It’s a warm day in July and a friend of mine came over to visit. As a guy from the Netherlands, a country as flat as a pancake, the mountains have a lot to offer. Due to the heat, we decided any activity with water would be appreciated. Hanging in a swimming pool? No, that not. We need some adrenaline rush. And so we end up in a rubber boat going down a wild river.

The timing is right

As it’s July, it means it’s mid-summer in Northern Italy. This usually means sunny weather with high temperatures. As the summer season is well underway, the river is relative “quite”. Most of the glacier water in the lower regions of the slopes has melted and with no to little rainfall in the last couple of days, we are in for a relaxing trip. Or so we thought. Rafting the Noce river is still an experience that has enough up its sleeve to kick your ass.

Heavy rainfall in the past days or just rainfall during the rafting experience will probably make the trip even more wild and exciting. At times, it might even get scary in such conditions. For us though, on our adventure day, the trip was just about perfect.

Be fearless

While this experience may seem rough and scary, I strongly recommend anyone to give it a try. With professional instructors, protective gear and clear guidelines you feel safe and comfortable. Wearing the wetsuit might feel a little cold and nasty at first, but knowing the water is very, very cold, you will be glad you are wearing it. Besides, it offers protection from the rocks that you might hit when falling out of the boat.

Falling out of the boat may also seem as a scary prospect, but actually, at a quite part of the river, you will be free to jump out of the boat and have a swim. And I strongly recommend doing it.

Interested in more outdoor activities in Trentino? Look no further!

What are the Stoanernen Mandln?

It rises a question though. What are these man of stone doing here? There are at least a 100 of these piles of stones gathered around the cross.

The story goes that it’s a place was used by witches. In fact, there are legal documents dating back to 1540 that claim these practices. The witches would dance around the stone figures, worship the devil and change the weather, sending violent thunderstorms down the valley.

These stories combined with the mystic Stoanernen Mandln gives this place an enchanting and mysterious atmosphere. Combined with the spectacular views this is a hike you don’t want to miss!

Hike to the Stoanernen Mandln

As in many places, there are tons of ways to get up to the Stoanernen Mandln. The good news is that no matter what way, you’ll be presented with wonderful views along the hike. Common places to start are close to Sarentino or Merano.

The route I share here starts in Vöran and will take you on a 21km long journey. With an ascent of around 996 meters, this route will take you a little over 6 hours excluding stops. While the route itself is not hard, you do need a good condition. The experience and landscape are absolutely worth it though!

Other options to start a hike towards the Stoanernen Madln are from the nearby ‘Parkplatz Grüner Baum‘ or ‘Parkplatz Schermoos‘ in Mölten. Starting from there will reduce the duration of the hike to approximately 4 to 5 hours.

Download GPX

Along the route

Along the route you will pass several restaurants. Note that the opening hours are seasonal. During high season many of these restaurants are open daily while in winter time they may only be open during weekends or even completely closed.

On the map we have marked some of the restaurants so you can keep them in mind while walking around. If you can’t get enough of the beauty in this region, it’s even possible to stay for the night at a couple of these places.

A hike to remember

While it’s not the toughest hike in terms of condition, the hike will still take you a full day to complete. Best of all, in terms of scenery and landscape, it’s one of the prettiest around. If you find yourself in the area in spring time, you’ll be welcomed by lots of flowers as well, giving yet another level of beauty to the hike.

If you are considering this hike or are interested in this region, we’d recommend you to visit the Avelengo, Verano and Merano tourist information website which is part of the region Süd Tyrol.

Oslo and it’s surroundings are beautiful, but any Norwegian from that area will tell you that if you want to see the ‘real’ Norway, you have to at least drive for 2 hours up north. And so you can find a husky sledding experience close to Oslo, but I set out to go to a ski resort called Geilo on a 4 hour drive from Oslo.

While this may seem like a long drive, and it is, it’s worth it. Passing huge lakes and gorgeous mountains all covered in snow, there is not a moment this trip gets dull.

Sledding with Fagerlund Husky

While there are a couple of husky sledding providers in and around Geilo, I find Fagerlund Husky to be very responsive and flexible upon reservation. Upon arrival in Geilo, we have been picked up by a very friendly staff member of Fagerlund Husky. After a 15 minute drive, we arrive at a small camp with fireplace and tent.

After a small introduction and a friendly chat, we get into the tent to change some of our clothing. While the weather is really sunny today, the wind and snow will make it very cold and therefore good clothing is a necessity. Fagerlund Husky provides us with some decent winter clothing.

Keep calm and control your huskies!

Sledding the huskies on a frozen lake is absolutely amazing. But what if I tell you that you won’t just be sitting in the sleigh relaxing and enjoying the spectacular sights? What if I tell you that you will actually be the one that controls the huskies and sleigh?!

Yes, this may seem a little scary, but rest assured, it’s absolutely not hard to do. In our trip we took two laps around the lake. A little stop half way makes it possible to change position from relaxing in the sleigh to controlling the huskies.

When sleighing, all you have to do is keep your distance with the sled in front of you. You can do this using the ‘soft’ brake in which you stand on a mat. This will cause drag and slow you down a little. The huskies are strong and eager though so you once in a while will have to use the ‘hand brake’. This one will gently but certainly get you to a full stop. Steering the sled when turning? You don’t have to do much. It pretty much goes by itself.

A husky sledding experience to never forget

For me, this sure is in the top of the list of best experiences ever. A true ‘bucket-list’ check! It is as awesome as you’d imagine when you see these kind of adventures on TV. In fact, after some time it can be hard to image you actually did it!

And if reading this article didn’t convince you to go try it out, then check out the video below. If that doesn’t get you excited… well… I guess you’re not a fan of snow and/or dogs in the first place.

Go on your own husky sledding adventure

Want to try it yourself? If you have the opportunity, don’t doubt. It’s a lifetime experience I would recommend to anyone of all ages.

I went with the very helpful and friendly Norwegians at Fagerlund Husky. They offer several tours, varying in length and location. For personal advise, you can contact them by phone. Bookings and availability can be found here.

During winter, when there is enough snow, there are many, many cross country skiing trails to be found around Oslo. As this sport is very popular, many of these trails are signed and even groomed! This makes it very convenient and so I set out to go on my first ever cross country skiing trip in Lommedalen. But first, why is it so popular? And is it hard to do?

The Norwegian history on cross country skiing

When you ask anyone in Norway why skiing is popular, the Norwegians will tell you they are born with skis on their feet. It makes sense. With snow all over the place for months during the winter, it’s an easy way for transportation. This also explains it’s popularity. In the past, it was purely a way to get from A to B the easiest and most convenient way.

Nowadays it transformed into to a fun and social sport. From recreational to fitness purpose, many Norwegians spend their spare time on skis. And it shows. During the winter Olympics Norway is a country that dominates in any sport that relates to cross country skiing. From marathons to biathlons, the Norwegians are always high in the ranks.

What you need for cross country skiing

You don’t need too much for cross country skiing. As long as you keep moving, even clothing stays rather limited as you quite quickly find yourself sweating when going a little uphill. Some good thermal clothing at it’s base is required. Other than that you want clothing that is not too wide and fluffy, but not too tight either as you require the freedom to move. Be sure to bring some additional dry clothing in a backpack for when you are done or take a brake, you cool down quickly when you are not moving.

The skis itself are rather different from your slalom/alpine skis. The are much thinner and allow your heel to come off the ski itself. The boots are also far less rigid compared to alpine boots. This is to allow you the freedom to move. Don’t forget to bring ski poles! Cross country skiing requires a lot of balance. You will definitely need them to get started. You will find some Norwegians going about without them, but these are most likely very experienced and actually training their balance to improve their technique.

My experience in Lommedalen

As usual, I felt completely out of my comfort zone in my cycling gear between all the experienced Norwegians. It must have looked foolish, and the Norwegians have a name for that. “A Dane on skis” is what they call somebody like me. Goofy but miraculously moving. And that’s exactly what I did!

It took some initial practice but then I was going places. It sure didn’t look elegant, but it was for sure a nice workout. Lommedalen is a very peaceful place which feels as if you are far away from the big city. Everything is white, the track wonderfully groomed and the sun peaking trough once in a while.

I was lucky to be surrounded by two real Norwegians that were able to assist me getting the grips of this fun sport. It’s highly recommended you bring yours if you set out on your first trip.

How to get started?

You don’t need to much experience to get started. In the beginning it might feel a little uncomfortable and it seems like you are not moving anywhere. The trick is, when setting of with one feet, to almost make a forward jump on one feet while not letting the skies leave to snow. In this way you get maximum grip to push yourself forward.

Start out slowly, technique is more important than speed. When going downhill, if there is a groomed track, just stay in it while bending a little trough your knees. You can slow down a little by placing one of the skies a little sideways in the snow.

While you can use your poles to push you forward, it’s not meant for that purpose. With a good technique, all you need them for is balancing. You will probably use them a lot to start with, but quite soon you’ll find out this is extremely heavy on the arms! If you use them, try slowing down and focus on technique!

Finding a groomed trail

Finding a groomed trail is very easy in the surroundings of Oslo. As it’s such a popular sport, there’s the Norwegian Ski Association that maintains a website with the current status of many of the tracks. Have a look on this map and plan your trip!

The trail up to Fagervann

After parking the car I make my way up a wide path. While this offers an easy walk, the ascent will warm you up quickly. I expected some wonderful views over Maridalen lake but the trees block the sight most of the time. Nevertheless there are some small glimpses of beauty trough the trees. On this day the overcast causes the view to look a little dull.

The higher up I get, the more ice patches appear. No, there is definitely no snow. It has been too warm, making sure all surface is either icy or very wet and swampy. At Fagervann, a little lake at 417 meter above sea-level, I reach the first highlight of the day. The lake is beautiful and covered in a thick layer of ice. The recent plus degree temperatures caused the lake to have a thin film of melted water over the ice.

At the lake I find a cabin in typical Norwegian style. The cabin is currently empty and from the looks of it, this is one of the many cabins you can find in the Norwegian forest and are available for hikers. While I’m not sure if this cabin is associated, being a member of the Norwegian Trekking Association gives you the possibility to rent a DNT key. Paying a deposit, this key will give you access to these kind of cabins in which you can stay for the night. Expect basic conditions and forget about electricity and such kind of luxury!

Sunset view from Båhushøgda

With little time to spare, I head on to highest point of my hike. Following a mushy and wet trail, I end up losing the path I was on. Luckily this is only shortly. The distance between Fagervann and Båhushøgda is also very short but, as expected, still upwards.

Båhushøgda is probably the highest point of Turtermarka and offers a majestic panoramic view over Oslo fjord. As usual during hikes in the Norwegian forest the treeline will break up your sight a little. I’m lucky though. The clouds have opened up to allow the sunset to shine trough and the scene is beautiful. Båhushøgda offers a good view over Norway’s biggest city and capital to deep into Oslo fjord, it’s a wonderful sight.

From here it’s downwards. And for me, a little fast too. With darkness approaching I walk into a dense forest, giving this short hike yet another twist. It’s Norwegian legend that if it’s misty, trolls might come out and they ain’t too friendly towards humans. I made it out just in time…

Details on the Turtermarka hike

This hike is, for the fit, a very easy hike to do. With 6 km it might even seem short, but the ascent and decent add a little to the effort. It took me 2,5 hours to complete the hike, but I sure took my time to enjoy Fagervann lake and the panoramic views at Båhushøgda.

If you’d like to follow my footsteps, you can download the GPX coorinates from here. The Wikiloc app and for a small fee get a very detailed, offline map which will help you immensely when setting out your own path.

Download GPX

Heading to Nordmarka

Scanning the map, north of Oslo there seems to be a place with loads of relatively high hills and loads of little lakes. Even better, there are even two big lakes called Østre Fyllingen and Bjørnsjøen. “Will they be frozen?” is the first question that comes to mind. Completely inexperienced in this environment, I am determined to find out.

The area I’m looking at is called Nordmarka, the biggest sub region of the Marka area. Marka is the name for the mainly forested region surrounding Oslo. It’s popular by the inhabitants of Oslo for hiking, biking and skiing possibilities. The Norwegian word ‘Marka‘ is the finite form of the word ‘mark‘ and means ‘woodland, forest’. And while I won’t need it today, it hosts many cabins and even for overnight accommodation.

I choose not to plan out a route on forehand, but to just find the location where I can park the car. On the map I find a place called Sørkedalen which is on a little 20 minute drive from Oslo. It has a big parking area so it must be the starting point of something. From there, I had the option to follow some trails and find some of the higher viewpoints or to check out some of the lakes.

Whether I’m going to make it to the big lakes or if I have the time to check out the panoramic view points I don’t know. I’m leaving a bit late and I can see it’s a serious walk to get to the two big lakes. But I got my lights this time, so I’ll see where this journey will bring me.

In for rough start

Driving out of the city, the first thing I notice is that it’s slippery. No, I’m not on foot yet, just in the car, but the advised 60 is for sure not a good idea. Reaching the parking are in Sørkedalen I find that it’s quite busy. Of course I’m not the only one heading out on a Sunday. Though I do notice that hiking is not the only activity people are out for today.

So there I go, together with my dog, sliding down the road and following a path next to a little creek to the start of an uphill walk. It turns out to become an upward battle. The path has become so icy, both me and my dog have serious trouble getting up. Finding our grip while holding my camera is not easy, but we manage to reach a higher part where the path turned a lot more solid.

By now, most people I have seen at the parking area are gone. I feel alone in the Norwegian ‘wilderness’ again and guess what, that’s what I’m looking for. And to my delight, it started snowing! It’s just a very little, but it gives the whole hike a totally different feeling.

Making my way trough the dense forest I go higher and higher up. I reach open plains that offer some nice sights over Sørkedalen. Once in a while checking my GPS position and direction I’m being thought another lessen. Don’t walk in an icy forest while looking at your phone or camera… The forest will punish you! With a swift swoosh I make a hard landing on my but on the icy trail and yes, my rather expensive DSLR camera was hanging around my neck. While I get up quickly I rated the incident a 9 out of 10. An almost perfect landing without any pain or damage and I proudly walk on.

I’m not the only one slipping and sliding around though. My dog Tøsen has a hard time figuring out what is going on too. But with some guidance she managed absolutely fine. As for myself, on the smaller icy paths, I started walking at the side of it. The deeper snow, branches and bushes offer a lot more stable soil. And if I had no way around it, I came to the conclusion that moving forward slowly while spreading your legs a bit was the best way to go. It ain’t a pretty sight though. If anything, it looks as if you crapped your pants…

In for the long haul

After passing some very picturesque houses and more and more snowy trails, I find myself on a ‘big’ road going deep into Nordmarka. By now it’s 2 o’clock and I’m 5 kilometers in. Knowing sunset will come in quick just after 3 o’clock and with the lakes on a 3 kilometer distance, I figured it would be cool to just follow this wide path. It allows me to pick up some speed and make it to the lakes quick enough, before having to walk another small 8 kilometers back.

Download GPX

Yes, it’s a huge walking distances but knowing my self, I know that it won’t be a problem. While picking up the pace, I find that I still have to be very careful as some parts of this wide path downwards is still very slippery. But it’s oh so rewarding! At some places I’m served very beautiful views over the valley and snowy hills. In fact, while it can be hard to see, you get glimpses of all the lakes. I straight away have the answer to my “frozen lake” question. The answer is a full mouthed yes! Frozen and white, no matter how big the lake is.

Standing between Østre Fyllingen and Bjørnsjøen I take a well deserved break. It’s absolutely beautiful and the silence is mesmerizing. And then it hit me. The power lines crossing straight trough the valley and across the lake…

It kind of ruins the solitude I experience as it reminds me of the huge agglomerations around this area. South from here you have Norways capital Oslo and going northwest from here will get you in Hønefoss. I get it, what else? But it still feels like a smudge on this beautiful location. Ah well, Norway is huge and if I really don’t want to see this, I should move my touristic ass away from the big city and go more north.

Into the darkness

After my short break, I decide to start making my way back, following the ‘big’ road back. Darkness falls over me soon and while I consider to take a side path into the obscured trails to a panoramic view point, I realize that when I get there, it will not give me the views i’m hoping for. It will be pitch black dark by the time I’m there.

And you know what? I’m getting tired, the dog is getting tired, I don’t think I should risk it on the smaller, icy trails. No, I’m not far from the big city, but when ‘shit hits the fan’ here, it’s still a very long, long way from help. Turning on my lights and the dogs collar light while it’s getting more dark, I’m getting a finale to my hike. The moon peeks trough the misty clouds and shines it’s lights over Nordmarka.

After a good 5 hours of walking in snow and ice I reach the car. Both me and my dog are toast but very satisfied of our hike. An impressive 17.2 kilometer has been bridged and we are both still safe and alive. We head back home, crash on the couch and dream on about this wonderful experience. I guess we need a week to recover before we set out to our next adventure. Maybe next time, I will find myself a cabin. Have a nights sleep traditional style though the sight of the power lines make me feel I should do this far deeper into the country. Nevertheless, for a day hike around Olso, Nordmarka is a wonderful place to be!

De Schorre – Modern Recreational Area

Nowadays De Schorre is a recreation area with beautiful lakes and almost wild nature where you can hike and bike. About one third of the park is considered as a pure natural area.

Here you can find a lot of wild plants and other vegetable life that has grown for decades spontaneously after the brick makers stopped their operations in the clay pit.

A rich variety of birds, insects and animals find their shelter here.

De Schorre is also a home for many different sport clubs and other activities. You can rent a bike here and cycle around the park exploring its beautiful nature if you prefer calm and relaxed biking.

Mountain Biking

But if you are one of those extreme lovers who prefers adrenaline you can also take part in mountain bikes competitions. They take part several times per year and attract hundreds of mountain bikers.

There are pretty high hills in the park which were specially created for mountain biking in de Schorre.

Hang Gliding and Paragliding

If if want to try something even more extreme you can also learn how to do hang gliding and paragliding in de Schorre.

One of the biggest differences between paragliding and hang gliding is the shape of a glider. Hang-gliders are made of harder materials, consisting of sailcloth stretched over a metal frame, a paraglider consists simply of a harness suspended underneath a fabric wing.

Both paragliding and hang-gliding are more relaxed than you might think, and require very little in terms of pilot strength, flexibility, and just activity in general. But they say that controlling a paraglider turns to be a bit easier than a hang-glider.

Paragliding pilots change direction and pitch by pulling on the cords connecting to the canopy, changing the wing shape and therefore how the wind interacts with it.

In hang-gliding, by contrast, pilots have their body strapped into the craft, and change direction by shifting body weight. This is fairly low-demand activity, but on extended flights it can become a bit tiring for those without good core strength.

So, choose what seems easier or more exciting to you and come over to give it a try.

Extreme Sports in de Schorre

Regarding other active types of sports you can also find a climbing wall in de Schorre. Or even the entire climbing tower.

As you can see on the photo below it is an artificially constructed tower with grips for hands and feet and special ropes for holding.

The wall has places to attach ropes and safety belts.

You don’t have to be professional in this to have some fun here.

Of course, you might not reach the top of the tower from the first time but you will definitely tense your muscles and have a lot of fun. Especially if you do that in a company of friends.

Kayak Polo

You can also have an option of trying a Kayak Polo in one of de Schorre lakes.

Kayak Polo is one of the competitive disciplines of canoeing, known simply as “polo”.

Polo includes canoeing and ball handling with an exciting contact team game, where tactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes.

The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes both general canoeing skills and a range of other special techniques. So if you have a group of friends and don’t know what to do during the next weekend – you’ve just received a great tip!

De Schorre has it all

Whatever type of activity you search for your weekend be it extreme sports or just relaxed walking around and enjoying the nature you will definitely find it all in the recreational area De Schorre.

And you will be very surprised that this calm and green area can look like this every year in July.

For more information about Tomorrowland, visit the Tomorrowland website.

The Schoorlse Duinen is accessible all year round. The best starting point, and starting point of all walking routes, is Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Using the address given on a navigation device, it’s easy to find.

Address

Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen
Oorsprongweg 1 (navigation device: Heereweg 62)
1871 HA Schoorl

On navigation devices, navigate to the address Heerweg 62. The road on the opposite side of this address is ‘Oorsprongweg’ on which you will find the ‘Buitencentrum’.

Activities

The Schoorlse Duinen offer a variety of activities all year round for young and old. While most of these activities are advertised and held in Dutch, it is still worth having a look. How about a guided walk at night?

Disabled

Disabled can use the bike lanes for accessibility. It’s recommended to bring accompaniment due to the sometimes steep hills.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome all year round though in breeding season, from the 1st of March to the 1st of September dogs need to be leased to avoid disruption. Outside this period, dogs are allowed to go, under appeal. Please note that in the grazing areas different rules apply. These can be identified by the signs.

Parking

Parking at P2, is paid parking. At the time of writing it’s €1.90 p/h and €12,- for a day card. There are disabled parking facilities. The proceeds benefit the Schoorl dunes.

Horeca

You can find more information on menu and opening hours of Brasserie IJgenweis here.

The following walking routes are marked by colored poles. Starting point for all walking routes is Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Keep in mind that a route of 23 km is a long one! The sand, dunes and hills can make it quite of a challenge. For children I’d recommend the 3 or 5 km route.

You’ll also find yourself a 16.3 km long mountainbike trail in the forest and dunes of Schoorlse Duinen. The route takes you trough the thick forest trails to the sandy dunes closer to sea. This track has some steep inclines and the sand will offer to be a challenge on it’s own. Recreant or elite, you will love this trail.

The starting point of the trail is at ‘Het Witte Huis’ in Aagtdorp. Due to it’s limited parking space, or actually, lack of it, it’s recommended to park at Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Download the GPX file below and it will include the part from parking to the start of the trail.