A Hike in Kristiansund, Norway
Today, we arrived in Kristiansund, Norway. Both Tracey and I had been given tour escorting duties again, only this time we were on slightly different tours.
Mine was billed as ‘Atlantic Ocean Road + 5km Hike’, and an early start meant having to be bouncing out of bead at the crack of dawn, breakfasted and on the quayside at 8:30am, for a 9am departure.
The quayside was bedlam, and despite being told by the shorex manager to keep the passengers on my tour together, and to one side, until further instructions, somehow my coach managed to arrive and almost fill up before I’d had a chance to take any control of the situation (making me look a bit daft in front of the few passengers I’d been holding back and assuring them that everything was under control). Trying to explain why, when I finally got them to the coach, the coach already had 35 people on it, proved futile.
The journey out of the town, towards our hiking destination was nice enough. This part of Norway is on the coast and much flatter, although mountains are never very far away. After the palava of the quayside, I was hoping that would be the end of any problems… sadly, that wasn’t to be…
To be fair, our guide, despite being underprepared (he admitted that he’d left his notes at home), was a nice guy. His name was Magnus, and he was from Germany. He gave us a lot of information about Norway, and what it is like to live in Norway. 1-in-5 cars are electric, he told us, and enjoy a 90% discount on annual road tax (the equivalent of 40 euros instead of 400). Electric cars are allowed to travel in bus lanes and get free travel on toll roads – lots of very sensible incentives, then.
We were all getting along fine, and the passengers all seemed to be enjoying the journey, which took about an hour and a quarter. When we arrived at the start of our hike, however, someone asked if there were toilets there… there weren’t. After a quick discussion with the driver, Magnus decided we should reverse the hike, and start at what would have been the finishing point, where there would be a toilet, he assured us.
A short time later, our coach driver relocated us at the other end of our walking route. Sure enough there was a toilet there… of sorts… It was actually a large shed, plonked in the middle of nowhere, housing a very smelly hole in the ground and a toilet seat. A large percentage of the 46 passengers then proceeded to queue for the privvy, which took the better part of half an hour, during which the guide sent those who didn’t wish to use the loo on their way. As people came out of the loo (holding their noses and looking a bit pale), they also headed off along the track we’d been pointed to. Pretty soon, the party became very stretched out, with me bringing up the rear.
The walk was pleasant, if cold and windy. The shoreline was rocky and interesting, and the prospect of a 5km walk, at this point, seemed quite exciting; folks bounded off enthusiastically in their winter togs and walking boots ready for a wild Norwegian hiking experience.
We’d only skirted around the perimeter of a single, small rocky bay, barely two-thirds of a mile if I’m being generous, when the guide started turning people at the front of the stretched-out procession of walkers back, and guiding them to the coach, which was parked in the original car parking place. People soon became agitated, demanding to know why the walk had been cut short, and insisting that they’d paid for a 5km hike. The guide explained that the paperwork he’d been given instructed him to take the group on a 1km walk. Some folks tried haranguing me, but I’m only the escort and pointed out, when asked, that the guide is, ultimately, in charge. I asked Magnus if it would be possible for us to do the full 5km walk anyway, but he wouldn’t have it. He explained that he had to keep to an itinerary, which meant getting us back to the ship for 1pm, and that we were already 20 minutes behind time. He didn’t say it as much, but I sensed that would have something to do with the 30-minute loo delay.
At this point, as we all returned to the coach, I had 46 unhappy passengers on my hands. The guide was extremely apologetic but could do nothing to rectify the situation. Someone had screwed up somewhere, and it wasn’t him… he was simply following the directions he’d been given.
I have to say, at this point, that despite the truncated ‘hike’, the excursion was generally very enjoyable. The stroll along the coast had been very pleasant and our next stop a little further along the road was a delight. Whether or not that stop, and a bonus photo stop back in Kristiansund would help the passengers to forget their earlier anger and frustration remains to be seen.
Our next port of call is Alta. Before that, however, we have another sea-day, so I’ll be working again tomorrow, when I’ll have them painting The Aurora Borealis. I can’t wait….
