Song for Norway

AT mealtimes – largely superfresh fish from the waters surrounding this beautiful country – the conversation kept turning to Brexit. Not surprising really, as we had flown out of Britain on “Freedom Friday” still reeling from the implications of the shock decision, and landed just over an hour later in a country which has voted twice to stay out of the EU.

So how has Norway fared, we asked our hosts?

“We pay, but we have no say,” said one. Norwegians not only fork out a considerable amount to be part of the single market, but have to allow EU citizens to move freely in and out of the country as part of the deal, she explained. Others were happy to be out and said being independent has protected both their sovereignty and their fishing industry. “Norway has a strong voice,” said another, “That's why it's constantly voted as the best country to live in.”

And it’s easy to see the attraction. A short while after landing at Stavanger, the Oil Capital of Norway, this small city was soon revealing its charms – and we were soon tucking into the first of many delicious fish dishes at the habourside Fisketorget restaurant.

The harbour, which hosts an increasing number of vertiginous cruise ships, is lined with bustling bars and original dockside warehouses. The pretty 18th century and 19th century streets of the old town, Gamle Stavanger, climb up from the waterfront, and are lined with traditional whitewashed wooden houses.

Up one of these streets is the Canning Museum, and while canning might not be very sexy, it was on this industry that Stavanger’s wealth relied in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum concentrates on the advances in technology that took Norwegian sprats to the world – the decapitating machine, for example, which meant the women workers no longer had to snip off each fish head by hand – and it’s a surprisingly interesting place with lots of hands-on exhibits.

Now, of course, it’s oil that brings wealth to Norway and Stavanger is at the heart of the industry. When North Sea oil was discovered in the 1960s the city was chosen to be the on-shore oil capital and back down at the harbour at the impressive Norwegian Petroleum Museum, you can discover all about black gold and the mining and exploration processes.

Throughout both the canning and oil booms, the fishing industry has also been vital to Norway’s financial – if not physical – health, and if you love eating fish, you will love Stavanger. Highlights were Fisketort, where we lunched on delicious herring marinaded in a variety of flavours, and Sabi Omakase, where we dined in the sushi-making temple of Roger Joya, who came fourth in last year’s Sushi World Championship. The restaurant serves only nine people at £120 a head and each of the 18 Edomae sushi he created for us was simply exquisite.

Though not inexpensive – while the oil boom has done a lot for the city, it means that food and drink prices are inflated – Stavanger is a great place for foodies, with a wide range of excellent restaurants, traditional and ethnic.

Expending calories after you have eaten your way round the city isn’t difficult. There’s a heady concoction of fjords and mountains and miles of sandy coastline to be explored and the region is a mecca for adventure travel enthusiasts keen to experience nature in the raw.

Inland from Stavanger, the Lysefjord passes between towering cliffs and mountains, the most famous of which is Preikestolen, the Pulpit Rock. A two-hour hike takes you to the top, where overwhelming vertigo awaits some while others sit nonchalantly, feet dangling over the edge, posing for photographs. On a clear day, the views from here are stunning – it was thick mist when we were there, Norwegian weather being about as predictable as weather in the North-East.

For those who prefer to stay at sea level, regular cruises set off from Stavanger, past the many islands dotted with pretty weekend and holiday homes, and on to the stunning Lysefjord. The round journey takes about three hours, punctuated by tales of trolls and a stop to feed the goats teetering on the fjord’s vertiginous slopes.

Another lovely expedition by boat, which combines beauty and food, is Flor and Fjaere, an impossibly exotic island with top-notch restaurant attached about 20 minutes from the city. The brainchild of a mainland nursery gardener, who got bored when he retired to the rocky outcrop the family had bought as an escape from work, it really is a taste of paradise. When the property was first purchased, it was bare, not a single tree to be seen. Now there are trees, 50,000 annuals, rose, cactus and bonsai gardens, beaches and waterfalls, and day cruise visitors can enjoy a delicious meal in the waterside restaurant as well as the fruits of the Bryn family’s labours.

If you want to venture out of the city by road – and driving here is easy as there are far fewer cars than at home – the North Sea Route south takes you down the Jaeren coastline down to the pretty village of Sogndalstrand. The first part of the journey is by flat and fertile farmland with sandy beaches, before you head into the dramatic, lumpy landscape of the Magma Geopark, where rocks are the same type as those found on the moon.

A couple of hours south of Stavanger you will come across the old fishing village of Sogndalstrand, where visitors can stay at the Kulturhotell, which has its restaurant in one building, a pub in the old prison, and hotel rooms in a number of sensitively renovated houses in the village. This would be a lovely place to hole up on the coast for a day or two.

So as well as fishing, long summer nights and trolls, South-Western Norway has lots to offer city and countryside tourists. The Norwegians speak excellent English and are very welcoming. The scenery is simply stunning. And if you take advantage of the new flight from Newcastle to Stavanger in August, another attraction is Nuart, an annual urban art festival, which attracts the world’s foremost street artists and results in some striking images on buildings and homes. When you look up, or peer round a corner, they often take you unawares. People and institutions offer up their walls for daubing, with the proviso that they must keep the artwork there for at least a year, whatever the result. A legacy from last year’s festival is a giant-sized portrait of Johnny Rotten in a Nordic-style hat.

I like their style. In fact, there’s a lot I like about Stavanger and the dramatic countryside that surrounds it. And for a great long weekend away, it definitely gets my vote.

TRAVEL FACTS

www.visitnorway.com

www.fjordnorway.com

www.regionstavanger.com

Flights

BMI Regional opened a direct route from Newcastle to Stavanger in May, from £78 one way or £139 return. www.bmiregional.com

Hotel

Comfort Hotel Square, www.nordicchoicehotels.no/comfort/comfort-hotel-square/ From around £65 NOK for a double room, incl breakfast

Activities

NuArt tour – guided tour every Saturday during the summer, 2pm from Stavanger tourist office. £13.50 per person. www.streetarttours.no

Fjord cruise and hike the Pulpit rock – £70 adult; £45 children. Ferry ticket from Tau to Stavaner, £4.50. www.rodne.no

RiB boat with Fjord Events (fantastic fun!) – £72 for two hours. www.fjordevents.no

Flor og Fjære. Lunch trip with tour of the gardens and boat journey. Five hours. Departure Skagenkaien noon. From £90.

Sogndalstrand Kulturhotell www.sogndalstrand-kulturhotell.no

Food

Fisketorget restaurant www. fisketorget-stavanger.no/

Ostehuset (fantastic lunch) www.ostehuset.no/

Mathallen Food Hall www.mathallen-stavanger.no

Tango Bar og Kjøkken. Three-courses from £55; wine package from £30. www.tango-bk.no