We took one of Loganair’s new flights direct from Edinburgh to Stavengjar and had the experience of a lifetime.
When the opportunity presented itself to travel to Norway and have a flying visit to soak up the culture and see as much of the country as possible in just four days, I couldn’t wait.
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Usually, when going abroad I go to Spain, a country I adore, where I can speak the language and get some much-needed sunshine that can be scarce in the capital.
Due to the typical miserable Scottish weather like birds, most people tend to travel south rather than north to migrate towards anywhere with a bit of heat. So it was refreshing to visit a country I never would have thought to visit before.
I was totally blown away at how quick the flight was - within an hour and a half we had landed in Stavanger and were ready to take in everything the Nordic location had to offer.
Loganair offers free tea and coffee with a wee shortbread biscuit or caramel wafer on the flight which is a lovely touch. The plane was absolutely tiny compared to the usual Ryanair planes I'm used to but the whole journey was very smooth.
I quickly learnt there are a lot of similarities between the Norweigan country and people and Scotland.
First of all, we met so many fascinating and proud people while we were there and everyone had a really welcoming manner and the dry sarcastic sense of humour we are used to back home.
I was especially looking forward to this trip as I had zero expectations. I had never been to Scandinavia before and didn’t know much about the region so it really was an eye-opening experience.
The trip was centred around exploring Fjord Norway's Discovery Route. The Discovery Route is the historic tourist route through Fjord Norway, from Stavanger to Bergen.
It was established in the 1880s when travellers came by horse and carriage, to experience this spectacular landscape of mountains, glaciers, crystal clear rivers, roaring waterfalls, and pristine fjords.
On the first day, we had the magical experience of hiking through the Lysefjorden region where we took a guided walk to Preikestolen. This was an absolutely incredible experience, the air was crisp and fresh, the picturesque landscape was like something out of a fairy tale and the unique rock formations created jaw-dropping views.
I have never experienced beauty like it in my life. It really was breathtaking You could stand and stare at the landscape for hours without getting bored.
The weather was surprisingly quite similar to Autumn in Scotland, a little bit grey but with wet mild air and as we reached the peak of one of the mountains the low October sun came out and illuminated the Fjord which was incredible.
One thing you wouldn’t associate with Norway is wine but on the second day, we drove through the idyllic countryside to a small vineyard that grows grapes all year round.
The vineyard Midtsommar in Suldal grows different types of grapes to produce wine with and without alcohol.
Formerly a pig farm, the vineyard is run by a lovely couple who have decided to try something new which definitely paid off. Although they are only a couple of years in, the new business venture has definitely paid off.
We tried red and white wine from grapes that had been grown on the land and transformed it into the delicious tipple on site. We had a traditional Norweigan lunch of smoked salmon, potato salad, fresh bread, and cold meats to soak up the booze and were completely blown away by the hospitality.
Everyone we met had such a friendly nature and couldn’t do enough to make us feel at home. The next couple of days were spent taking in the country’s history and culture. Throughout the road trip across the region, we were shown a number of Viking graves which were so interesting.
An outstanding experience and probably one of my favourites of the whole trip was visiting an old settlement with stone houses on stilts which has been preserved for hundreds of years.
The houses were fascinating and the condition in which they have been kept is really incredible, walking around what would have been a small village was like stepping back through history.
Finally, we visited a shipbuilding yard that was set up by a social worker to transform young people’s lives by giving them something to do. Here historic ships are renovated through the most precise traditional craftsmanship.
Walking into the warehouse you were hit by the comforting smell of freshly worked wood and could see skeletons of old traditional boats that were used by Norwegians in the past to travel across the region being brought back to life.
Every detail down to the rope is taught to the apprentices by masters of the trade who learnt the craft the same way, I have never encountered anything quite like it - it was fantastic keeping such precious knowledge alive with a really innovative and engaging creative enterprise.
The star of the shipyard is a huge tanker that has been completely brought back to its former glory and sits proudly in the harbour at the site. When the apprentices graduate they are taken on a special boat trip, travelling on one of the vessels to celebrate.
Last but not least we stayed in a stunning hotel that could have been straight out of a James Bond film. There, we met the incredible landlady who spent years in Edinburgh studying before moving back to her home country and taking on the venture and its history.
The 60s-style Energihotellet is located close to Suldalsvatnet on Nesflaten in Ryfylkehas and has been kept very much intact with all of the furniture inside complementing the history of the building.
It was designed by the Norwegian architect Geir Grung in the 1960s originally for staff to stay in from the hydropower station next door. Here we sat down for dinner which was a menu created around local produce we were introduced to Norway’s cider.
It is far, far different from the cider we have in the UK, much more similar to wine and I think if it was introduced to the Scottish alcohol market it would take off.
The story is brilliant as well and reminded me very much of the three farmers from Fantastic Mr Fox. After spending time not being able to do much during the Covid-19 pandemic farmers began to experiment and a new industry was born.
Now dozens of farmers across the area grow their own unique apples and fruit to craft ciders that are a trademark of their farms.
There are many types from rose cider which is almost like a crisp and dry rose prosecco, and ice cider which is like a shot of the purest Polish vodka.
The alcohol percentages are naturally much lower and it’s a really interesting alcohol with delicate flavours that ignite your tastebuds.
The Norweigan people were incredible, their kindness, hospitality and chat were genuinely the highlights of my trip - each person we met had a couple of jobs like you would if you lived in a small village.
We met a hotelier who was also a farmer, artist and entrepreneur all at the same time. Each person was so passionate about their beautiful country - something we Scots have in common.
One funny phrase they often use to describe a Norweigan with more than one job is they call themselves a “potato” because potatoes come in lots of different forms, so while one might be a tour guide they are also a farmer and personal trainer at the same time.
Spending a couple of days in Norway was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that really opened up my eyes to a totally different part of the world, with it just being an hour away it is the perfect destination in winter or summer.
The only thing I knew before I went was that it is very expensive. A £12 pint in Norway is not a myth it’s actually pretty standard, but as one of the local tour guides told me that a supermarket worker will earn on average £40,000 about double the minimum wage in the UK.
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They pay more taxes, but the quality of the infrastructure in the country is on another level. We didn’t hit a single pothole while we drove thousands of miles across the country and the public services we used including ferries and a council-run swimming pool were outstanding.
People appear to be happier and for four short days the cost of living crisis or chaos which is politics in the UK just now didn’t come up which was absolute bliss.
Overall if you are looking for somewhere different to visit and a really wholesome quality experience I would definitely recommend putting Norway on your list - and with direct flights from Edinburgh it's even easier than it was before.
You can find out more about the region and all the incredible sights to see here.
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