UKC

It's on my bucket list to see some fjords. I am really very fortunate indeed in that I have four days off soon AND £1K. Fly to Oslo and hire a car? Is this doable? It seems too easy.

I was hesitant to post, because of the CO2 pollution of the plan but my head isn't in great shape and we only come this way once.

In reply to broken spectre:

Already garnered a downvote!

I'll reword the OP.

"Can I see some fjords AND offset the CO2 for less than 1K"

In reply to broken spectre:

geographically there's no real difference between a Norwegian fjord & a Scottish sea loch. How far are you from eg Loch Etive ?

In reply to Doug:

340 miles.

In reply to broken spectre:

I have no idea about the CO2 offset but you can be up at Sognefjord in five hours from Oslo. But - check the weather - it is September and be aware of car hire prices, we were quoted £1000 a week up north,

Chris

In reply to broken spectre:

Fly to Bergen or Stavanger and you'll be closer to the fjords, at least the impressive ones If car hire is expensive have a look at the get around app

In reply to MB42:

There is (at least there was ) a fast hydrofoil service from Bergen to Sognefjord (the longest fjord ?). Also a bus which might be cheaper but slower & less scenic.

In reply to broken spectre:

You can potentially also fly to Bergen which is way closer to some of the best fjords. Or if the best flights available to you are Oslo, the train across to Bergen is a decent option and extremely scenic.

Depending on how you feel about kayaking and camping, I think it's by far the best way to experience the fjords. If you can put up with the risks of joining in with an unknown group of people, there are various operators running group trips like this:

https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/products/8226-adventures-hike-kayak-an...

(Not a personal recommendation, just the first Google result for that type of thing.)

I reckon you could get flights on top of that for less than £1k. Might be getting late in the season now though.

In reply to Doug:

That's a bit like someone saying they want to see the Himalaya and being told to make do with the Alps.

In reply to Doug:

It's not always true when someone says size isn't important 🤣

In reply to broken spectre:

Slartibartfast would be pleased.

In reply to broken spectre:

not going to bother about the co2.

but it should be doable.

i would actually see If you get cheap flights to bergen. The perhaps instead of renting a car, hop on a hurtigrutan ferry for one day/night (one leg). Then see, If you can catch a train etc back. 
 

instead of simply seeing the fjords… you could actually travel in one.

there’s one from Bergen to Ålesund during the night. And a day trip from Ålesund to a beatiful flord and back. Also possibility to get a train from Ålesund to Oslo/airport… I think flights are also available. 

In reply to HeMa:

Lots to go at there. It's imperative I don't get stranded or delayed. Are the transport links pretty reliable?

In reply to broken spectre:

It's Norway! Yes. Fly to Bergen, get the train to Myrdal, take the mountain railway down to Flam, then the boat trip back to Bergen. Don't go to Oslo, too far from fjords. Fly to Stavanger, get the bus into the city centre, walk to the ferry port, get the ferry down the Lysefjorden, get off at Flori, walk up the 4444 wooden steps, trek across to the block of Kjerag, carry on to the restaurant at Oygardsstollen, down the road to Lyse and get the ferry back to Stavanger.

In reply to phizz4:

 

Yes, that’s the one I was about to suggest.

Pedantry corner: Oslo is on a fjord, and it’s beautiful, but probably not what the OP has in mind. 
In reply to Doug: I’ve been to Glen Etive and I like it, but this summer I went to the Sognfjord and my socks are still blown off.

In reply to broken spectre: Do what phizz4, or at least a part of, but do fly direct to the west coast rather than Oslo and travelling

In reply to phizz4:

Digression, Andrew Musgrave (unfunded GB skier) won the roller ski race up the road out of Lysebotn last month. Not for the first time either, double poled the whole way. Brutal.

In reply to broken spectre:

Yes this. There is literally no reason for it to be difficult.

If you're going to Oslo (or any Norwegian city) fly on SAS, sign up for the frequent flyer scheme (which means they offset your emissions) and pay for biofuel. It's still flying, but it's about as sustainable as you can get. 

The alternative, low emission but longer time (more than 4 days) option is to get the train - Eurostar to Paris, then to Hamburg/Copenhagen/Gothenbug/Oslo and from there you will probably need a car. But electric car infrastructure in Norway is incredible, so that's always an option if you can hire one. 

In reply to Doug:

There is a huge difference - mainly in scale, but that's the part that makes them so impressive.

In reply to broken spectre:

I just got back from a week in Norway. We took a risk and hired an electric car... a week of driving around, including 800m ascent per day for 4 days cost about 50 quid in energy.

Turns out hydro power is cheap.

As in the UK, figuring out how to pay for it is the hard bit.

"octopus electroverse" card plus a phone app called "Elton" covered about 80% of them.

In reply to broken spectre:

Fly to Trondheim direct from LGW for £110. Hire a car for a week for £250. Drive to coastal road to Svaritsen NP (2 days; fuel and ferries £100). Camp (free). Pick up the E6 at Fauske and head south (further 3 days; fuel and tolls £100). Gives you 2 additional days to explore or head south of TRD to see Trollheim or the Fv64 Storseisun bridge, or take a few days to go out to Flatanger and Hanshelleren cave from Namsos.

In reply to Doug:

The fast boat from Sognefjord to Bergen is superb.  Took it last month.  

In reply to broken spectre:

Fwiw I’ve fished in many Scottish lochs and many Norwegian fjords. The Norwegian fjords are a tad more spectacular. I would recommend seeing them from a boat. 

In reply to broken spectre:

Listen everyone, big thanks for the tips, I can feel a trip brewing! Although probably not this weekend, as I alluded above, my head really isn't in the game, it would be a shameful waste to go somewhere so majestic when my mind has a lot of other stuff it's processing. I hope other's have been inspired a bit, I certainly have and this thread has honed me in on certain areas I'm keen to explore and ways and means of doing so. Cheers all. broken spectre aka rob.