Urke in Hjørundfjorden

 Urke in Hjørundfjorden

       We passed through a deep ford past waterfalls cascading down the valley sides/

                                       
The ship moored in the fjord opposite Urke and a tender came out to to pick us up.

We said goodbye to the ship...

...leaving it moored in the fjord...

...ans as we got to sure, it looked very small.

We passed through Urke with one farm having a rather American barn.  The village has only 40 residents, one community grocery store, one petrol station, a power station and a fish farm. One road leads to Leknes, an even smaller village and a ferry to link with road to Trondheim. The other road out of Urke links up eventually with the rest of the road network si it is not isolated but it is difficult to get to. And the road in places in only single carriageway with passing places.

Where there is  danger of avalanche, there are two carriageways but only the mountain side has protection. 

At the next settlement we passed the well known and recently restored Hotel Union Øye built in an Alpine style...

                                       

...the major front facade...

...the other end...

...the minor front facade...

...and the whole facade but at a poor angle but I would have had to feed the river to get the correct full frontal photo of the facade.  Some of history’s most famous kings, queens, writers, composers, and explorers have all stayed here.    

                                        
This is Lygnstølvatnet formed on 26th May, 1908 when an rockfall and avalanche damed the river. Water built up behind for four days until it was able to escape.

The partial dam stretching more than half way across the centre of the photo from the left. If the weather is calm, you can still see the ruins of a submerged farmstead from the surface of the water.    

                                         

This is Uravatnet, and hidden from view near the end of the lake is Erasetra where we would be stopping for lefse cake and coffee

The two left hand huts...

...the two right hand huts...

...a side view...

...and a rear view.

This is a shilling, a collection of huts built into the ground usually between a large rock or other protection. It there was an avalanche, the rock would help to protect them. They are also partial built into the ground to reduce their profile and heat loss. The grass on top helps to absorb water to keep the roof timber dry and act as additional insulation. On more modern and replacement roofs, corrugated iron is used and the turfs laid on top of that.

They were used during the summer when animals would be taken up into the hills to be released and forage for themselves. At least one member of the family would stay up here over summer or perhaps share the toil with a relative or neighbour. Someone would stay behind at the main farm to look after the house and fields, cut hay and grow vegetables.

Inside, the ground floor would be used a a communal space and family would sleep upstairs. The other huts were used for storing produce, guests and general storage. One might be used for a cow or goat overnight, milked in the morning and released during the day.

Outside is a stone able and some stone benches. This is not typical so is probably a modern addition for tourist visitors. 

Just across the road is another shilling built on sloping late but still with rock behind.

One is built sideways to the rock but it still has adequate protection. Another hut was built in front of that but without protection of a nearby rock and it was destroyed by a snow avalanche two decades ago.

As we descended the valley, we stopped at this outcrop which looks uncannically like Queen Victoria.