Stegastein

Stegastein was completed in 2006 as part of the Norwegian Scenic Routes programme, designed by Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen: a laminated pine deck four metres wide runs thirty metres straight out from the hillside and then curves down at the end into a glass barrier angled outward, so that walking to the tip gives the impression of the floor falling away toward the fjord 650 metres below. There is no visible steel supporting the outer end from underneath. It sits on the Aurlandsfjellet road, which climbs from Aurland toward Laerdal over a bare high plateau and is open only in summer. A shuttle bus runs in season because the parking area is small and the road narrow.

What you actually see

• The projecting deck - a thirty-metre wooden platform over the drop.
• The glass end - an outward-angled barrier where the floor curves down.
• The Aurlandsfjord - the fjord and Aurland village 650 metres below.
• The mountain road - the Aurlandsfjellet route climbing over the plateau.

When to go

May to September; the mountain road above closes in winter, though the platform itself can sometimes be reached from the Aurland side. Early morning and evening avoid the coach and cruise traffic.

Honest expectations

The parking area is very small and cars are often turned away in season, with a shuttle bus the practical option. The platform gets crowded, and photographing it empty takes patience. Wind at that height is common and cold.

Nearby

Aurland and Flam are below; the Aurlandsfjellet road continues to Laerdal.