Herdalen – Ljøen – Herdalen (combination private car/bus) This trip is set up as a tour combining transport with your private car and bus. You drive to Herdalen where there is a parking area meant for hikers. You park the car in the parking area in Herdalen, hike to Ljøen and take the bus back to Herdalen in the afternoon. Make sure that you allow for sufficient time to catch the bus back. The tour is estimated to 2-3 hours walking, and then you must add time for pauses and photo stops. The recommended season for this trip is from mid-May until the end of October. Please note, however, that the snow can stay long and come early in this area. The hike from Herdalen to Ljøen From the parking area at Herdalen, walk along a gravel road past a large sign maked «Den Trondhjemske postvei». After about 150 to 200 metres the path turns left, and now you are on the original postal route. If you turn around and look towards the north, you will see the trace of the old postal route along the Strandadalen valley. Follow the trail to and past Herdalsvatnet/Brekkevatnet. You will see that there are small exit paths and other paths along the main trail, but we will keep to the original path for the postal road. Along the path you will see remnants of construction barracks and a traces of a road that was planned to go to Sykkylven, for which construction work started in the 1930s. The trail now gets steeper, but the postal road turns elegantly upwards in serpentines along the mountain side all the way up to Kremmarvatnet. Here you must make a small detour on the path to wards the left by Kremmervatnet . it’s obligatory! The prize is a magnificent view towards the Geirangerfjord – a world heritage site. Then return to Kremmarvatnet and continue on the postal road along a new lake 739 metres above sea level, around Sætrenibba until you get to Ljøsætra. Here you follow the trail all the way down to the main road. Between Ljøsætra and the main road there are drystone walls from the abandoned road project. About Trondhjemske postal route (Trondhjemske postvei) Trondhjemske postal route is a historic route that originates from the postal route Bergen-Trondheim that was established in 1785. The route was named the «safest and most comfortable postal route”, went up and down mountains, crossed fjords, lakes and rivers along the distance of 700 kilometres. The postal route was made up of many parts. From Hellesylt, the post was rowed to Nedre Ljøen by Sunnylvsfjorden and from there the post was carried over the Ljøfjellet to Strandadalen and further down to Stranda village. This part, from the fjord over Ljøfjellet, was considered the most challenging and dramatic part of the postal route. No post is carried along this route any more, but the trail between Herdalsbrekka and Ljøbrekka has become a popular hike. Itinerary and transport information Note! The ticket that you book here is only valid for the distance from Ljøen to Herdalen. The departure time from Hellesylt and arrival at Stranda is for reference only. About our trips This is a “Travel like the locals” tour. The tours use public transport, i.e. regular buses, ferries and boats, but we have done the planning for you so that you can concentrate on enjoying your trip. You travel on your own - there is no guide or tour leader. On most of our tours you must change several times between different buses/ferries/boats, and it is up to you to make sure you catch your connections – truly travelling like a local! (The tours are set up so that the buses, ferries and boats connect.) Tours cannot be booked for public holidays and during holiday periods such as Easter and Christmas due to deviations in the timetables. The timetable shown is valid for the periods when the tour is bookable. Click here to see our Terms and Conditions.
