Gudbrandsdal Valley Attractions

From Høvringen the E 6 comes in 8km/5mi to Brennhaug (alt. 449m/1,473ft), with views to the northeast of Storkuven (1,452m/4,764ft) and to the south of the Jetta range, with Blåhø (1,618m/5,309ft; road from Vågåmo).

From Dovre it is 13km/8mi to Dombås (alt. 659m/2,162ft, pop. 1,200), at an important road junction. From here Road 9, now following the Lågen valley, runs northwest to Åndalsnes.

The E6 runs from Brennhaug for 9km/5.5mi to Dovre (alt. 485m/1,591ft, pop. 400), chief place in the commune of that name (pop. 3,150), with a fine wooden church of 1740. Off the road to the right is the former royal property of Tofte.

Dovre has three national parks that encompass certain areas - Rondane National Park, lies partially in Dovre; Dovre National Park, established in 2003, and Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park was founded in 2002.

From Ringebu a side road on the right (No. 27) runs north to Enden (38km/24mi), continuing to Folldal (50km/31mi), from which Road 29 leads northwest along the beautiful Rondane range, the third highest in Norway (part of it now a National Park), to rejoin E 6 at Hjerkinn (28km/17mi).

8km/5miles from Hundorp is Harpefoss (alt. 223m/732ft), with an interesting exhibition of furniture and domestic design. Hydroelectric station (dam 125m/140yds long, 16m/52ft high; the water has a fall of 33m/108ft).

At Sjoa Road 257 goes off on the left into the Heidal. After the village of Heidal, with its many protected timber houses and farms protected as national monuments, is the village church. It was rebuilt in 1938 on the model of the previous church, which was burned down in 1933. Nearby, on the beautiful farm of Bølstad, is a chapel of about 1600; parts of the doorway from an 11th century stave church and a crucifix of ca. 1200.

From Ringebu, E 6 follows the course of the Lågen, coming in 10km/6mi to the village of Hundorp (alt. 193m/633ft), with the Gudbrandsdal Folk High School. In the school grounds are graves and standing stones of the Viking period. At one time it served as the centre of the ancient kingdom of Gudbrandsdal. The church of Sør-Fron (1800), on an octagonal plan, has an electronic carillon.

Over the next 14km/9mi from Mysuseter the valley becomes steadily narrower and the scenery wilder. At Rosten a narrow road (10km/6mi) branches off on the right to a group of summer grazing stations (seter) at Høvringen (alt. 960m/3,150ft), which attract many visitors both in summer and in winter.

The E 6 runs along the east side of Lake Losna from Tretten, coming in 15km/9mi to the Kirkestuen road junction, with the Fåvang church. This was originally a stave church but was rebuilt in the 17th century as a cruciform church (restored 1951). 4km/2.5mi farther on is the village of Fåvang (alt. 188m/617ft).

8km/5mi from Heidal the E6 comes to Kringen, with a memorial commemorating a victory won by the local peasants in 1614 over a band of Scottish mercenaries (said, erroneously, to have been commanded by a certain Captain Sinclair) who were on their way to Sweden. Northwest of the village is Pillargurikamp (849m/2,786ft), from which according to legend one Pillarguri warned the peasants of the approach of the Scots.

Beyond Vinstra the scenery becomes grander. 10km/6mi farther on is Kvam, where the decisive battle for the Gudbrandsdal was fought in 1940. The church (1952) has a 400-year-old Bible; the previous church was destroyed in 1940. 14km/9mi north (part of the way on a private road, with toll) are the Rondane Høyfjellshotell (alt. 900m/2,950ft) and the Rondablikk (viewpoint). To the south of Kvam is Teigkamp (1,027m/3,370ft). On the way to Sjoa (9km/5.5mi; alt. 285m/935ft) Torgeirkamp (1,186m/3,891ft) can be seen on the right.

From Sel a road on the right (8km/5mi; toll) leads to Mysuseter. In 3km/2mi a short path goes off to the Kvitskriuprestinn, a curious group of pyramids of morainic gravel up to 6m/20ft high. From Mysuseter there is a footpath (10km/6mi) to the Rondvassbu mountain hut on the edge of the Rondane National Park (area 570sq.km/220sq.mi).

3km/2mi from Kringen is Otta (alt. 288m/945ft, pop. 2,500), an important road junction at the confluence of the rivers Otta and Lågen. It is possible to drive up to within a kilometer (1,100yd) of the summit of Pillargurikamp, from which there are extensive views.

From Otta Road 15 runs west via Vågåmo and Lom to the Nordfjord, and a minor road runs northeast to the Mysuseter Høyfjellspension (13km/8mi).

6km/4mi from Hunder, on the hillside to the right, is Øyer church (1725), with an interior in rustic Baroque style. On the other side of the Lågen (bridge) lies the village of Øyer (alt. 181m/594ft). At the Hunderfoss camping site is a children's leisure park, with "trolls' caves", a children's farm, etc. The Øyer Gjestegård (inn) is a street with shops and workshops for children.

At Elstad, 7km/4.5mi beyond Fåvang, a road diverges on the right to the Ringebu stave church (2km/1.25mi). Built about 1200, the church was enlarged in 1630 and restored in 1921. It has a carved altarpiece of 1688. From here it is another 3km/2mi to the village of Ringebu (alt. 197m/646ft; pop. 1,100).

The mountain areas around Ringebu make for an ideal skiing and tourist destination.

From Otta the E 6 continues to follow the course of the Lågen, coming in 3km/2mi to the church of Sel (1782). An area of some 500 hectares (1,250 acres) between the church and the railroad station has been transformed within the last 30 years from moorland into fertile arable land. The farms of Romundgård (with the Sinclair Hut, in which the leader of the Scottish mercenaries is said by legend to have spent the night before his death), Laurgård and Jorundgård feature in Sigrid Undset's novel "Kristin Lavransdatter".

12km/7.5mi from Øyer is Tretten (alt. 191m/627ft; pop. 750), at the south end of the 17km/10-mi-long Lake Losna, formed by the widening of the river Lågen. The local church (1728) has fine ceiling paintings. Road 254, to the west, leads to the Peer Gynt Trail.