Hardangerjokulen

Hardangerjokulen is a flat ice cap of about seventy square kilometres on the northern edge of Hardangervidda, rising to 1,863 metres, and the usual approach is from Finse, a settlement that exists only because the Bergen railway passes through it and which has no road connection at all. The walk to the glacier and back is a long day over bare high ground. The plateau around Finse was used in 1979 for the ice planet scenes in The Empire Strikes Back, and the location is still pointed out. Guided trips go onto the ice in summer with crevasse equipment. Finse also sits on the Rallarvegen cycle route and holds a museum about the navvies who built the railway through this terrain.

What you actually see

• The ice cap - a flat glacier plateau above 1,800 metres.
• Finse - a railway settlement with no road, at 1,222 metres.
• The Rallarvegen - the old construction road, now a cycle route.
• The film location - the plateau used for the ice planet scenes.

When to go

July to September, when the approach is clear of snow and guided trips run; snow lies around Finse for much of the year and the area is a winter ski-touring base. Weather is severe and changes fast in any season.

Honest expectations

Access is by train only, and missing the last service means staying, with very limited accommodation. The glacier should not be walked on without a guide and crevasse gear. Conditions at 1,200 metres can be wintry in July, and the walk is long with no shelter.

Nearby

Hardangervidda National Park spreads south; the Flam Railway junction at Myrdal is one stop west.