STAGE 1 - Trondheim - Selbu
Start your day in colourful Trondheim. Its wide streets, picturesque harbour and Gothic Cathedral are just some of the highlights you can’t miss. Our itinerary takes you to Selbu, just 65 km away. As you leave the city you become enveloped in scenic and unspoiled landscapes. This area is well-known for the Sylane mountain range which straddles the Swedish border. A row of sharp peaks rise mystically from the surrounding landscape. Rare animals call this terrain home. The area is home to the European brown bear and wolves as well as more common animals such as reindeer.
Spend the night at the tranquil Selbusjøen Hotell & Gjestegård, on the banks of the Selbu. The hotel has peaceful terraces, a lake with barbecue facilities and ready-to-explore wooded areas. Built in the mid-19th century the hotel has been used as a store, hospital and a home for the elderly before being the successful hotel it is today. There are 58 spacious rooms and the restaurant serves up local delights. If you want to explore further afield, the hotel can arrange fishing, hunting and hiking.
WHERE TO STAY
Selbusjøen Hotell & Gjestegård
Selbu, Trøndelag, Central Norway, Norway
STAGE 2 - Røros
From the hotel, drive along the highway 705 to the traditional mining town of Røros where locals live and work in what has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980. Located 628 metres above sea level the city was founded in the 17th century when copper ore was found in the area and it subsequently became one of Norway’s most important mining towns. Explore the old courtyards and narrow streets that are filled with independent workshops and shops. Today, Røros is about more than mines. It has a growing reputation as an exciting foodie destination. In summer there are plenty of local “food safaris” where you can sample the local smoked fish, game and meat that has helped put the town on the food map of Norway.
Vertshuset Røros is located in the Rammgården building right in the centre of town. In the past couple of years it has been renovated in traditional Røros style in consultation with the Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage. As you might imagine, food is important here. The restaurant offers a 3 or 6 course seasonally-inspired menu with wine pairings. Expect simple celebrations of local staples: Halibut, winter vegetables and green herbs or beetroot, cherries, meringue and passion fruit.
STAGE 3 - Dovrefjell to Trondheim
Drive from Røros via Tynset and Alvdal, then over Dovre to Trondheim. You will be lucky enough to pass through the Dovrefjell National Park. At 4367-sq-km it is one of Norway’s largest protected areas and home to Arctic foxes, reindeer, wolves and musk ox; the wolf population originally died out around 1990 but have been successfully reintroduced into the park today. The park was created in 2002 to preserve an intact alpine ecosystem.
Arriving in vibrant Trondheim, you can’t sit down to eat anywhere better than Lian Restaurant. Opened at the same time as the the Gråkallbanen tramline was under construction, the farm at Lian was purchased and a rotunda in the Functionalist style erected. For many years this was the most popular day excursion for the people of Trondheim. Many restaurants claim their menus are “locally sourced”, but Lian really means it: Most of the food sources are visible from the restaurant’s veranda. Come here for great food, good company and spectacular vistas of fjords, mountains, city and countryside.
STAGE 4 - Orkanger
Travel out to Orkanger, just 30 minutes away. A trip here is all about the hotel, and Bårdshaug Herregård is a real treat to base yourself in the heart of Norway. Located on the banks of the Orkdalsfjord, in the centre of Orkanger and at the mouth of one of Norway’s best salmon fishing rivers, the Orkla.
The former home of the architect and traveller Christian Thams, this hotel started life as a parsonage then a private residence. Thams was founder of the Thams harbour railway and a well-known name locally, where people called him the Great Mogul. Each of the 65 rooms has been authentically and sensitively decorated to reflect the history of the building. Food is true to the local landscape - think farm-to-table here. Menus are seasonal but expect local mutton reared in the valleys, scallops and the freshest of fish from the Trondheim Fjord and heavenly local cheeses.
