With Lake Krøderen on our left, I head north along Route 7, which runs alongside the lake. Across the lake, I can see the Norefjell mountain range, with peaks ranging from 1,300 to 400 meters in height. Suddenly, the Bergen Railway emerges from a tunnel on our right. The two lines once again run parallel to each other along the narrow strip of land beside the lake.
From the town of Gulsvik, the highway and the railway split, proceeding along the valley of the Hallingdalselva River—one to the right and one to the left. While the word “valley” might conjure images of rapids, the river flows gently, and as I heard at the tourist information center, the climb isn’t steep. The area is forested, and through the trees, the railway on the opposite bank is visible, appearing and disappearing across the river.
Eventually, Route 7 leads to Nesbyen, the center of the Hallingdal region. The town is home to the “Hallingdal Folk Museum,” which showcases traditional ways of life. After driving another 20 kilometers or so, I arrived at my destination, the town of Gol.
Gol was a quiet, peaceful town nestled in the mountains. On the mountainside, I could see what looked like ski slopes where the trees had been cleared. I imagine it must bustle with skiers during the winter season.
Gol lies at an elevation of 240 meters. Although the distance traveled had increased to 120 kilometers, the elevation gain was only about 100 meters. It had been just two days since leaving Oslo, and I intended to press on further.
From Gol, I turned sharply west and began traveling upstream along the Halindal River. Then, a somewhat steep climb began.
About 50 kilometers from Gol lies the town of Geilo. Starting from Geilo, National Route 8 extends south along the western side of the Nore Mountains. I had calculated that taking Route 8 back to Oslo would make for a journey of exactly one week. That night, I camped on the outskirts of Gol to prepare for the climb starting tomorrow.
クローデレン湖を左に見ながら、湖沿いの７号線を北上して行きます。湖の向こうに1,300～400ｍの山並みが続く Norefjell(ノーレ山脈)が見えています。突然、右手にトンネルを抜け出たベルゲン鉄道が現れました。湖沿いの狭いスペースを再び並走となります。
グルスビークの町から Hallingdalselve(ハリンダル川)沿いの渓谷を国道と鉄道は右と左に別れて進んで行きます。渓谷と聞くと急流を想像しますが川の流れはゆったり、観光案内所で聞いたとおり登りもキツくありません。辺りは森林地帯、木々の間から川越しに対岸の鉄道が見え隠れしています。
やがて７号線はこのハリンダル地域の中心 Nesbyen(ネスビエン)の町へ。町には昔の生活ぶりを紹介する「ハリンダル民俗博物館」があります。さらに20キロほど走ると目的地ゴルの町へ到着しました。
ゴルは静かな山間の落ち着いた感じの町でした。山肌には木々を伐採したあとのゲレンデらしいスペースが見えています。おそらく冬場になるとスキー客で賑わうのではないでしょうか。
ゴルの標高は240ｍ、走行距離は120キロと伸びたものの稼いだ標高差は100ｍほどです。オスロを出発してまだ二日、さらに先へ進むつもりです。
ゴルから西へと直角に方向を変えてハリンダル川沿いを遡ることになります。そして少しばかりキツい登りが始まります。
ゴルから50キロほど行くと Geilo(イェイロ)という町があります。イェイロを起点に国道８号線がノーレ山脈の西側を南へと延びています。その８号線を利用してオスロへ戻ればちょうど１週間の行程になると考えていました。この日はゴルの町外れで野宿、明日からの上りに備えることにしました。
Here is the route for my original (sort of!) tour of the Oslo area. National Route 8, which runs south from Geilo, is now Route 40.
こちらがオスロ近郊の私のオリジナル周遊ツアー(?!)のコースです。イェイロから南下する国道８号線は現在40号線になっています。
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