Norwegian Road Trip

After holidaying with Lies this summer, J and I spent a week in Cedric on the road in Norway. We went in search of both surf and summer snowboarding. Our first stop was a penninsula out in the North Sea called Stadlandet, in a little camping ground right on the beach in tiny Hoddevik. Stunning.

When we arrived the weather was not really promising a wonderful summer camping holiday. It was rather cool and rather wet. This made our first descent into Hoddevik like a descent into some kind of strange mist drenched mystery.

As the clouds lifted a little, the view from the beach and the campground was just spectacular though. A white sand beach about a km long, nestled between two enormous green mountains. A handful of committed surfers and adventurers camped along the edge. Lots of time and space to roam with the dogs free range.

Then the sun came out. The surf picked up. And both J and I spent a couple of days playing in the water. J was out surfing what he calls 'perfect glassy right-handers' at 11pm as the sun was just starting to set in the northern summer sky. Can I say it again? Stunning.





On a hot Sunday with wonderful waves, the beach and the campground filled with people and we got to experience Norwegian beach culture. Not quite like Australian, but not that different either. The big thing here though is grilling sausages on the beach on what they call 'one-time grills'. You can buy them almost anywhere and they are basically a small aluminimum tray with a bunch of heat beads and a wire grilled top. Lots of rubbish generated to eat minced pigs ears if you ask me :) The locals are getting a little bummed that they are starting to have to share their waves now surfing is growing in popularity, but they are also benefiting from the business. There is one shop in Hoddevik that rents rooms, showers, boards, wetsuits and of course offers lessons. I am really not sure what people would do to survive in this isolated little outpost if surfing was not on offer. But then they have done something for years since before I was born I am sure!
Funnily enough for us, we happened to camp beside a guy named Seamus - Seamus from Wollongong if you can believe that! And his wonderful Norwegian woman Maren. Seamus is the newly established Norwegian distributor for Aussie company Ocean and Earth. They were great companions to have while camping and of course, they ended up knowing people we know. It may be a cliche but it really is a small world. We have since caught up with them again at a suring competition in the Lofoten islands, but that is another post. To end this post, I just want to say that J and I had a delightful time at Hoddevik and we only left because the waves went flat and we had a mission to find some snowboarding as well. Leaving Hoddevik the weather was a little different, and the summer road trip holiday really felt like it was kicking in and looking up.
xxx.