Norway fjord tripping in a weekend - day 3
On day 3, our last full one, the sun shined like it knew we needed it, and after a good three hours spent in the Oil Museum (highly recommended, you WILL spend longer in here than you expect) we hopped in the car to take the Stavanger - Tau ferryto pick up the 13 again, but this time heading in the other direction, south, to the turn off for Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock.
Allowing 2 hours each direction to manage the (sometimes challenging) hike up to the precipice, we set off from the car park at 4pm missing most of the crowds, but ensuring we'd be back with plenty of time before sunset (make sure you know the daylight hours when you do the same, there's thankfully little in the way of supervision, and outdoorsy Norwegians are well accustomed to sorting themselves out). If you think that the views on the way up are incredible, wait until you see the incomparable view of the Lysefjord from the Preikestolen itself. Avoid the idiots doing daft stuff at the edge of this precipice that drops a sheer 600metres into the water, and find a quiet spot for yourself to take in the beauty of the place. It'll make you feel humble. DON'T feel bad if you have vertigo though. The final 200 metres of the track is not for the fainthearted, but stop before the path gets too narrow - your view of the fjord is also incredible, and you're more likely to get a bit of peace while you're admiring it.
After clambering back down at speed, we took our wobbly legs back to the car, hit the 13 going south and reversed the journey of the day before, taking the ferry from Oanes across to Lauvvika. The ride on the 13 back to Stavanger was spectacular - timed perfectly with sunset, the colours of the sun setting across the many lakes that dapple the landscape combined with the sound of Beach House (official Aesthetic Voyager soundtrack to Norway) left us both totally relaxed and ready for a steak and a pint of the local ale at favoured joint NB Sørensen, followed by the soundest sleep for months.
We had a final morning to enjoy in Rogaland before our flight home, so we decided to visit Solastranden, the beach at Sola, not 1 km from the airport, and yet awarded the world's sixth most beautiful beach by The Sunday Times. Here you can visit one of the longest sandy beaches in Norway for a final bit of relaxation (and unsuccessful dolphin spotting in our case) before you head home.