One Great Hike: Østerbø to Vassbygdi

A beautiful day hike in Aurland, Norway is from Østerbø to Vassbygdi - a relatively flat 20 km hike that takes around 6 hours depending on how often you stop. It was our first hike in Norway, and I thought a good place to start since it isn't too physically challenging. One thing to keep in mind is the end is mainly a slow downhill slope. Jorge has trouble with a lot of downhill walking so we just try to bring knee braces, go slow and maybe I carried his bag for him. Maybe.

The hike between Østerbø and Vassbygdi is a one way hike - meaning you finish at a different place than you start. It makes the most sense (if you have a car) to park it at Vassbygdi, then take a bus/taxi to the trail start at Østerbø, and hike back to your vehicle. Here is where it is just the teeniest bit problematic. The nearest large town to your hike is Flåm. It is relatively easy to get from Flåm to either trail start - there are buses, taxis, etc. There is also a bus service from Vassbygdi to Østerbø but with only an early morning or later afternoon connection, it wasn't convenient for us since we were driving directly there from Bergen.

Enter, Aurland Taxi.

Here's something fun. Pick up your phone, cold call a Norwegian taxi company and try to pronounce either Østerbø or Vassbygdi.

How did that go? About as well as the time I did it, I'm sure. Which is to say you were left feeling confused as to whether or not you had a reservation but with no other options, crossed your fingers and hoped for the best.

I called several months ahead of time and booked our taxi pickup from Vassbygdi Servicebygg to Østerbø Fjellstove, which is a mountain lodge situated at the trail start. I wasn't 100% confident anyone would actually show up because I didn't receive an email confirmation or receipt and I wasn't sure either of us understood the other but they showed up promptly and we had a great taxi driver who even gave us a little tour during the short drive.

This is where you park your car at Vassbygdi. There is a public restroom here and a little shop, but the shop was not open when we were there. My guess is it's only open around the time the bus pick up/drop off is. Notice the packs leaning against the side of the building? This should give you an idea on the rate of crime in Norway that people leave their stuff sitting out while they do a day hike.

This is around where our taxi driver dropped us off. In case you can't tell we had no idea where to start our hike.

Finally on the right path.

The Aurland Valley or Aurlandsdalen was formed by glaciers and is about 40 km total in length. We hiked about half of the valley and what is typically described as the most scenic portion. There is an abundance of plant species as well as dramatic vistas and a configuration of settlements that depicts rural farm life in early Norway.

This was the first little settlement you will come across which was part of a farm that was started by Anders Nesbø, the earliest recorded farmer. Anders was mentioned in documents from 1670. The last resident of the area was Sivert Nesbø who emigrated to America in 1909.

Stemberdøla is the upper part of the river, while the lower part it is called Aurlandselvi. Since prehistoric times, the river has been an important connection line for commercial journeys and cattle drives through and along the valley and over the surrounding mountain highlands.

The farm Sinjarheim was, for us, the most impressive. Sinjarheim was used as a summer farm until about 1940. Knut Sonnerheim who ran Østerbø Turishytte was born, and spent his first years here. 

The first known farmer in Sinjarheim was named Per and first appears in records from 1611. The last recorded farmer was Ingebrigt Jonassen Rinde, who died in 1935.

This is the main building which is painted and preserved by volunteers.

This is Almen, the crofters subfarm under Sinjarheim. The first known cotter was Magne Sult who lived and worked there at the beginning of the 18th century, until his death in 1753. The last resident was Simon Johannessen Belle who died in 1912. Today, the farm consists of a small house, Almastove and a small barn.

At the end of the looooong walk back to our car. But see, just as happy as when I started :).

My final impressions on this day hike?

• It's a relatively easy (750 m total elevation gain) but LONG hike - I think if you include the walk to/from the trail start it is well over the total 20 km.
• It's not as dramatic as other hikes in Norway, but offers a beautiful overview of both landscape and culture
• If you can, try and arrange private transportation like we did. I think it ended up being something like $20/person for the taxi but we did not see anyone else on the trail. This is one of the most popular day hikes in Norway and especially on a beautiful day, I'm willing to bet it is pretty crowded. I think we avoided the masses by starting later. 
• Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen and a hat. There are portions of the trail that are shaded, but you will spend a lot of time exposed.