t know how recent it was.Trees have long lives, but they don’t last forever.One more very steep and muddy section to get to Bjønnbråtte, a place which we go to at least once a week.Bjønn = bear. There is a story about the last bear in the area. Perhaps he was chased to here and scared over the cliff. The view from Bjønnbråtte.
The walk from Bjønnbråtte to our house is about a 20 minute walk and is a walk we do quite regularly. It is partly on road and partly in the woods and mostly away from traffic. Once we had gotten to Bjønnbråtte today, I felt that we were “almost” home.
We were lucky with the weather and timed our walk for the correct time of day. I enjoyed our walk a lot. We haven’t been out for longer walks much as we have had quite a lot of warm weather and the last few times we have been out there have been a lot of flying insects, which I don’t like. Today was much cooler, and I didn’t notice any flies at all while we were walking.
It also made a change doing the walk just the one way. It is simpler to be driven to a place and then walk home, than to arrange to be picked up when one is tired. We also wanted to do the steep climbs going up them, as they were as slippery as expected. I always prefer to do very steep climbs going up, rather than down, if I can choose.
Sunday’s walk, with my husband and son, was to a hilltop not that far from where we live. I like the walk to Storlia (The Big Hill) and it is a walk I like to do about once a year as the views are spectacular from the top. However, it is quite a climb and I suggested we do the walk today while the temperature wasn’t too hot and there was a bit of a breeze.
We parked the car at about 120 meters above sea level and the hilltop we were heading to is about 380 meters above sea level, so this was a walk with a climb. Some parts of the path are quite steep, but I’ve done this walk several times and was prepared for it. The view from the top is worth the climb and the weather looked like it would be a good day to do it.
It can always be wise to have a picture of the map on your telephone so you know where the major trails will go. We are at the point with a red arrow
We parked at Gammelplassen where there is a map of the trails in the area and sufficient place for several cars to park. We have passed a closed gate so one can expect sheep on the hill.
We are not that far from home, three kilometers to the bridge and one and a half kilometers over the bridge and through the woods to home. Note the ferns are growing well around the signposts.We have a two kilometer walk to Storlia on a red trail which means moderate difficulty with steep sections.
While walking uphill, I often stop to either look at the view or take pictures. Today I was mainly looking at the wild flowers that were blooming, many of which can be found in the wild areas of my own property. Taking pictures is a good way to get a pause while walking up steep trails. On looking at the pictures afterwards, I realize that it may be difficult to actually see the plant, however you will see the combination of plants that grow in the wild here.
Today’s walk starts on a gravel road then climbs the hill, often on a trail that must have originally been a tractor road, probably made for harvesting the trees. Today the trees in this area are quite tall and it is many decades since they have been harvested.
Looking back down the trail after climbing for a bit. The others are ahead of me. I always like an excuse to stop in the middle of a steep section.
I’m no expert with plants but here are some of the common ones I saw on today’s walk. I have tried to find the Latin and English names as well as the Norwegian names.
Vaccinium vitus-idaea is a member of the heather family. Called “tyttebær” in Norwegian and “cowberry in English, it produces a red berry that makes a nice jam to eat with meat. For those who live in North America, it would be used instead of cranberries.Ranunculus repens is a member of the buttercup family. It is called “krypsoleie” in Norwegian and creeping buttercup in English.Geraniaceae, sylvaticum is a member of the geranium family. It is called “Skogsstorknebb” in Norwegian and crane’s bill in English. It is a very common wild plant in our area, growing along roadways and open meadows.There was a little water in the stream, but we haven’t had much rain recently so there was little flow to the water. May and June have been dry months this year.Alchemilla family. This is a very common plant and I found it difficult to figure out exactly which plant this is. In Norwegian it is called “marikåpe” and I think it is called “Lady’s mantle” in English. It grows as a weed in our lawn and is difficult to remove. Along the edge of a road, it is a pretty plant with very large leaves. The thistles were just starting to bloom.I’m not sure what these blue flowers are, but they are a pretty blue when there are lots of them.
The top of the hill, and the goal of the walk is at the edge of a nature reserve called Skavdalen. This nature reserve was created in 2017 to protect old forest and covers 1012 decares (about 250 acres). (My source is only in Norwegian.)
The top of Skavdalen nature reserve which covers 1012 decares of old forest. Here there were primarily spruce trees. On the forest floor there are cowberries and blueberries.We reached the goal of our walk. It was time to check in and get 40 points. There is a picnic bench to sit on and enjoy the view while one rests before heading downhill again.The view from the top is the reason for the walk. Even on a cloudy day, the view was spectacular. This picture is taken looking west with Mosvik center on the right and the island of Ytterøy on the left. We are at an elevation of about 380 meters above sea level.The western half of Ytterøy with Levanger in the background.The eastern half of Ytterøy with Verdal and Levanger in the background.Looking towards Straumen where it looks like it is raining. The agricultural area is Utøy.
Today we gave ourselves a longer walk by also going to the post labelled “Inderøy’s Geographic Mid-point”, which is located in Tungdalen. It was about 700 meters from the trail we had taken up to Storlia, so we decided to find it as well. Though the trail went downhill at first, much of it was on a relatively level elevation. We entered Skavdalen nature reserve and with only one missed marking, found the post on the hillside.
The path to the geographic center of the municipality of Inderøy is not very well-travelled. This is a new post this year and it is still early in the season.Here we entered Skavdalen nature reserve. We are walking along a narrow valley with a small stream at the bottom, though there was no great amount of water in the stream at this time of year.We found it eventually, on an old tree, up a slightly muddy slope.
Then we turned around and headed back to the car where we were all glad to sit down. We had been walking for about 2 hours.
I like to take the walk up to Storlia once a year, but I did not feel the need to go to Inderøy’s geographical mid-point again, though it was interesting to do it once.
After a shopping trip in Trondheim, my husband and I were looking for a small park where we could relax, eat our sandwiches and have a walk before starting the two hour drive home again. This blog article is about the place we found.
The Nid River is the river that flows through the city of Trondheim. It is 30 km long and starts in Selbu Lake and empties into Trondheim Fjord. On its journey it is dammed three times and used to make electricity in six places. We came across the dam called Nedre Leirfoss (Lower Leir Falls). Though today there is no waterfall visible from where we were, there is certainly a considerable drop which would be why this location was chosen for a dam and electricity production. All the water is returned to the river after having been used to produce electricity, primarily for the city of Trondheim.
We drove over this bridge and it wasn’t until we had parked our car that I realized that it was a dam.There was a car parked here with the name “Statkraft” on it and the door was open to something under the road.
We were looking for a place to eat our sandwiches and we found a parking spot off the road on the eastern side of the bridge. We found a pathway into the woods which we followed for a bit, but it was obvious that there would be no comfortable place to sit and have our sandwiches. So I looked at the map on my phone again and realized that if we had driven just a bit farther there was a park with parking. So back to the car and we drove just that little bit farther.
We followed a path into the woods. A sign had told us that we were in a nature reserve set aside in 1987. It is specifically to protect a deciduous forest of elm, ash, alder and grey alder.When we drove just a little bit further there was an open area right on the river. Because of the quantity of seagulls in the park, we chose to eat our sandwiches in the car and then go for a walk. I didn’t really want to share my sandwiches with the local residents. When we took our walk we continued along the path that followed the river.Looking up the river from the park, one sees the power station that was built between 1905 and 1910. It still produces electricity, but a newer power station has been built and was put into service in 2008. The new power station is completely underground and the water is returned to the river approximately here. At the top of the picture you can see the bridge that is over the dam and to the left you can see the large pipes that lead the water to the turbines. The water has a 27 meter fall to the turbines here.A close-up of the power station. The gates were open and several cars were parked here. The door to the building was open so there were obviously workers here.
A story from one of the signs in the area. The Canadian artist, Hal Foster, wrote and illustrated the cartoon series, Prince Valiant which was produced from 1937 to 1982.. Prince Valiant was the son of Kong Aguar of Thule, who lived in the wilderness of England at the time of King Arthur. Foster must have seen a picture or postcard of this power station and he used it as the basis of Thule’s castle in Vikingholm in the cartoon series.
Naturally there was a turbine on display near the power station.As we walked away from the park, going down the river, sometimes we were in the shade of trees and sometimes out in the open. The path was very easy walking.The first part of the river below the power station was very smooth, though there was very obviously a strong current and a lot of water in the river. At this point we could see in the distance where the river became shallower and rocks broke the surface of the water.Looking upstream towards the power station. This stick was near the edge of the river and was obviously used to measure the depth of the water. I imagine that if there was any flooding, the path we were walking along would be covered in water.Two of the local residents enjoying a swim in a quiet section of the river.Here the river was certainly much noisier as the water tumbled over a rocky bed.
The Nid River is a salmon river up to the Lower Leir Falls, which was always its natural limit for the wild salmon. Today this area of the river is regulated for fishing, either from land or from boats.
A small shelter for fishermen on the edge of the river.The rules are laid out with a map of this particular portion of the river called “Leirfosshølen”. It costs quite a bit to have a fishing licence here and each person is allowed maximum 10 salmon a year. The fishing season is from June 1 to August 31.Some plants like lots of water.
We had a very relaxing walk, for about half an hour, away from traffic. The day was sunny, but not too warm (about 20 degrees Celsius). We weren’t in a hurry. It wasn’t necessarily quiet, as the river was noisy. We met a few other people walking including those who were walking their dogs. Cyclists also used this path along the river. This was a little park I would go to again when I’m finished my shopping in the south of Trondheim.
Today’s walk was short and in the early morning, at about 8 am. My husband and I had been food shopping in Straumen and we chose a short walk to get some fresh air and exercise before breakfast and before getting down to work.
The starting part of our walk was at Sundneshamn which is about 2 km from the center of Straumen.
On the left is the name as is used to be and on the right the way it is written today. The top picture is actually a painting which was painted about 1900. The lower picture is taken from the hill in Straumen. The large white building would have been the store and Peder Saxhaug’s residence.
From the information sign: “Herman Løchen at Sundnes was the driving force for steam shipping on the Trondheim Fjord. When steam shipping became a reality in 1856, he had a wharf and warehouse constructed here, in addition to a general store.
“When Løchen died in 1876, Lornts Saxhaug continued the management of the general store and the steam ship wharf. However, in 1913 his son, Peder M Saxhaug, bought it all and had a bigger house built for the store and as a residence. Additionally, a bakery, a petrol pump and sale of building materials was located here. His son, Steffen, succeeded him and ran the business until 1981.
“In 1971, Felleskjøpet (a cooperative organization for farmers) set up a warehouse here and took over the management of the fertilisers and animal feed that arrived by boat. Goods were also shipped from here. Kari and Per Saxhaug took over the property and continued the management of the shop until 1987. They bought the warehouse from Felleskjøpet and managed this just as long. The quay facilities are today privately owned.”
Today it is mostly the quay that is used as well as the small boat harbor.
The small boat harbor at Sundneshamn, looking towards Saxhaug Church (you should be able to find its steeple in the background.Middle Norway Wooden Boat Workshop – this is at the main quay at Sundneshamn.SDS Hansteen at the quay.SDS Hansteen has been fixed up nicely. The tourist information calls it the world’s oldest steam sail ship.SDS Hansteen
As we started on our walk, we had the inevitable signposts.
Sundneshamn in the background, with the warehouse right behind the signs. We are going towards Jægtvolden, the local hotel, but we aren’t going quite that far, so we probably walked maximum one kilometer on our walk, including wandering around the quay.We climbed a short hill and came across this small building with its grass roof. Wild flowers on the roof were unusual, though the flowers can be found all over the place in Inderøy. They are a type of pansy.At 8 am on a Saturday morning it was very quiet here. We walked by a few houses and some summer cabins. The view is looking towards Levanger.We then headed into a wooded area.Somebody had been building a tree house.If you weren’t sure where to go, there was a sign to give the correct direction.But first a walk out to the fjord. The white building in the background is Jægtvolden Hotel. We didn’t walk that far.Back to the main path and there was our check-in point, with the sign tied to a spruce tree. This was our turning around point and we headed back to the car.The smaller wharf at Sundneshamn.There are farms in the middle of the picture and behind that is route 755. To the right is the center of the village of Straumen. To the left is Utøy and home. There have been quite a lot of new homes built on the hillside. At the top of the hill is a small hotel, Husfrua Country Farm Hotel.
We enjoyed the short walk, but we were wanting our breakfast so a half hour walk was sufficient. In the summer months, it is often quite enjoyable to go for a walk around 8 am, when the world is still peaceful, the sun is shining brightly and the temperature is still relatively cool. Enjoy your own walk today.
Yesterday evening, my husband and I went for an hour’s walk. It was a warm evening for us, at about 26 degrees Celsius, even at 7 pm. Where we live, we often get a two-week period of lovely, warm weather in May and sometimes it can get quite warm. This year our warm weather is also lasting into the beginning of June. It has been up to 29 degrees in the shade at our house.
As I have mentioned before, Rostad is a large property in the Utøy area of Inderøy. We again parked here and headed in a slightly different direction than when we went to Kvernhusmuren.
We headed off through the old main gates of the mansion to the road that leads to the fjord.
In the old days, access to this property, which has a large mansion and is also a farm, would have been by water. So we follow what is today a tractor road accessing fields, that would have given the residents two hundred years ago access to a quay. Certainly the tree-lined road would have been impressive.
I think these were elm trees, though there may be different types of trees. Closer to the fjord there were also pine trees lining the road.These were pine trees, but there are large gaps between the sections of trees as if many have died over the centuries. The dandelions are mostly finished blooming and are sending their seeds flying in the breezes.Now the road heads into the trees and swings down to the right.This information sign gives you an idea of what the quay would have been like in 1875.
All of the information signs on this walk can be found online, so you may want to follow this link to get a better view of the picture. The quay was built in 1823 and was in use until about 1950, when I presume the current road for motorized traffic was used more than the quay for boat traffic. Among other things, the quay was used to bring coal to the farm. The coal would have been used for heating, especially in the winter. I notice in the old pictures, that there weren’t nearly so many trees back in the 19th century. They would have been cut down for building or for firewood.
This is where the quay used to be. It is now a picnic area.In the foreground are the remains of the foundation for the quay. Now there is a little beach here. In the background in the picture is the island of Ytterøy.We are now leaving the Rostad property. We cross over a stile that is made from stones and wood.“Remember to close the gate”. Though there were no animals out in the fields here, there could be grazing cattle.This house is called Råvika and would originally have been a crofter’s farm. Today it would be a leisure property and is painted in white.Råvika was probably established in 1665 and would be one of the oldest crofts in the area. It is interesting to contrast the picture from 1855 where the house and barn are connected and there are few trees on the hillside with the previous picture of what the house looks like today. There have been a few changes in the last 170 years.Our trail leads in front of the house at Råvika which stands in an open area and we are then heading into the woods. Being in the woods was nice on a warm summer evening.The path became rougher in the woods and we had to both climb up and down the hillside.This tree was being lit up by the sunshine, but seems to have broken in the wind. There were open areas as if there had been some logging of trees.Quite a few trees seem to have been blown over in the wind. Does the wind cause the damage first, or is it logging that opens up areas so that the trees are more susceptible to strong winds?Our goal for the walk.The goal was this bridge which seem to cross a muddy area. We have had quite a bit of dry weather so there was no stream visible today.
Having reached our goal, we turned around and headed back to the car the same way we came. It was nice walking in the shade of the trees, but the climb back up the hill across the open fields was a bit warm for me. We used about an hour for this evening walk.
We could have continued along the path and gotten home that way. It is only about 4 km from here, though there are two steep climbs. But we decided to head back to the car and take it home with us.
I hope you enjoyed this walk. I would encourage you to find a wooded area and go for a walk yourself.
