I went to sleep pretty quickly after returning from the ill-fated dinner and when I woke up somewhat after sunrise I felt much better. Here waking up somewhat after sunrise means I was moving about a bit before 05:00 as sunrise was just before 04:00. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to have 3 hours to kill before I could go get breakfast. I worked on these journals as the day brightened to reveal an overcast morning. That’s about all I could tell from the un-interesting view of this third floor room. City sounds drifted up and the cries of Herring gulls pierced the air as time dragged on by. Hotel Brosundet doesn’t have as extensive a breakfast buffet as the Thon Hotel Storo did but then this hotel probably is nowhere near as large. They certainly offer a grander variety than I think you’ll find in many places and we had little trouble finding enough to eat.
Most of the walks require getting to and from the terminus points of the walks via public transportation. The bus network here is clearly extensive though maybe not always frequent. Of course, you have to expect that on weekends, especially Sundays, that this would be true. For our first walk we had the option of a bus that ran on a mostly hourly schedule throughout the morning and early afternoon. That timing would stretch out later in the day to between once every 90-120 minutes. The bus station is about a five minute walk from the hotel and we arrived there with plenty of time to spare. If you want to buy some clothing, food, or who knows what else, you can do that while you wait for your bus. The number 3 bus arrived promptly at 10:10 and we were soon on our way to Vigra island and the Roald Nature Reserve located just north of Roald village. 35 minutes later we got off and thus would begin our first walk under overcast, mid-50s, skies.
One big point for doing this walk first was that at the end there is a highly recommended, at least by Inntravel, boulangerie. The Rykende Fersk Boulangerie is open just a few days (I think Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) between 10:00-16:00.
This is essentially a circular walk of about 7.9km with an ascent of about 100 meters and, naturally, a descent of the same amount. That ascent and descent would happen in a pretty short stretch of linear trail but though we knew that from looking at the notes it wouldn’t sink in until we actually tackled the climbs which don’t appear until about kilometer 5. We expected a pleasant, reasonably easy, walk that would give us a nice introduction to the land and seas of the area.
We started out on minor roads that soon got smaller and within a few hundred meters left the small homes behind for a generally grassy path that would follow the coast. Now and then spots of mud and short stretches of rocks (nothing to bother you) would present themselves. Birds called to each other, the waves crashed against the shore off to our right, a smell - not wholly pleasant - of sea and rotting seaweed (and other stuff?) tickled our noses. We walked on through white flowers and swaths of buttercups. The only sunshine we saw was when we held buttercups under our chins to catch the little yellow glow.
As we moved westward we noted that the land rose up , and rather quickly at that, in a series of hills to our left. We would climb to the top of that landform in time. For now we continued on with the ocean to our right and, for a short time, a modest herd of brown cows to our left. The cows glanced at us and seemed to follow us but really I think they were just following the tasty grasses they were devouring. We continued on.
The notes say this is the Roald Nature Reserve but I do not know how big it is or really what that means. It’s land that can, obviously, be worked. It’s land that has been worked for a while. We would pass the remains of an old shelter at one point. A couple of rusting out large wagon wheels lay on the ground near the sea too. The path we were following was squishy enough to make me think of a wetland. There are beaches but you’ll not be tempted to bring a blanket and picnic on them (maybe at the lighthouse we did not visit). I can see and hear why this area would be favored by a variety of birds as it is lush. But it probably is also a bit harsh when the winds blow in from the north off the ocean. There isn’t much in the way of tree coverage.
In time our course would turn away from the northern shore and we would curl around a field (at least that is what it seemed like to us) that would take us near a lighthouse. Had we all agreed to go there I suspect it would have made a decent place for lunch. It was past noon and the clouds were clearing away. However, we continued on through a village (it may be called Molnes but I think that refers to a spot on the map not the name of the hamlet) that is clearly tiny before we turned to face those steep sided hills that are the prominent land feature here. We found a place to settle down for lunch; to fuel up for the steep climb.
The walking notes tell us the climb will be steep and they aren’t wrong. It looks like from where we had lunch to where the picnic tables (no we couldn’t wait to have lunch there) at the top of the hills are the path rises 100 meters over perhaps 600 meters of distance. It does this in two hill climbs and the second is far steeper than the first which is hardly gradual. I would not be surprised if the steeper portion had a grade over 25%. You’ll feel it as you climb. But the footing is actually quite good though I certainly am glad we were not descending the trail. In about half an hour we had all reached the picnic tables to settle down for a well-deserved rest. By this time the clouds were all but gone and a sun beamed down upon us making it feel warmer than the upper 50s it probably was. We relaxed and soaked in the 360° views from this local highpoint. Soon we saw a lady coming up the far gentler slope we would soon descend. She arrived, opened up the green metal box we had noticed, and signed the register book. Had she not done that I am pretty sure we would not have realized that was what the box was. In hindsight it’s obvious. She turned around and went back down the trail and we followed. At this point the walk has about 2.5km to go before reaching its end at the bus stop just beyond the Rykende Fersk Boulangerie and a large portion of that is along paved roads. The portion that isn’t on roads descends a pretty gradual trail that won’t bother anyone with full vision and normal agility. It’s a bit slower going for me but not really a problem. It doesn’t have much to remark upon as the World War II site, of some sort, is pretty much gone and not worth checking out. We reached the heart of Roald village just as the 14:55pm number 3 bus was picking up a couple of people. We could have boarded the bus and headed back to Alesund but the boulangerie was calling so we went there knowing we would have to wait 2 hours for the next bus to arrive. It was worth the wait.
Roald (pronounce “Row-al”) Is the largest village on Vigra. If there were any shops in the village besides the bakery we did not see them. The bakery has been there for a few years and is owned by a Russian emigre who moved here over 16 years ago from Siberia to work as an au pair. She met her eventual husband and settled here. The bakery seems to serve just local costumers and just for a few months per year.We thoroughly enjoyed our pastries and drinks.
When we left for the bus stop the wind was whipping up whitecaps on the sea and that chilled us right down. Wind makes such a difference in how you feel about the weather. We huddled against the breeze as we waited for the 16:55 number 3 bus. It arrived on time and we settled down for the 50 minute drive back to Alesund. It’s a shame I did not bring a USB-A-lightning cable because the bus is equipped with charging ports on every seatback. The transit system here is quite good. We got back to town and it was a quick walk back to the hotel. A good day for our first full day.
Photos
We spent about 35 minutes on bus 3 to reach the starting point of our walk in the Roald Nature Reserve located on Vigra Island. The walk should be a nice introduction to the region and we hope to find the Rykende Fersk Boulangerie.
—June 17, 2023 at 10:47 AM.
After a couple hundred meters on a road we turn onto grassy paths. It is an overcast morning and feels much cooler than it probably is because it isn’t sunny. The actual temperature is probably in the low-mid 50s.
—June 17, 2023 at 10:59 AM.
Mom is standing amongst these white flowers that we saw in great numbers.
—June 17, 2023 at 11:08 AM.
This herd of cows seemed to follow us a short way. But really I suspect they were just finding better spots to graze.
Photo by Judy—June 17, 2023 at 11:30 AM.
This is part of a 1.8-kilometer long stretch of grassy, slightly muddy and now and then rocky, path that keeps pretty close to the shoreline. It isn’t much of a view right now with the overcast sky but it is nice to have the ocean nearby with all its sights, sounds, and even smells. Photo by Jonathan
—June 17, 2023 at 11:31 AM.
Not too visible but throughout this stretch we have seen an awful lot of buttercups. They add a touch of pleasure to this rich green area. Photo by Jonathan
—June 17, 2023 at 11:56 AM.
The people and the life upon the land are providing the majority of the color. The sky is gray and the sea and distant land are gray or shrouded in light gray mist. It’s still a fine day to be out for a hike.
—June 17, 2023 at 12:04 PM.
We are circumnavigating this field and in time get nearer to the lighthouse you can see in the background. Perhaps we should have detoured there for lunch but unless everyone agrees to go it doesn’t happen.
—June 17, 2023 at 12:24 PM.
After passing by the small village (name unknown) we turned towards the local hills we had kept to our left as we hiked along the coast. Those hills rise to peaks about 120 meters above sealevel. Before we tackled the climb we had lunch at this spot. The overcast has been steadily vanishing and it is turning into a brilliantly sunny afternoon.
—June 17, 2023 at 1:07 PM.
Perhaps about one third of the way to the top. This view takes in the shoreline and lands to our east which is back where we started.
—June 17, 2023 at 1:11 PM.
The notes for this walk state that there is a very steep section in this stretch. Here it is and I am very glad we ascended the path isntead of descending it. Photo by Jonathan
—June 17, 2023 at 1:18 PM.
I decided to pull ahead of Mom and Dad. Sometimes it is easier to just plug on ahead and get the climb done. It was as steep as it seemed but the footing was good. Photo by Jonathan
—June 17, 2023 at 1:24 PM.
I am at the top and looking to the southwest. At this point I am about 118 meters above sealevel and Mom and Dad are just a handful of minutes behind me. It is a wonderful afternoon. Sunny, upper 50s, little wind, fantastic views in all directions.
—June 17, 2023 at 1:29 PM.
Mom is approaching the top. If you just want to experience the grand views you could walk from Roald village up the gentler slopes (we are about to descend) the 2.5km to get to this area. But even though the climb was steep the whole walk is worth the effort.
--June 17, 2023 at 1:35 PM.
At this point there is probably still well over 2km to go. But this is the last photo of the hike. What goes up has to go back down and we did so on far gentler grades than we just contended with. In time we reached roads that took us the final several hundred meters into the village of Roald where we got to enjoy quite tasty pastries and cappuccinos at the Rykende Fersk Boulangerie. We could have caught the 14:55 #3 bus but we very much wanted to try out the boulangerie even though it meant hanging out for an extra 2 hours for the 16:55 bus. It was worth it as we not only had good food but interesting conversations between us and the shop’s owner.
—June 17, 2023 at 2:26 PM.
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