Åre & Trondheim Unadkya
Prelude
I selected Åre more as a desperate measure rather than a desired destination! I decided quite late to go on a trip during the Christmas. My first (self-imposed)constraint was to be in Sweden because it was too late to plan for destinations in the rest of the Europe, mainly due to the cost concern and the winter.
After Abisko, I had no intentions to venture in the far north of Sweden during this time of year. While Åre is still in the central-north, it had more winter destinations than far north. For unknown reasons, I included Trondheim, too. We chose to travel by car as it’s not only economically viable but also gives you a lot of flexibility & diversity in sightseeing. We hired a car from Europcar because they had an outlet nearby and I was too tired to check out the other options for competitive pricing.
Notes for the readers:
- To share as much information as possible, I provide hyperlinks to the Points of Interest(POIs), important events, geographical features and so on. I recommend readers to spot these hyperlinks in the post and visit those
- Though I like to document my trips and my personal work, it’s a drudgery which causes some information to be left out or the post ending up a bit vague. Feel free to contact me in case you need more information
Day-1 : December 22, 2017(Friday)
Note: The readers can skip reading this day, it contains just some travel notes that I took whenever I could. I changed the tense in some notes to suit the blog, the rest are as-is/were.
This day, as obvious, was gonna be day-long drive, just to reach the our first base.
Reached Europcar office at 0730 hours, then, we first went to Vidyadhar’s place to pick his bags, then mine. We started from my place at 0830, 1.5h behind schedule. Based on my positive experience with navigation even in the remote areas, I opted to use the TomTom GPS for navigation. The weather was clear, -2° C.
We stopped at Gävle MAX which was 198 km. We left from there around 1200 hours. Now, the road was having only a single lane in each direction. The weather was sunny 🙂 Passed by a frozen but beautiful Tönnebrosjön on the right.
Left E4 at 1250 hours near Hudiksvall. Could get only a glimpse of Norra Dellen and it was NOT frozen 😀
We were on highway 84(Riksväg 84) for almost 1.5h now. Single road(no barricaded divider between the two opposite directions), max speed 90kmph. Road 296(Länsväg 296) taken, now will touch E45, 9km, 1425 hours.
Petrol on E45, check GPS log for precise location. Probably, Ytterhogdal. Bought this, a must during winter:
Passed by Hålen at 1550 hours. All the water bodies except Norra Dallen are frozen.
At 1600 hours, took left from E45 on 321. It’s pitch dark at 1500 hours. Åre 125km, awaiting E14 as this road is even narrower.
Storsjön on the right, not frozen …
Checked in Åre B&B at 1845 hours. Had a salad in Max as we didn’t have the energy left to make ourselves comfortable at some restaurant. There was sufficient snow around to feel happy and bright. Based on the number of people seen around, I guess Åre receives aplenty tourists, mostly, the Swedes. I caught a glimpse of the track of the funicular railway – the Åre bergbana. I am planning to take a ride on it.
Have caught cold, worried about the upcoming days. Stats for the day:
Day-2 : December 23, 2017(Saturday)
We woke up a bit early(0600), thereby, did everything at leisure. Breakfast is served at 0800 hours, it was a compact Swedish breakfast. Met Helen and Isabel, our hosts who were amicable and cheerful. Helen provided us with the info about the daylight (0930 hours), the turistbyrå opening time (1000 hours). We exchanged Christmas wishes and left around 0900 hours. We needed to visit the turistbyrå to get a feedback on our itinerary and optimize it, if required e.g: Based on the daylight, prioritize the sightseeing, in order of importance.
Since it was an hour before the turistbyrå opens, we decided to wander(drive) aimlessly, which often pays off richly. We reached Rödkullen which is around 7km from B&B. Most of the road was uphill. Kids and adults were skiing enthusiastically, there were also some trainers teaching kids. I was tempted to enroll for a 1-2 hour basic course, even though my sports instincts were murdered during my childhood 😛
We started back around 1000 hours, already late to reach the turistbyrå. There was a gush, accompanied by snow which scared us as the visibility was barely 10%(the real reason was the snow and the inexperience of driving on a snow-covered road!).
We took some time before we hit the E14 again. Then, Google maps went berserk and we wasted almost an hour navigating in gullies of Åre, struggling to find our way to the turistbyrå. We had left the GPS at the B&B as we didn’t have a plan to leave Åre town and would have required to take it with us every time we leave the car. Finally, I just got down from the car, followed the road signs within the town road and walked my way to the turistbyrå. Vidyadhar joined me later but it was almost 1130 hours before we met the staff at the turistbyrå.
The turistbyrå lady was enthusiastic and efficient. She furnished the weather forecast, notified that the kabinbana towards the Åreskutan toppstugan is closed for the day and that we can try our luck the next day. She suggested to visit the fröå gruva. We thanked her and moved out. While preparing the itinerary, I had purged fröå gruva in favour of other sites, also, it would make no sense to visit it in winter, so now I had to come up with something else.
We decided to take long shot – visit Handölsforsen. I knew it was a lame decision – it was windy and snowy, the turistbyrå lady had informed that the pathway to Handölsforsen may not have been cleared, it was 45 km towards Trondheim which we were heading tomorrow, anyways so today’s run was gonna be redundant. I took the decision based on a single fact – the next day, it would be either Åreskutan or Handölsforsen. I was not prepared to give up Handölsforsen and just wander around Åre aimlessly. Even the Hanriis Café near Handölsforsen was closed (we got this info at the turistbyrå)for the season and would reopen in January.
We started around 1200 hours, it was 50+ km to go. The drive was uneventful, the mountain ranges kinda disappear till you reach the Handöl area. Around 2-5km before Handölsforsen, there’s a right turn for Storulvån (10km). We reached the parking around 1300 hours. Both the main road(probably, motorable) and the walking walkway were blocked by knee-deep snow. We struggled our way to Handölsforsen which was an average site(another example of how Sweden’s, rather, Europe’s many sites are overrated). It may be a bit better in the summer. From this bridge, the Storulvån fjällstation was an 11km hike.
The Google Maps location of Handölsforsen is actually a hanging bridge(hängbron) over the river Handölan that originates in the Helagsfjället and empties in the Ånnsjön. Even with the help of my Swedish colleagues, I couldn’t establish the meaning of the suffix ‘forsen’. I think it is a term pertaining to a river/flow of a river/river basin.
We walked back on the motorable road which was a bit better than the walkway. We started around 1330 hours. Tännforsen(see?Again the suffix ‘forsen’), a waterfall between Åre and Handölsforsen, was on my mind but the daylight availability, the warning of closure as per the turistbyrå lady were dampeners. We decided to have a lunch and head to the B&B. We had a filling late-lunch at the Prima Pasta which is adjacent to the E14, which eliminated the needs of the navigation. Nearby is the kabinbana towards Åreskutan.
We reached B&B around 1600 hours and I slept like infants till 1900 hours. Packing the bags for the next day was gonna be a boring, menial but necessary task. I was just hoping that my cold and fever doesn’t worsen(another hope to be belied!). If the weather permits, we were planning to take the kabinbana to Åreskutan, else, check how much a basic, sort of tandem skiing session for 1-2 h costs.
Thanks to the pathetic rechargeable batteries sold at MediaMarkt, my GPS was off and I lost the data. I have it in some apps but it’s in bits and pieces.
Approx drive : 140km
Day-3 : December 24, 2017(Sunday)
Couldn’t sleep properly due to running nose and a heavy head. I should have asked the hosts to give me access to a hot-plate/spis/stove or something similar to get some steam! We were at the breakfast table at 0810 hours and had a quick one. Today’s primary objective was Åreskutan and thereafter, if daylight permit, a ride on the bergbana. We decided to check-out so that we could directly head to Trondheim. Isabel provided us a disappointing piece of information – the ‘direct’ kabinbana to Åreskutan won’t open till second week of January! She asked us to check with the Skistar guys if they can provide a two-or-more-step way up to Åreskutan. I knew what was coming 🙁 We rushed out of the B&B to save whatever was left en route Trondheim!
After struggling our way from the parking to the Skistar shop VM8:an, the disappointment was confirmed – the guy at the reception said that the ‘högzon‘(high zone)won’t open for at least two more weeks. The most coveted, star attraction of the trip was out of reach, our spirits dropped! Ideally, I should have contacted some skiing services vendors to check for a half-day workshop for the beginners but my disappointment prevailed over my sense of making the best out of the available !!!
We started from Åre around 1100 hours and decided to head towards Trondheim but not before we attempt to reach Tännforsen, supposedly, Sweden’s largest waterfall. I was hoping that they must have cleared the road and the pathway to the waterfall. The waterfall is just behind(in the woods, of course)the STF Storulvån Fjällstation. One has to pay for parking and the visit using an auto. machine. Contrary to my assumption, several cars and many people were flocking to visit this rainfall even in winter.
For me, waterfalls aren’t a novel but I had never seen a frozen or a snow-clad waterfall. The visit was worth, a few pictures and videos(1 & 2) may convince the reader 🙂
We retraced our route and headed for Trondheim around 1200 hours. In spite of being at almost the same temperature, the streams along the road to Trondheim were NOT frozen, rather flowing freely!
The train tracks were along the road for most of our journey within Sweden. I not only missed the ride on the bergbana but also didn’t see a single train running on those tracks surrounded by snow. The railfan in me was sulking.
The drive till P-Hotel, Brattøra was uneventful and typical Norwegian – tunnels, fjörds and mountains. The guy at the reception told us that due to holidays, the public parking just outside the hotel was free and we could use that. It was almost 1630 hours, dark. We soon ventured out to find food and realized that we are amidst a ghost-town – except Burger King and a kebab corner, EVERYTHING was closed! For all the 5 days of trip, we survived on only two meals a day, the second meal being junk food – burgers meals & wraps(only once, we had pasta in Åre).
Approx drive : 185km
Day-4 : December 25, 2017(Monday)
Standard timing for the breakfast – 0800-1000 hours. Trondheim has sunrise at 0930 hours. There wasn’t any snow in Trondheim. The only (welcome)change in the breakfast menu was the availability of lax(salmon). We took our time to have breakfast and left the hotel around 0900 hours.
Our first objective was the Gråkallen radarhode, a vantage point from which one can have a panoramic view of the Trondheimsfjorden. As we approached, the weather changed drastically, there was a light snow and the entire surroundings were snow-clad. We reached the parking around 1000 hours. Except a couple of skiing enthusiasts, there weren’t other people around. We started walking a snow-covered road towards Gråkallenhytta. The entry to the radar house is forbidden and we didn’t attempt to trespass(though we were advised by the locals to do so :P)
Now the weather had worsened. It was snowing but the temperature was quite high (-2° C). The path towards gråkallen was covered with a thick snow cover. I tried to made a way but slumped knee-deep into snow and had a bit of difficulty getting out my overweight body loaded with a heavy jacket and heavier backpack 😛
Then I used Vidyadhar’s walking stick to determine the hard layer of snow but it was barely wide to fit two feet at a time. We decided to give up that route and fall back to the radar station entrance. There, I heard some men chatting. We followed those voices, along another trail(Gråkallen 552). We literally followed their footsteps and labored our way uphill. I had to remove my glasses as I couldn’t see anything due to the frame getting fogged. We reached a point higher than the surrounding terrain(which was barely visible).
The snow had now turned into a light rain and it was getting a bit warmer. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to view the Trondheimsfjorden. By the time we decided to walk back to the parking, a lot of skiers were headed to the Gråkallen. Many enthusiastic parents were pulling the polka with their child seated. This desire, spirit of outdoors life amidst the nature in all-weather conditions is something the Indian parents, at least, those staying in Sweden, should cultivate.
I was sweating by the time we reached the car. The parking was now full. Parents and kids were in full skiing gear, ready to roll. My backpack was all drenched, so were my gloves. I put my backpack in the dickey and placed my gloves on the car’s top. Later, a kind gentleman knocked at the car’s window and returned those gloves to me 🙂
It was around 1145. We decided to take a drive around the Bymarka region, on the route 715(goes by the Trondheimsfjorden) with a hope to have some pleasant views. We decided to drive till the Flakk camping site which was near some jetty. The drive turned out to be a dismay. The weather was rainy and foggy. Half of the fjord and the mountains were covered with fog and clouds. We parked at the Flakk camping parking. On the road(715), there was a long queue of cars waiting for boarding a transporter ship which would take them across the fjörd. This is similar to Kokan where people, cars, even state transport buses cross the creeks in boats and save a lot of time and other resources.
The weather was rainy so we headed back to the rest of the sightseeing in Trondheim. We stopped at the Maskinistgata to have a quick look at the Dora I site. Since the grade X, I am enthusiastic about the WW-II history. Dora I was a submarine repair site built by the Germans during the occupation of Norway since 1940. I am unsure how much of the interior of Dora I is now reminiscent as most of the area is now used for commercial purposes. While the sight itself contains only the conning tower of HNOMS ULA S300(207 Kobben class) atop a submarine pen, my forgotten interest in WW-II was rekindled ! Now I need to read something and watch a movie or a series to feel good 🙂
Later, I learned from social media groups that Dora I is today one of Norway’s largest magazine buildings for archives, books and museum objects. I suggest the intending visitors to connect to the WW-II buffs via Facebook, Twitter and establish a contact with people who work there.
Our next destination was the Kristiansten Festning a.k.a Kristiansten Fortress which is barely 2km from Dora I. Having visited aplenty forts in the Sahyadris, the Scandinavian fortresses fail to impress me, either structurally or historically. This fortress has several historical threads associated – the Swedish siege of Trondheim, The Carolean Death March (Swedish: karolinernas dödsmarsch), the Nazi occupation of Norway.
The views here are pleasant and holistic, indeed, the location is strategic – Trondheimsfjorden, Munkholmen island, the city, the mountains. The cannons and the Howitzers are well maintained.I was left desiring for more information, also, the dungeon was closed. I suggest people to read on the Internet about the fortress before their visit.
It was 1400 hours, the daylight would fade in another hour and we were hungry. We headed to the Gamle Bybro a.k.a Old Town Bridge. Since it was a holiday season, we didn’t find it difficult to find a parking place but it certainly would be a challenge in the peak season.We were having a glimmer of hope of finding a restaurant near the bridge and we didn’t have anything else to do for the rest of the day. The bridge does provide a soothing view of the Nidelva river and the adjoining houses but there’s nothing more to it. There were hardly 2 restaurants on the other side of the bridge and those, too, were closed.
From here, the P-Hotel was less than 1.5km. We hoped to find a restaurant en route. Needless to say, the hope was belied. We parked our car and walked back to Burger King and stuffed ourselves with a meal. I had no intentions to step out again to have a burger or something similar for dinner! When we returned to the hotel, I checked the forecast for Northern lights and it suggested to ‘try’ between 2000-2100 hours. The cold and mild fever relapsed as soon as I spent some time inside the warm room, as it was happening for past 3 days. With a running nose and heavy head, I went to sleep around 1630 hours.
Vidyadhar woke me up around 1945 hours and I staggered out of the hotel. If not Northern lights, I hoped to spot at least a few trains to satiate my railfanning desire. Except for a slippery surface, there was nothing that I recall from that walk. All I wanted now is to go back to sleep and head home the next day.
Approx drive : 55km
Day-5 : December 26, 2017(Tuesday)
Note: The readers can skip reading this day, it contains just some travel notes that I took whenever I could. I changed the tense in some notes to suit the blog, the rest are as-is/were.
This was gonna be(and was!) a long day – Trondheim to Södertälje was 805km as per Google Maps. Based on our experience on day-1, we wanted to stick to E(European Highways), even if it added to the distance. We decided to follow Trondheim-Åre-Sundsvall-Södertälje route which was along the E-14 and E-4. We started from the hotel at 0915 hours, refueled soon and then stopped at MAX near Sundsvall at 1600 hours. This gave me a bit of pain in the lower back.
We started from MAX around 1630 hours and soon hit the E-4. Despite of the speed limit being 110 kmph, we could barely drive at 60km owing to the rapid snowfall opposite to our direction of travel. The leftmost lane was covered with snow and once we skid a bit while overtaking another car. We drove slowly for quite some time. The further journey, was uneventful. There wasn’t any snow since Uppsala and all the way till Södertälje, I guess we left it in Jämtland 🙂
Lessons learned/revealed again:
- Never plan a trip in Scandinavia in and around the Christmas season, unless you are skier
- Well in advance, contact the cable car services, tourist stations and other sightseeing organizations for the ground facts
- Plan itinerary and know it by heart. It helps to take decisions, change plans at runtime
- Never leave your gadgets, you never know when they would be required !
- Prefer those B&Bs, hostels and, if possible, even hotels that have a kitchen(NOT just a microwave)
- Learn new skills to an extent where you can use them without any guidance or support and also put them to use every year e.g: Skiing, technical mountain climbing etc.
- In the order of your priorities(cost, cuisine, distance and time), keep ready a list of restaurants/eateries. It saves a lot of time and efforts. Never rely totally on the Google Maps for their opening timings, call them directly.
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Note : This Blog post was originally published on https://beingkinetic.com/2017/12/29/an-excursion-to-are-trondheim/
