Snow hike at Nordmarka

A trip to Oslo marks the start of our travel adventures this year and a hike around Nordmarka was at the top of our list of things to do. I’d been longing to go back after visiting a couple of years ago and this time was every bit as good as the last.

The metro line takes you from the centre of Oslo to pine trees and trails in thirty minutes. If you are planning a trip, get off at Frognerseteren and walk or ski from there. Many of the smaller trails off the main track require snowshoes at this time of year.

We hiked to a lake called Tryvann but it didn’t occur to us the lake would be frozen solid. It seemed obvious when we got there and realised we were standing on the lake! Large areas of water seldom freeze over at home so we didn’t really think about it — we made this mistake last time too.

This is Tryvannstua, a ski area and cafe in the forest (there are toilets too). We had lunch in our bags so we made a short pit stop on the benches outside and watched people gliding down the slopes. Just as we’d finished lunch, the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped so we made a move.

Hiking around Nordmarka was a great way to spend our first full day in Oslo — snow certainly adds to the magic of the place. We hiked 10 miles (didn’t beat our 20 mile record) and while my mind wasn’t ready to leave, my legs were certainly ready for a break after trudging uphill through the snow.

Transport notes

• Trainline: T-Bane Majorstuen to Frognerseteren
• Tickets: Ruter app, paper ticket or Oslo pass
• We bought a 24 hour ticket (more info here)