Hjorundfjord

The Hjorundfjord runs about thirty-five kilometres south from the Storfjord into the heart of the Sunnmore Alps, and the peaks come down to the water so steeply that the villages sit on narrow shelves with nothing behind them but rock. It is the quiet alternative to the Geirangerfjord an hour away: a small local ferry crosses between Saebo and Leknes, a few farms take guests, and the historic Hotel Union Oye stands at the head of the fjord at the mouth of Norangsdalen. Cruise ships occasionally call at Urke, but the numbers stay small. From the shore, paths climb to Slogen and the other summits, and in spring skiers descend the couloirs directly to the water.

What you actually see

• The vertical walls - alpine peaks dropping straight to the fjord.
• The shelf villages - Saebo, Urke and Leknes on narrow strips of flat ground.
• The local ferry - a small crossing linking the two shores.
• Hotel Union Oye - a nineteenth-century wooden hotel at the head.

When to go

May to September for walking, ferries and open roads; February to May for ski touring from the shore. Autumn is quiet with colour on the lower slopes, and winter closes several access roads.

Honest expectations

Services are sparse: few shops, limited eating and accommodation that must be booked. Ferry timetables are infrequent and constrain a day's plan. The weather here is genuinely wet, with cloud on the peaks more often than not.

Nearby

Norangsdalen leads east to Hellesylt; Slogen rises directly above Urke and Alesund lies north.