NORWEGIAN ADVENTURE - TELEMARK, THE FJORDS & NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL

We will have two lectures during our stay in Stalheim.

These lectures will be on the History of Norwegian Art leading up to the work of Edvard Munch and The Vikings and their influence on Welsh History.

Day 1: Thursday 10 September 2026

Today we set off on our adventure by a leisurely drive to Hull for our overnight crossing P&O North Sea Ferries to Rotterdam. An en suite lower berth cabin with side-by-side beds has been booked. Enjoy your included buffer dinner before the on-board entertainment. A stop in York will be made over lunch with time for sightseeing.

Day 2: Friday 11 September 2026

After an extensive buffet breakfast, disembark in the Netherlands and enjoy a day exploring Amsterdam. Late afternoon we continue to the Parkhotel Cloppenburg for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 3: Saturday 12 September 2026

We travel through Holland, into Germany and north past Bremen and Hamburg. Cross the border into Denmark near Flensburg and continue to Kolding for dinner and an overnight stay at the Scandic Kolding Hotel.

Day 4: Sunday 13 September 2026

After an early breakfast we travel north through Jutland to Hirtshals for an afternoon ferry crossing to Norway.

There will be time to relax on board, sample some refreshments and enjoy the ships facilities.

On arrival we travel inland to enjoy a first taste of the pristine scenery for which Norway is so rightly famed. We cross the famous Telemark Canal to arrive at the lakeside town of Vrådal for a 3-night stay at the Straand Hotel.

Day 5: Monday 14 September 2026 – At leisure in Vrådal

The hotel has great facilities including an indoor swimming pool, large panoramic terrace, lounge and a wonderful garden that sweeps down from the hotel and right to the lake shore and beach.

Today there will be time to relax, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the hotel’s facilities and views onto Lake Nisser.

Day 6: Tuesday 15 September 2026 – The Heroes of Telemark

A full day panoramic excursion across the Hardangervidda Plateau and including the Telemark heavy-water sabotage site.

The Hardangervidda is the largest mountain plain in Europe and the largest of Norway’s National Parks. We travel across it to reach Rjukan for a visit to the famous Heavy Water Sabotage site at Vemork. The fascinating visit offers an insight into incredible story of the partisan sabotage mission to destroy Hitler’s heavy water plant that was located at this site. 

The important and dramatic race for the atomic bomb has recently been featured in the film Oppenheimer. Eventually succeeding the partisans halted German efforts to build a nuclear bomb.

Following the visit, we travel along the shore of Lake Tinnsjø and make a short photo stop at Heddal, Norway’s largest Stave Church, arriving back to the hotel with time to relax before dinner.

Day 7: Wednesday 16 September 2026 - From Telemark to the Western Fjords

We depart Vrådal and cross the Haukelifjell Mountain Road and descending to Hardangerfjord.

Overlooked by the Folgefonn Glacier the road is flanked by fruit trees on one side and the deep fjord on the other. We include a short ferry across the fjord before passing Voss and climbing up to the Stalheim Hotel 3-star for a 3-night stay.

This evening Iori Roberts will give the first of his lectures. The lecture will be on the History of Norwegian Art leading up to the work of Edvard Munch. His most famous painting The Scream has become an icon in the art world.

Day 8: Thursday 17 September 2026 - Sognefjord Circular

A wonderful full day excursion including the Vik Mountains, included ferry crossings over the Sognefjord and visits to the Norwegian Glacier Museum at Fjaerland and Borgund, Norway’s stave church par excellence.

Enjoy the second of Iori Roberts’ lectures this evening. Tonight’s topic will be The Vikings and their influence on Welsh History.

Day 9: Friday 18 September 2026 – Norway In A Nutshell

Iori Roberts will join us for today’s ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ excursion, which is considered one of Norway’s tourist highlights. We include a Fjord Cruise along the narrow Naeroyfjord and Aurlandsfjord where steep cliffs rise on both sides of the boat. There are many mountain top farms to be spied along the way. In additional we’ll take a trip on the fantastic Flåm Railway for a return journey to Myrdal, with unforgettable views of mountains and waterfalls en-route.

Day 10: Saturday 19 September 2026 - From the Fjords to the Skagerrak Coast

A long and very scenic day travelling from the Sognefjord to Horten, close to Norway’s southern coast, for dinner and a comfortable overnight stay at the Thon Hotel.

Day 11: Sunday 20 September 2026 - The Viking Connection

After an early breakfast depart the hotel to join a ferry crossing from Norway to Denmark. There will be time to relax on board before arrival into Denmark and the drive south to the Hamburg area for dinner and an overnight stay ar the Leonardo Hamburg Stillhorn Hotel.

Day 12: Monday 21 September 2026

We cross Germany and travel through Holland to Rotterdam for the relaxing crossing back to Hull. Comfortable cabin accommodation awaits on board as well as included buffet dinner and buffet breakfast. There will also be time for shopping and to enjoy the ship’s great facilities.

Day 13: Tuesday 22 September 2026

The Straand Hotel, located in Vraadal on the north shore of Lake Nisser in Norway's Telemark region. The hotel has been owned and managed by the Straand family for 4 generations. the hotel has 125 comfortable guest bedrooms all with private facilities and television. Additionally, it has a bar, restaurant, indoor heated swimming pool and several comfortable lounges and relaxation areas as well as a pleasant outdoor terrace. The front of the hotel enjoys views of Lake Nisser and only a few steps away is the hotel's lakeside garden. The centre of Vraadal village is a short walk away and a few shops are found here.

Mobility - The hotel has a lift although a few steps are likely to be encountered. There is a gentle incline leading down from the hotel to the gardens and the lakeside. The terrain within the small village of Vraadal is reasonably flat.

Stalheim Hotel has a stunning hilltop, panoramic position overlooking the Naeroy, Brekke and Jordal Valleys. The first hotel built on this site was founded in 1885. It was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1960. Today this historic hotel offers extremely comfortable accommodation in a total of 130 guest bedrooms all with private facilities and telephone (they do not have television). The hotel is furnished with a combination of modern and antique furniture and offers a special ambiance which reflects style and tradition. Guest facilities include a bar, restaurant, gift shop and several comfortable lounges. The hotels lovely gardens and panoramic terrace offer exceptional views onto the surrounding valleys.