We walked around Farsund in rainy mist but not cold. We had been told yesterday that 3 metres of snow had fallen somewhere in Norway in the last day or two, so we are waiting.......
Farsund is so picturesque - the Art Nouveau waterfront rebuilt after a fire in 1901 . Sampled a Norwegian pastry with coffee, then hit the road.

We then drove along several fjords, so pretty you could look at hundreds, and along the coast. Explored a site of Iron Age Viking ship rock carvings, next to WW2 bunker system on a hill complete with trenches and gun emplacements. Ancient history and modern history side by side.

Then headed west along more spectacular fjords to Flekkefjord, before heading inland. Very rocky countryside, cliffs high on each side of the road (great for rock climbers), pine forests and perched lakes. We were making for Lysebotn, at the head of Lysefjord, hoping to catch a ferry tomorrow. Stopped at Dargefoss, spectacular waterfall boring down through a series of potholes.

Then the best yet! Set off towards the fjord. We only decided to take this road yesterday.
We had seen two snowmobiles, a quad bike with tracks, and a skidoo. Then we saw the snow!!!!!! We drove across an icy, snowy plateau . Snow drifts at the side of the road, up to 5 metres high, thick snow in all directions, sunshine, frozen lakes, glacial rivers - breathtaking (how many photos?????) Stopped at the top to photograph the road down that we were to take! Scary!

Then we had to drove down the road to the fjord - 33 hairpins, down from 930 metres to sea level, including a hairpin in a kilometre long tunnel - an engineering great!

At the bottom , campsite to die for, at the head of the fjord - "the granite rocks glow with an ethereal, ambient light" - and with the 150 metre high roaring waterfall next to us to lull us to sleep (over the noise of the sheep bells). Magical light off the cliffs and on the fjord.

Cooked in the camp oven on the Cobb, warm enough to sit out and eat, in spite of the snow up top. So glad we chose this route, although not sure if we will fit on the ferry to Stavanger tomorrow- may be too heavy!

Norway is fantastic!!