Sogn og Fjordane holiday cabin: ORTNEVIK

We had a wonderful stay in Ortnevik back in February 2009 and we left feeling like we’d spent a few days in another world.

The setting is idyllic, set into the hillside surrounded on all sides by snowy peaks and alpine forest, it’s like something out of a Norwegian fairytale. We stayed in the wooden cabin and immediately thawed ourselves in front of the open log fire while we became acclimatised to our new surroundings, it didn’t take long as the cabin is so well equipped it felt like a home away from home.

Ortnevik itself is a tiny village/hamlet so you shouldn’t expect a bustling nightlife or even anywhere to buy milk of a morning! The local store may not have been open daily but this only adds to the charm of the experience, plus Heidi and Eldar (our gracious hosts) were always on hand to help in any way that they could.

We spent our days wandering the hillsides and admiring the breathtaking scenery but always enjoyed retreating to our cabin when it began to get dark (about 3pm in February I think!). We were even able to borrow sleds which was a great way to re-live a small part of our childhoods – I don’t remember it being quite so exhausting then though!

Don’t be put off by the seemingly remote location of Ortnevik or the potential difficulty you might have in getting there, I guarantee that it is worth it. We spent a week in Norway, sandwiching Ortnevik in between stays in Oslo and Bergen and as enjoyable as both of those cities were it will be our cabin on the hill that will provide the lasting memories of our holiday.

Don’t delay book your escape from the real world now!