Lovatnet

Lovatnet lies in a trench about eleven kilometres long between mountains that rise nearly straight from the water, and it takes its colour from glacial flour, rock ground to powder by the ice above and suspended in the meltwater, which scatters light into an opaque turquoise that changes with the season and the light. A road runs along the northern shore to the head of the lake, where the Kjenndalsbreen glacier arm sits above, and passes the small farm settlement of Bodal. The lake's history is grim: rockfalls from the Ramnefjell face in 1905 and 1936 caused waves that destroyed the lakeside villages with heavy loss of life, and memorials stand along the shore.

History

On 15 January 1905 a landslide of 350,000 cubic metres fell into the lake from Ramnefjellet, raising waves of up to 40.5 metres that swept over Bødal and Nesdal and killed 61 people. The villages were rebuilt, but on 13 September 1936 a second slide of 1,000,000 cubic metres fell from 800 metres and raised waves of up to 74 metres (Wikipedia, Lovatnet).

Highlights

• The turquoise water - opaque colour from suspended glacial flour.
• The vertical walls - mountains rising directly from the lake surface.
• The Kjenndalsbreen road - a drive to the glacier at the head of the lake.
• The rockslide memorials - markers recalling the 1905 and 1936 disasters.

When to go

June to September; the colour is strongest in high summer when melt is greatest, and weakest after heavy rain. Morning light on calm water gives the clearest reflections. The road to the head closes in winter.

Before you go

The road is narrow with limited passing and parking, and the popular viewpoints have space for only a few cars. The water is close to freezing year-round, so swimming is brief and risky. Overcast days flatten the colour considerably.

Nearby

Kjenndalsbreen glacier is at the head; Loen, the Skylift and Briksdalsbreen are within a short drive.

Key facts