"Troll's Tongue" (Trolltunga - in Norwegian) is a rocky horizontal ledge on the Skjeggedal rock, which rises above Lake Ringedalsvatn at an altitude of 700 meters. The shape of the protrusion resembles a tongue, which is why it received its name. Thanks to this, the Troll's Tongue rock is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful and dangerous places in all of Norway.
This place became widely known after the publication of photos and an article in a travel magazine in 2009. After this, those wishing to see the miracle of nature increased significantly, and in order to visit the very edge of the Troll’s Tongue and take unique photos, you even have to stand in line.
This place is located in the vicinity of the town of Odda, where we arrived early in the morning. From there you need to get to the town of Tyssedal, where you will see signs along the road towards the parking lot, where the road to the Troll Tongue begins. In Odda, we stayed for several hours at a sports discount store, where we bought good things at low prices, so we arrived at the parking lot late from the planned time.
The route on this map is the top one. The road to “Language” starts from this parking lot and takes 14 kilometers. I used to think that it would be like an easy walk and I was very much mistaken. We met only one Russian-speaking tourists who said that they spent 2 days on this hike. One day in that direction, overnight and the second day back. It’s possible in one day, but you have to leave very early; the warning on the map says that you must complete the 7th kilometer before 13.00. We looked at the time - it was exactly noon. It was necessary to urgently decide whether to go or not, because an easy walk threatened to turn into a mountain race. Maxim immediately refused, and Denis and I would not have been able to forgive ourselves if we had been so close to this place and left without seeing it with our own eyes. In 10 minutes we collected the necessary things in a backpack - warm spare clothes, food, water, flashlights, food and ran upstairs.
The first 4 kilometers are serpentine roads to the upper parking lot. Lower parking cost 300 CZK, upper 500! It was insanely expensive, but even if we decided to overpay, there would still be construction work going on on this road and we wouldn’t be able to get through.
Another option was to climb directly along the abandoned funicular, but part of the railway was missing.
This serpentine road is the most boring.
Therefore, we decided to speed up along the funicular road that appeared again. But I don't recommend repeating this.
Climbing it is very difficult and dangerous, although it saves about half an hour of time.
On the way we had to stop to rest, because... The gradient of the climb is very decent.
I still don’t understand how I decided to do this. It's better not to look back
We climb out to the upper parking lot through a hole in the fence.
And we follow the designations of the red letter “T”, it occurs often, so it is very difficult to lose the way.
Sometimes you can find such signs
And so everything is standard, follow the “T”.
Gorgeous views open from the pass
Don't forget to drink water along the way to avoid dehydration.
It is not necessary to take a lot of water with you; supplies can always be replenished in lakes and streams. The water is clean and very tasty.
It’s nice when you have to go through less than you already have. The next kilometer is one of the easiest, it is the most flat, but you need to carefully watch your step.
We begin to see Lake Ringedalsvatnet, it is above it that the vooooon stone hangs from that mountain on the left in the distant background.
On the way we meet many tourists who are already returning. Everyone says hello, very friendly and smiling. We didn't meet any Russians. One thoughtfully asked if we had flashlights so we could go back in the dark. When someone saw us running all the way, they started chanting “Russia”!
Minute stops to catch your breath and enjoy the beauty of Norway.
This one is apparently going overnight.
There are so many tourists walking along the path to the Troll's Tongue that it is easily distinguishable against the background of nature.
We are at cloud level - about 1200 meters above sea level. Low clouds are composed of water droplets, so there is a strong sense of humidity. There is no rain, but it feels like you are in a hammam. Water materialized on the camera lens and I had to constantly wipe it off.
There are several houses along the road that can be used in case of an emergency. The houses are open, where you can wait out the bad weather or spend the night.
This is where waterproof shoes come in handy.
Getting close. Another group of returning tourists.
This is the mountain lake Tyssehol. 1160 meters above sea level.
It’s amazing to me how you can spend the night in such conditions in the strongest wind. This tent is placed near a stone ledge so that it does not blow so much.
Especially when there is another house nearby where you can safely spend the night.
There is even a well-appointed toilet here, although for some reason it has no door...)
We see people taking pictures...
And here it is - Troll Tongue!
Trolltunga did not go unnoticed by Scandinavian legends and beliefs. One of them says that the huge Troll was childishly kind and playful - he could not sit in one place: he dived into deep and dangerous waters, jumped over abysses or tried to catch a rainbow over a cliff. And on sunny days that were dangerous for his life, he holed up in a cave until dark. One day the troll decided to check how dangerous the sun was for him. He hid in a cave, waited for dawn and stuck his tongue out of the darkness. The heavenly body did not appreciate such courage and as soon as the sun's rays touched it, the troll turned to stone...
I didn’t think there could be a queue here; even in such not the best weather we had to wait. I'm afraid to imagine how many people there are here in the summer. It took us 3 hours to get here from the very bottom. All this time we ran with insignificant stops. The ascent on foot would take about 5 hours.
As many different photographs as possible for memory.
These two were especially difficult
The fear was from the unpredictability of the wind, which either subsided or suddenly appeared with a sharp gust.
A different perspective on "Troll's Tongue".
We spent about an hour here, during which time we took several dozen photographs, had a snack and rested. Well, now it’s 14 kilometers back again, which, despite the greater simplicity due to the fact that instead of the first 7 km of ascent there is already a descent, was not easier, because... We're really tired. We also spent about 3 hours on the way back.
The total time investment for Troll's Tongue took approximately 7 hours, so I can say with great confidence that this is the hardest attraction I have ever reached. We returned the last kilometers already at dusk, so the warning that it is necessary to walk the 7th kilometer before one o'clock in the afternoon is very true. If you come here, I advise you to check the weather forecast and leave early. In bad weather, walking along this road is very dangerous.
Two years ago, on the Internet, I read an article: 10 places on planet Earth that every traveler should see. One of the photos was of a guy sitting on the edge of a cliff over a cliff about 500 meters away, his legs dangling. I got goosebumps all over my body.
And even then I told myself that I wanted to go there. And this journey took 2 years to mature, many reports were read, many opinions were heard and our own were formed.
So: this report is for those who want to visit Troll tongue(Trolltunga) and who don’t have a lot of time or money for it. Before this trip, I thought I belonged to the first category of people, I was wrong, the second group is also about me.
If you want to feel like a poor person, Norway is the right place for this. .
Nearest international airport: Bergen - 150km to Trolltongue (some fly to Oslo, but from Oslo 400km)
Compound: 4 people - Olya, Vika, Vanya, Danil.
Plan by day:
- Day 1 (Friday) - arrival in Bergen, rental car, travel to the start of trekking to Troll's Tongue, overnight in a tent on the shore of a mountain lake.
- Day 2 (Saturday) - start of trekking in the Troll's Tongue, reaching the goal, spending the night in the mountains in the language.
- Day 3 (Sunday) - early rise, a couple more amazing photos, the way back, driving to Bergen, checking into an apartment, walking around Bergen and buying a magnet
- Day 4 (Monday) – flight home.
Tickets were purchased 2 months before the trip through the excellent service aviasales, the cost for a couple round trip is 180 euros including luggage. Our plane landed at Bergen airport at 8:30 am. We worried about duty-free alcohol in advance (note: at Bergen airport, the arrivals and departures areas are the same place and upon arrival you immediately find yourself in duty-free).
Not only are the prices for alcohol in Norway inhumane, to say the least, but you can’t just buy this alcohol in a store; in the end, we never found it and drank beer for 10 euros per 0.4 liter in taverns.
How to travel around Norway is up to you. Renting a car means your mobility and the opportunity to stop near any waterfall or other beautiful place. Speed limit: 50 km/h in cities and 80 on the highway. We have never seen more than 80 km/h, and when we found out the size of the fines, we also didn’t want to exceed it.
In Norway, for exceeding +1 km/h the fine is about 60 euros. The roads are all narrow, there are toll roads and there are many tunnels and bridges; travel on some of them also requires a toll.
A bus for moving from one locality to another is probably a more acceptable option, but the cost of travel on a bus is comparable to the budget of a small independent African country, and our calculations showed that when traveling with four people, if at least one transfer is necessary, renting a car is comparable to the cost of tickets for bus.
Therefore, we chose a car, which everyone was happy with except the driver (more on that later). The car was rented from the rental company sixt. The cost of renting a Ford Focus for three days was 160 Euro. We chose this company because all the others also require mandatory insurance of about 100 Euros, but with sixt this is optional.
Also, due to the fact that in Norway almost all roads, bridges and tunnels are toll and funds are debited automatically from the on-board device on the car window, this company provides on-board service almost free of charge - 4 euros per day, unlike other companies where prices start from 9 euros.
And most importantly, in other companies the daily mileage is 100-150 km per day, but at sixt they gave us 500 km for 3 days without reference to the days. The car is given with a full tank, and returned with a full tank. This immediately saves you from the additional shock of refueling; we only refueled once before returning the car.
The counter is located right at the airport at the main entrance. And immediately the first problem was that we booked a car by mistake from Bergen, and not from the airport, but the English-speaking staff and my wife quickly resolved the situation and arranged a car for us in 15 minutes for the same money.
Total, looking ahead: about 160 euros for rental, about 60 euros for toll roads, which are debited from the deposit, a deposit of about 450 euros, which is debited from the card. Gasoline is 1.4 euros per liter, we paid 35 euros for the 390 km we drove. A more detailed report on how to rent a car in Norway is available at.
We loaded into the car, put a point in the navigator to the parking lot in front of the troll's tongue (150 km), and on the map the route from the Airport. The navigator said that the drive would take 4 hours, we didn’t believe it, but in vain, we drove for 7 hours. True, at first we stopped near every waterfall and every beautiful fjord, after two hours we realized that this beauty was on every corner and the trip went faster.
normal view from a car window 
Before leaving civilization, we needed a gas camping tank and some groceries from the store. Since we planned to spend two nights on the fjord in a tent, we brought the main products a la stew, sausage, nuts, chocolate and tea with us, and bought bread, butter and sausages in a local store for not at all expensive, about 20 euros per All.
A joint came out with a gas cylinder. You all know our Soviet gas cylinders Tourist, for gas camping stoves. It is prohibited to carry gas on an airplane, so we were sure that we would buy it on the spot, but no. All the cylinders here have their own standard and they do not fit our tiles.
While we were driving, we stopped at every gas station and every sports equipment store, fortunately there were a lot of one and two in Norway, but by the 7th gas station we realized that a hot dinner and tea in Troll Tongue were under threat, the girls were a little depressed, but I didn’t feel much worried.
Let me draw your attention to the fact that from the moment we arrived in Bergen, all day, all night, and the next day it rained non-stop. Our hopes of seeing the Troll's Tongue in clear weather were fading by the minute, but we (Vanya and I) did not lose heart. In general, our company was divided into two optimists and two pessimists, I won’t point a finger at who is who :).
Let's continue our journey. There is one ferry crossing along the route. The ferry runs every 20 minutes, pay a parking attendant who will come to you when the ferry arrives. They accept cards, by the way they accept cards everywhere, even in the forest. The cost for a car and four passengers was 203 NOK (~20 euros). The ferry sails for about 15 minutes. There are beautiful views and if there is no rain you can hang out on the deck and take a few photos for Instagram.
If you look at the map, just below Odda (red mark) there is an amazingly beautiful waterfall called latefossen. There is free parking nearby.
After the waterfall, we headed to the parking lot, where the hiking route to Troll’s Tongue started. 5-6 km from the parking lot (see map), you will see a private road sign and a bunch of prohibitory signs, and a very narrow road up the mountain. Don’t be scared, let’s go there, there’s a parking lot there, about 300 cars with a conditionally free shower and toilet. Why is it conditional, because parking in this godforsaken wilderness costs only 40 euros per day with a car. The parking meter accepts cards.
Parking before the trekking start 
Parking meter 
In the photo above, there is a parking plan and prices. A little life hack: we arrived on Friday at 6 pm and parked the car in the farthest section of the parking lot, marked with an arrow. Judging by the signs, it is prohibited to pitch tents anywhere within a three-kilometer radius. But there are enough people traveling with a tent and everyone is trying to move 200 meters from the parking lot and find a place for a tent.
We did the same, and 70 meters from the car we set up tents right on the shore of a mountain lake (a point is marked on the map). As you remember, we didn’t find a gas cylinder and while walking in the parking lot in the evening we saw a UAZ with Russian license plates, said hello, asked about the cylinders, received one as a gift - hello to Nizhny Novgorod!!!
If before this only Vanya and I were in a great mood, then after such a gift and the opportunity to drink hot tea, the girls were also in a great mood.
We spent the night safely, no one touched our tents. The car was also left without a fine. I read in one of the reports that there is free parking, but there isn’t.
We didn’t pay for parking either on Friday or Saturday, it was decided to go to Troll’s Tongue, and leave the car without paying for parking and then, upon returning, resolve the problems that came in, it was too much 40 euros per day, we didn’t want to pay for the car and from the very morning in Saturday (at 10 o'clock), drank coffee in the parking lot for 30 NOK (3 euros) and were ready to start.
Draw your attention. That according to the map, the latest time to start tracking to Troll Tongue is 10 am. If you leave later, you won’t have time to return before dark; it’s extremely dangerous there in the dark.
Also in the photo above there is a warning: The entire route one way is 11 km, and if you find yourself at the 4 km mark at 13:00 or later, you are strongly recommended to turn back, otherwise you can spend the night on the fjord at the very top.
This poster shows the minimum required for going on the route: trekking waterproof shoes, thermal underwear, mittens, flashlight, hat, trekking poles. We had everything except trekking poles and gloves. If the first is optional, then gloves might not hurt us at some moments.
Let me draw your attention to the fact that when it was +15 degrees below at the start of the route, it was +5 at the top. A difference of 10 degrees is common there.
For tourists with tents, I will now describe two trekking options in Troll’s Language:
- Leave your backpacks and tents below and go to the Troll's Tongue lightly. Minuses: you need to return in a day, and this is twice the mileage, 99% of people go to the troll language without spending the night, which means queues for photography for an hour, two or even three, in the language itself you will spend only a few hours, and if you are unlucky with weather, then there will be no opportunity to see the true beauty of these places. Pros: Since the route is very difficult, you will be light and it will be much easier for you. Take with you only: an energy snack, a 0.5 bottle of water - you can drink water directly from the streams, of which there are a lot along the route.
- Overnight in Troll's Tongue. Minuses: it is necessary to drag a backpack with a tent, sleeping bags, dry clothes, etc. along the most difficult route; at night it is very cold in the language itself; on September 3 the temperature was about zero. Pros: You only need to walk 11 km, there is no need to stand in queues for photography, since with an overnight stay there are 10-15 tents left, there is a greater chance of catching good weather, watching the sunset and seeing the sunrise.
We chose the second option. Since we only had to go one way today, we were in no hurry. 99% of tourists have been on the route for a long time, but they still go back today.
So at 10 am we started our climb. If you’ve read other reports, you’ve probably seen that many people go up the non-working funicular - it’s easier, faster (the savings actually amount to more than an hour).
But the Norwegian authorities, for some reason, considered the funicular dangerous to life, or they just want to preserve the Troll's Tongue for our descendants, and in order to reduce the flow of tourists, they complicated the route by dismantling the funicular and making the starting climb up the mountainside, ankle-deep in mud . 
We were not prepared for such a difficult climb. The length of the climb is a kilometer, the elevation gain is 400 meters. It took us 2 hours and almost all our strength. I have always considered myself a person with above average physical fitness.
Perhaps old age is already making itself felt, or it’s the 20-kilogram backpack on our back that has exhausted our strength, or the incessant light rain that has been falling since the very moment we landed at Bergen airport. After resting for 20 minutes and drinking two sips of port for conquering the first climb, we gained strength and moved on. 
Having passed a small plateau, another climb awaited us, no easier than the first, which finally took all our strength, by that time we had walked only 3 kilometers out of 11 and trackers were already coming towards us back from the Troll's Tongue.
The iron willpower and optimism of two people did not allow us to turn back, because if there is an uphill, there will definitely be a downhill. With this thought in mind, we moved on. And then the sun began to come out and amazing views opened up, which allowed us to forget about fatigue at times.
At 16:15 we hobbled with all our strength and reached the Troll's Tongue. Total just over 6 hours. The feelings that we experienced cannot be expressed in words. The goal was achieved. The beauty that opened before my eyes will remain in my memory for the rest of my life.
Troll tongue at 16:15 
Troll tongue at 19:00 
Troll tongue at sunset at 20:15 
Troll tongue at dawn 
Troll tongue at 7:30 am I hope you understand everything from the photo.
Now a little about the overnight stay and a small life hack: At the top near the Troll's Tongue, there is a rocky and rocky area. Setting up a tent is quite difficult. Humidity tends to 100%. Therefore, tents are placed within a radius of 300-400 meters on any more or less suitable piece of land.
We knew that somewhere nearby there was a house where we could spend the night if it was not occupied by other travelers. We found him and miraculously he was free. I’ll give you a tip: if you look at the Troll’s Tongue, then to the left of it you will see a path up the hill; you need to follow it for 300 meters. And if you are lucky, like we were, it will be free. It’s dry there, there are even sleeping bags left by someone, and you can safely spend the night there.
In the house there is a stove, a saw, gasoline, matches, we left half a gas cylinder for our stoves, which I wrote about above. There is a problem with firewood, as you can see from the photo, there are not many trees in this area, I would say there are none at all, but we managed to collect some sticks, light the stove and dry our things overnight.
The next day surprised us with its weather. Perfect blue skies, which occur in this area no more than 20 days a year. We left at 8 am and the journey back took only 4 hours, bringing a lot of fun.
Having gone down to the parking lot, we found information under the windshield wipers of our car that the parking had not been paid for and that in order not to be fined we needed to contact the information center (Trolltungaactivity).
Our car sat for almost two days and we were mentally preparing to pay 40 euros for every day for parking and were counting on a fine of 200 euros. But everything turned out to be not so bad. At the information center they took out a piece of paper on which about 50 numbers were written down by hand. Found ours. They asked when we arrived, and of course we said that it was only yesterday afternoon. They charged us the cost of parking for 1 day, 40 euros, and crossed the number off this list.
There was no talk of any fine. The full deposit for the car was safely returned to the card three days after the trip. So the scheme has been tested and worked out.
At 12 o'clock we started for Bergen along the second route (on the map at the beginning of the article), taking a detour along the fjord, a road of amazing beauty, along the way we met only two toll tunnels for about 5 euros each.
I wrote about the speed limit above. And about fines too. Since I was the driver, 180 km of the road back I realized who people with a Nordic character were.
This is when a tractor drives along the road at a speed of 40 km/h, a line of cars drives behind it for an hour and a half, no one overtakes, no one honks, no blinking, no one presses forward. Everyone rides calmly and enjoys the trip. I’m definitely not a person of a Nordic character, after 15 minutes I wanted to kill, after 30 I was ready to commit suicide.
In Bergen, we pre-booked an apartment in the very center, 140 euros per night for four through the airbnb service. Here is a link to the apartment itself where we lived. 3 rooms, 2 of them bedrooms. Excellent kitchen and bathroom. Everything you need for life. And 5 minutes walk from the embankment.
The apartment is marked on the map, there is a huge underground parking nearby, the entrance to it is also marked on the map. Parking cost 200NOK (20 euros) per day. Pay at the parking meter at the entrance in front of the elevator on the first floor. Accepts cards. Payment upon departure.
Going out for a walk in the center, we drank beer for 10 euros in a pub on the embankment, squeezed 50 euros for a plate of food, bought 2 magnets and, of course, took the most important photo in Bergen.
The next morning, no matter how sad it was, we had to leave. We arrived at the airport and handed over the car keys. The reception was very quick and pleasant, there were no questions about the car. The rest of the deposit was returned three days later.
We brought home (you can buy it at the deutsche before departure):
- Norwegian brown cheese - Brunost. Look for it in any hypermarket, it is the color of boiled condensed milk.
- And local strong alcoholic drink. Potato vodka with caraway seeds. Linie - this vodka is bottled in oak barrels, loaded onto a ship and floats on this ship for half a year. On the back of each bottle's label, you will find a map of the ship's movements, its name, the date of voyage, and how many times the bottle crossed the equator. The drink from my bottle crossed the equator twice on the Tamerlan ship from July to December 2015. A bottle of 0.5 costs about 17 euros.
What to say in conclusion: Dreams should come true even after two years, there is a reason to renew the dream.
Some links. If you use them, you will save money, and I will be pleased.
The most convenient hotel search engine is a very high-quality and convenient hotel search engine. Compares prices from a bunch of sites, including booking, and shows the best prices.
Aviasales.ru is an excellent search engine for air tickets around the world for all airlines at once.
Airbnb.ru - if you prefer an apartment to a hotel, then I highly recommend this site. A discount on the first booking is 16 euros, which is very nice.
And finally, if you need advice on where it’s cheaper to book a hotel or find a cheap flight, don’t hesitate to write, I can help with advice free of charge.
Trolltongue Mountain in Norway is one of the most legendary places on the planet. Even the photos of Troll Tongue are impressive - when you look at this natural beauty, it’s simply breathtaking! What can we say about live impressions - those who visited Trolltunga will never forget this climb, it evokes so many emotions!
Troll's Tongue Rock is a real miracle of nature. It is a large stone ledge above the lake, its shape actually somewhat reminiscent of a tongue - hence the strange name. This huge block of stone, which broke off from Mount Skjeggedal, was not heavy enough to fall down, and “hovered” over the surface of Lake Ringedalsvatn. This horizontal ledge is 10 meters long, but not everyone dares to approach its edge. This is indeed very dangerous, and accidents in the Troll Tongue, although not often, still happen. The account of Trolltung's fatal victims was opened by a 24-year-old student from Australia, who, making her way through the crowd to her friends, lost her balance and fell off the edge of the cliff. The height of the Troll's Tongue is 950 m above sea level, so the girl had no chance to survive. She flew about 200 meters, after which she crashed on the rocks. There had also been incidents before this, but the tourists were closer to the mountain and ended up with varying degrees of bruises.
Local residents said that this was quite natural. They warned that it was only a matter of time before someone fell down. After all, a huge number of tourists climb the mountain, who do not even observe basic safety measures, climb the “language” in crowds, often in a state of intoxication, and perform various tricks for selfies. Meanwhile, the rock becomes more dangerous every year due to thinning, and the risk of a repetition of the tragedy increases.
Legend of the Troll
The Troll's Tongue is associated with a beautiful legend about a huge Troll who lived here in time immemorial. But his stupidity was as great as his size: The Troll took unnecessary risks all the time: he jumped over large gorges, dived deep under water, tried to reach the Moon while standing on the edge of a cliff... But he could only frolic at night, because he heard that sunlight could kill him. And the Troll decided to check whether this is really so. Early in the morning, when the first rays of the sun had just risen, he stuck out his tongue from the cave where he had been hiding during the day. And at that very moment he became completely petrified.
How to get to Troll Tongue from Oslo?
There are several ways to get to Trolltongue from the capital of Norway. This is a bus, taxi, rented car. But I warn you that if you don’t know how to get to Troll Tongue by car, or prefer public transport in principle, the road will be no less difficult than the ascent itself. Therefore, I recommend looking at where Troll Tongue is located on the map, renting a car and going on a trip on your own.
By public transport from Oslo, you first need to get to the city of Odda (there are regular express trains, but you can get by train to Voss, and from there by bus to Odda. You can also get here by bus from Bergen (flight 930) and Skjeggedal (express “The Trolltunga-Preikestolen” "). For those who do not have experience of independent travel, it is preferable to purchase a tour. If you take into account the total costs, including payment for parking, it turns out to be not much more expensive, but much calmer. If you still use a rented car, then keep in mind that renting a place parking will cost 66 Euros for one day, or 33 Euros if you leave the car during the day for no more than 16 hours.
Regarding planning the time for the trip, many advise setting aside two days. I am also inclined towards this, since it is quite difficult (especially without good physical preparation) to overcome the path to the beginning of the ascent, spend energy on the ascent and descent, and immediately set off back on the road. Therefore, it is convenient to book a place to stay for the night near the Troll Tongue, fortunately, there is a fairly large selection of accommodation in a wide price range. But keep in mind that permission to climb is limited in time - from mid-June to mid-September. At other times, due to unfavorable weather conditions, it will not be possible to conquer the Troll's Tongue.
Trekking length is 12 km one way. The hike takes from 6 to 8 hours in good weather, and can last up to 10-12 hours if weather conditions leave much to be desired. Be sure to bring some food with you (sandwiches, cookies). Hot tea in a thermos will also come in handy. Even if you go to Troll Tongue when it is very hot outside, take warm clothes and waterproof clothing. These simple measures will help make your trip to the Troll Tongue not only impressive, but also comfortable.
Journey to the Troll Tongue (Trolltunga)
It was the second day
The route by car looks schematically like this: Fossli Hotel - Tyssedal - Skjeggedal - Trolltunga(Troll's Tongue) - Stavanger - Sandnes.
Road to Tyssedal It is interesting because of the tunnel that starts almost from the threshold of the hotel and twists like a corkscrew down into the depths of the mountain, and after the tunnels we go out to the fjord and there is scope for photography. Very nice for the first time. You can also swim and buy cherries from local peasants at the strange price of 900 rubles per kilogram, despite the fact that there is no logistics here - here are the orchards with cherries growing along the coastline. In my opinion, even our Uzbeks at the beginning of the season don’t get so impudent.
The route to the intermediate point is 100 km. The place is called Skjeggedal. It's a two, two and a half hour drive. Finding Skjeggedal is easy: just drive into town Tyssedal, which is located on the shore of the fiord between two tunnels, see gas station. In front of it there will be a turn to the left and then along a narrow serpentine (the serpentine is such that two cars cannot pass each other, so someone has to back away) up to the hydroelectric power station. This is the gateway to Trolltunga, to Troll Tongue.
This is where it is located Norway's oldest funicular.
This is where the interesting part of the trip begins.
Let's start with the fact that the funicular is no longer working.
Neither on demand nor without demand.
There is an announcement about this on the information board with the phone number of the manager in charge of this venerable unit.
They called.
The woman answered:
- No, I won’t turn on the funicular. We no longer use it to lift tourists up. Go upstairs yourself, on foot.
That’s the whole story of the charming, I have no doubt, Norwegian woman...
It's good for you to say so. What if someone’s heart stops or their head starts spinning along the way? However, this does not concern the Norwegians. On the one hand, they are right: thereby they relieve themselves of any responsibility for the lives of tourists climbing the mountain to the language; they filter at the first stage the number of people who want to take a photo of themselves in the language, thereby raising the significance of this achievement: reaching the language.
So my companions, having walked along the steps of the funicular for several tens of meters, left the race.
By the way, walking up the steps is prohibited. There is a path in the forest along the cable car branch. The trail is very unpleasant. I went down it when I was going back...
And now I, taking a bottle of water and a camera with me, am scratching up the sleepers. Like in the song:
- “And I’m walking along the sleepers and I’m walking along the sleepers. Home out of habit..."
So I go and hum to myself.
The sun is hot, sweat streams down your forehead and then runs down your cheeks in a stream and drips down.
At first I counted the steps, then I gave up.
I amuse myself at stops to catch my breath by taking pictures of myself with my iPhone while balancing on the steps, risking fucking backwards and rolling down at the speed of an express train while sending the photo to Facebook. At one of my stops I see that the path comes out of the forest and crosses the funicular line from below. I notice two young blondes.
- Hello girls! Where are you going? On Trolltunga? I'm going there too! Let's see who's faster!
The girls wave back and disappear behind the trees without stopping talking among themselves in a language unknown to me. Subsequently it turns out to be Dutch.
When I finally reach the top, I look tired.
But this is all bullshit: if I want, I can always go back...
I then repeat this inner conviction throughout the entire 4-hour hike, slowly and at the same time quickly moving towards the goal.
I move non-stop, photographing everything in my path.
At first the road is just a road - a wide path across a flat plateau on which Norwegian houses stand. I don’t understand what they are doing here in the wilderness. Perhaps they go to tongue every day. Or maybe they fish from small lakes.
Here are photos of this place and further along the way. In the first photo you can see that the girls from Holland are on my tail
After the plateau comes the first climb. How many more of them will be on my way, but this damn thing almost knocked me down: stepping on a loose stone with my sneaker, I slightly pulled the tendon on my ankle. Now I walk slower and take care of my left leg. On top of that, I’m not wearing socks, but fashionable moccasin tracks. The back of the sneaker crawls across the bare skin, slowly rubbing the callus.
I don’t remember now, but some song stuck with me. I go and sing it mentally. The water has run out, but there are streams. There are many of them, and the water from them can be drunk. I fill a bottle with water from a small waterfall-stream and move on.
You know what?
I completely forgot that I was walking for a long time, so I only have 3 cigarettes. I make a wish that if I get to the Language, the first thing I will do is light a delicious cigarette. I've been wanting to smoke for about an hour now. I've been walking for an hour and a half now.
I overtake some strange woman with a large backpack. She stood and looked at the printout in her hands and looked at the sign where the word Trolltunga was not there. She was confused. Well, I know where to go thanks to the photographs from Korczak’s report.
—Are you on Trolltunga?
The woman says nothing and moves away from me.
Just in case, I turn on the camera on my phone and look at myself from the outside. Yes, I seem to look fine. The truth is frivolous: a bottle in one hand, a camera in the other. No trekking boots, no backpack...
Well. I move on, humming and waving my bottle.
After all, if it becomes unbearable, I can always go back...
Descent to the plateau. Here it is, a house in the middle of the plateau. I recognize him as if I had already been here. What does good visual memory mean?
The road here is not so difficult and I take a break from the previous ascent and descent. I'm walking on a flat surface.
Everything is fine.
The sun is shining.
There is a mountain range ahead and there (I know where) the troll’s tongue.
The plateau is over. Rising again. Several people come across me. We say hello and leave. Now I remember my trek the next day to the pea - people there on the road did not say hello. And it's good here. A few people.
Space...
And the air! What delicious air is here!
The sight of yesterday’s lamb flashes through my head, I swallow my saliva, realizing that I’m hungry. And strongly. I try not to think about food anymore, drink water more often and move on.
The view before me is depressing.
I see where the tongue is. Here he is, opposite me. But you can’t go in a straight line - there’s a 200-meter cliff and the fjord water is green below. You have to go around. Through two ridges. That is, 2 ascents and 2 descents.
But I think to myself: if something happens, I can always turn back….
And I continue to walk forward through fields of mountain flowers, through small swamps created by meltwater flowing from the mountains. I jump from stone to stone, taking care of my left leg. The main thing is that it doesn’t swell tomorrow. And today I will need it to go back.
More and more people come my way. We say hello and I pass by.
I think: how do they feel coming back? And what does it feel like: ALREADY to see and meet someone who has not YET seen?
They probably think that the green new fish is running towards the tongue, afraid of not being able to make it in time...
Somehow imperceptibly, with a song, I pass two ridges, pass by the dam that holds the water of the lake and reach the finish line.
Impatience is growing.
So when?
When?
What is he like?
And so, somehow casually and usually, I go out to Trolltunga.
Here he is, handsome:
He's amazingly handsome.
Real troll language.
Very similar.
It sticks out of the rock and under it there are several hundred meters of emptiness, and from it there is such a stunning view of the fjord
I ask the man sitting in a daze to take photographs of his tongue with me. You need to record your feat. I ask and throw the empty bottle and jacket and run to the tongue. 4 metal staples to go down to the base, a small run along the tongue and I get into the pose of a distance conqueror. Then I lie down and crawl to the edge. Holy shit. Everything inside is shaking with fear - I’ve been afraid of heights since childhood. For a while I freeze, lying on my stomach, then I begin to slowly crawl away from the edge, backing away like a cancer. The grandfather and grandmother sitting opposite on the rock burst into laughter. They are sitting in the stalls. They have the most expensive tickets
It’s funny to me too and in general I’m completely delighted. I run away from the language, take the camera and look at the pictures. Not this way. Not this way. I take aim. I'm looking for shooting position and zoom. Please take photos with me again. Run to the tongue again. I don’t understand why I run like this. So much energy came from somewhere. I want to stand on my head or walk on my tongue with my hands
I imagine myself as a mountaineer. Yes, I'm Connor MacLeod.
There must only be one left!!!
At this very moment girls from Holland arrive. We must give way to them. I was surprised looking at them - they also walked without stopping, constantly chatting among themselves - I heard their voices behind me and this was another incentive to move forward. The girls were brave - they immediately went to the edge of their tongues and asked to take a photo of them. My photographer - an Italian - immediately began to fuss and ran to click them on his tongue, ahead of me, well, I’m not at a loss: I’m shooting the whole trio from a different angle
Then the Italian himself on his and his camera. Everything inside me is boiling and rejoicing. I'm here! A week ago I saw this in pictures on the Internet.
And now HERE and NOW.
How cool!
It feels so good... Everything inside is rejoicing and singing...
Highly recommend. Very.
The best place. And apparently the energy here is special. Just rushing.
It was time to go back.
I walked away and looked back at the tongue until it was out of sight. The way back was under the impression of the experience. I hummed something to myself again.
Here it is: some melody sticks and spins and spins in your head...
— information about the second trip to the Troll Language.
Yes, yes, I know. You have seen this rock a hundred million times already and know everything about it. But I can’t help it, I wanted to take a closer look at it and leave a note on my blog. Moreover, we have already looked at Norway. Let's look again at this creation of nature :-)
The landscapes of Scandinavia always make you hold your breath and endlessly admire their majestic beauty. And the unusual reliefs and stone formations of the Scandinavian mountains enchant and beckon.
One of these creations of Scandinavian nature is Trolltunga, better known under the name “Troll Tongue”. In Scandinavian mythology, great attention is paid to Trolls. These mythical creatures occupy an important place in the culture and history of this country.
Trolltunga is a stone protrusion shaped very much like a sharp tongue. Once upon a time, this stone creation deviated from the base of the rock, and, breaking away, stopped motionless at an altitude of 800 meters above the lake.
"Troll's Tongue" is located on Mount Skjeggedal, near a small town called Oddo. The Troll's Tongue offers breathtaking views of the lakes and valleys of Norway. Although Trolltunga is considered one of the most dangerous attractions in Norway, it attracts thousands of tourists every year who, risking their lives, try to get as close as possible to the edge of the cliff in order to capture the best photos.
Undoubtedly, the view from the Troll's Tongue is incredibly beautiful and majestic! Mighty mountains, like giant sentries - giants, stand guard over the Scandinavian lands and Ringedalsvannet, the lake over which the Troll's Tongue hangs. It stretches at the bottom of a deep valley and attracts the gaze of tourists.
But it’s not so easy to climb the “Troll’s Tongue”! Although, many tourists have already passed through this interesting and picturesque path, paving the way for new pioneers, the road to Trolltunga is, in a way, a small test. To begin with, you have to overcome obstacles in the form of fast mountain rivers, cope with the walls of waterfalls, cross rows of clear lakes, a strip of mighty forest and massifs of harsh mountain snow. But it's worth it!
On the way to the Troll's Tongue there is a 950-meter long staircase that helps you along the way. There is also a funicular, but, unfortunately, it does not always function. The route is not that difficult, especially since the places are very picturesque and the time on the way will fly by.
After visiting the Troll's Tongue rock, you will visit this unusual place more than once. After all, only here, standing high above sea level, can you feel the feeling of flight and freedom. There is a desire to become a bird so that you can soar over these untamed expanses of the mountains and feel the coolness of the purest lakes...
Some brave souls climb Troll tongue and even reach its end, without fear that it will collapse. This is a challenge to fate, or maybe it’s just the luck of the next person who steps on the rock that it won’t collapse right now! But someday it will collapse!
From the place where you can park your car (parking is paid: daily parking is 100 NOK, daily parking is 200 NOK), getting to the language on foot will take about 5 hours, most of which will have to be uphill. Until 2008, the first part of the route (one of the most difficult) could be taken by cable car (:en:Mågelibanen). The funicular is currently closed and there is not enough money for repairs.
Start of the route up the mountain
Maybe it's already been repaired? Who knows?
Clickable
Where did Trolls even come from?
When the climate warmed and the glacier crawled north, people came from the south. They settled here and named the country Norway, which means "Road to the North."
They called themselves "nurmenn" - northern men. They saw how beautiful this country was and thought that they were its first inhabitants, but soon people discovered that the whole country was already inhabited by many amazing creatures living in the most incredible places.
In the mountains - and there were many of them - trolls lived.
The most powerful among them was Dovregübben.
Some of them were giants, with trees and mosses growing on their heads and noses. Others were small.
They could only be seen at night or at dusk, since these creatures did not tolerate daylight. Trolls looked like people, but they all had long noses (old women often used their noses to stir porridge in cauldrons). All trolls had hooked tails.
They were scary in appearance but simple-minded and trusting. And it often happened that they were fooled by peasant boys.
Among the many supernatural abilities of trolls was that they could transform into anything.
The troll could, for example, turn into an incredibly beautiful girl. They were called Holdre - witch. They lured hunters and blue-eyed guys into the mountains. Therefore, you always had to look at them from behind - they could not hide their tail.
Even today, when walking through the forest or near lakes and waterfalls, be aware of trolls. They are usually not evil, but still be careful. As dusk falls, you are no longer alone. It was not for nothing that on Christmas Eve the peasant put out a full bowl of porridge outside the threshold, which always ended up being eaten.
TROLLS - in old German and Baltic myths, strong and ugly giants who live and store their treasures in the mountains. According to legend, trolls were sometimes even extremely hostile towards people and their potential enemies, the Jotuns, however, people are saved only by what many claim: trolls are extremely stupid.
Virtual tour. Click on the picture below: