As with most ports during a Norwegian fjords cruise, there are plenty of options to keep you occupied in Skjolden. Read on to find out what we got up to during our time in this quaint town whilst sailing on Sky Princess.
To prepare for our visit we did a lot of research on what to do with a day in the port and planned accordingly. Once again, we decided to do our own thing and opted for two walks of varying length, it’s safe to say one was more challenging than the other!
Stepping ashore through the white building and turning left, you can instantly get great pictures of the ship with the stunning background of the fjords.
Continuing along the path you can pick up rib rides, kayaks or even stand up paddle boards if you’re feeling adventurous.
However, we didn’t give in to temptation and continued to our first stop: Åsafossen Waterfall. In total, from the port, it’s about an hours walk (flat terrain) however don’t forget to take a breather near the camp site to take in views over the lake. Although very quiet, a lot of the walk is on the road so keep your wits about you whilst taking in the scenery and stopping for the all important photographs. At the base of the waterfall there is another campsite with a cafe which wasn’t open as we arrived early in the morning. The location offers a great spot to snap pictures of the waterfall in all its glory.
If you’re able to, then it is possible to walk up 70 metres of the waterfall, although tread very carefully as it’s very uneven with no proper path (it’s all part of the adventure though, right?!) The risk is worth it to get close to the rushing water and the views across the valley.
After our decent, we needed a breather so we crossed the road to find the cafe was still closed (we learned it opened at 12) which is a shame as they missed out on potential income. Fortunately we found a spare bench to have a snack and drinks as we’d topped up the water bottles before leaving the ship.
After recharging for a few minutes, we carried on our walk back towards the town of Skjolden and onto our next stop: Sengjaberget viewpoint. The route takes you back into the town where there’s a Coop and a visitor centre.
Starting outside of the visitor centre, we began our ascent walking through the quiet streets. Look out for the sign post for the view point just as you go past the orchard for the cidery, this is where the road rears up even more to really give the legs a workout.
You’ll soon reach a yellow house where you need to double back on yourself to reach the summit of the viewpoint. This section is the most challenging as you’re not only walking up an incline but also through woodland, however the effort is certainly worth it even if we didn’t have picture-perfect weather. Make sure to take your time up there to not only get your breath back but to appreciate the view and more pictures of your ship!
A word of warning; the viewpoint is a challenging walk and at the top the surfaces are not even which we would expect in a natural environment.
Would we visit these points of interest again? Absolutely! However, perhaps we wouldn’t try to do both in one day again and there are other areas to explore after all!
For The Love Of Cruise 