Fjords of Western Norway. Nerey Fjord: photo and description

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

Norway is a country famous for its amazingly beautiful nature with bewitching landscapes. A vivid proof of this is the fjords. Thanks to its unique geographic location, Norway has many such natural wonders that millions of tourists from all over the world wish to see.

One of the most beautiful Norwegian fjords is the Nerey Fjord. It is one of the branches of the longest Sognefjord. Most of the Norwegian fjords are very wide, and the magnificent landscapes of the mountains are at a sufficient distance from the eyes of tourists traveling on liners.

The article will introduce the reader to an amazingly beautiful place in Norway - the Nerey Fjord.

What are fjords?

These are winding narrow bays of glacial origin, protruding to great depths into the mainland. They exist both in European countries and in the countries of North America, however, the most beautiful and largest formations can only be seen in the western regions of Scandinavia.

In these places, the meaning of the word "fjord" has a more general meaning,than in the rest of the world. For example, in the east of Norway, this term is used even for freshwater narrow lakes and rivers.

Geiranger Fjord and Nereus Fjord

Norway is amazingly beautiful. To the northeast of the city of Bergen there are two picturesque fjords, the distance between which is 120 km. They belong to a single system of fjords, stretching from Stavanger (south) to Åndalsnes (500 km northeast). These bays are among the deepest and longest on Earth. They are beautiful thanks to the steep coastal slopes, which are composed of crystalline rocks.

Above the waters of the Norwegian Sea, the shores of the fjords rise up to 1,400 meters above sea level, and go down to 500 meters in depth. Numerous waterfalls break down from them, the surroundings are covered with coniferous and deciduous forests. Glaciers are observed in places. There are cold lakes and rivers here.

The fjords of Western Norway were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.

There is nothing more amazing and stunning than walking along the shores of these bays. A winter boat trip is especially impressive, when the waterfalls look like fabulous blocks of ice, and huge rocks (about 1,700 meters) take a narrow strip of water into their stone captivity.

Description

Nerei Fjord is located in the municipality of Aurlandom (province of Sogn og Fjordane). This is one of the branches of the Sognefjord. Small villages and other settlements nestled along the mountain slopes and banks look very small.

The length of the fjord is 17 km, and its deepest depth is 500 meters. There are sections with a depth not exceeding 10 m. It deservedly received its title of the “narrowest” fjord, since in some places its width does not exceed 250 m.

Sights of the surroundings

When you sail along the Nerey Fjord, there are unusual sensations: it is very narrow, and high mountains rise on both sides. A wonderful picture is presented to the eye with high cliffs and dozens of various waterfalls, overthrowing their noisy waters from a height of hundreds of meters. You can sail here only on a small excursion boat. Ships run regularly between the small town of Flåm and the village of Gudvangen.

Flåm is located at the southern edge of the Aurlandsfjord (an arm of the large Sogneffjord). This is one of the most visited places by tourists. Gudvangen is located at the other end of the fjord. It has camping and B&Bs.

A real discovery for hikers is the “Royal Path” of the Nerey Fjord, which runs along the entire coast. These are very picturesque places. For more experienced and physically hardy tourists, there is a rather difficult journey to Beiten, which offers amazing views of the Nerey Fjord. Voyages in kayaks and kayaks are also exciting.

More about Flam resort

This is a rather developed resort in the Norwegian sense. On its territory there are hotels, restaurants, there is a cozy and beautiful embankment. Ocean-going ships moor here, carryingtourists along the Nerey Fjord to the railway trains.

Flåm's famous attraction is the Flomsbahn railway. It passes through the most picturesque fabulous places from Flåm, located in the lowlands near the Nerey Fjord, to Myrdal Station, located high in the mountains. Often the train crosses tunnels and moves along the very edge of the cliff. From the window you can see magnificent mountain landscapes with wonderful waterfalls. At the most powerful of them - Kjosfossen, the train makes a stop. Such a railway is more of an attraction for tourists who relax on ocean liners. Traveling by car along mountain roads will give a much greater impression of the surrounding beauties.

By car from Flåm you can get to the observation deck of the Nerey Fjord, located above the Aurland Fjord. Aurland is a village from which, climbing the mountain along a narrow path, you can observe the classic Norwegian landscape - a wide fjord with rocks.

In conclusion

The bay owes its fantastic beauty to mighty mountain slopes, glaciers, waterfalls, coniferous forests, blue lakes and rivers. The warm waters of this wonderful bay are home to seals that come out in good weather to soak up the sun.

And finally. The patron of the beautiful Nerey Fjord is the sea god Njord.