Hardangervidda

The Hardangervidda, the largest plateau in Scandinavia, with an area of some 7,500sq.km/2,900sq.mi, lies at an average altitude of between 1,200 and 1,600m (3,300 and 4,600ft), with numerous lakes and a meager covering of pasture grazed by large herds of wild reindeer. It is a barren landscape, above the tree-line, but immensely impressive in its own way. An area of some 3,400sq.km/1,300sq.mi is now a National Park, and other parts of the plateau are nature reserves.

This is magnificent walking country, with an extensive system of paths, usually running from one good fishing lake to another and linking the numerous mountain huts (usually overcrowded at the height of the season, between mid-July and mid-August). In the interior of the Hardangervidda there are no motor roads and no settlements of any size.