hot off the press!

Hiking in Norway — South

My new guide to hiking in Norway has been published by Cicerone Press. Today I am grateful and thrilled at seeing my book on (virtual) bookshelves. This blogpost wants to extend a ‘Thank you’ to those that helped me along the way.

Norway is blessed with fantastic natural beauty. But that in itself is not necessarily enough to be able to enjoy it…

heartfelt thanks

The DNT

There are many organisations and individuals that take part in making the glorious Norwegian landscapes accessible, while caring deeply about its sustainability. One of the largest such organisation is the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT). Many of its volunteers give freely of their time leading tours, being hut wardens or researching and marking trails.

In the DNT huts, reception staff strive to be well-informed about the trails and weather conditions, providing hikers with up to date information before they set out. In the afternoons they welcome hikers arriving at the huts, always interested in hearing about their day’s adventure. A special thank you must go to those chefs that delight their guests with finger-licking good food, a traditional song performed before serving dessert or the best cinnamon rolls that can be had in the middle of the Norwegian Mountains.

local groups

Small local hiking groups are led by enthusiastic individuals, who organise weekly hikes. Come rain or shine these volunteers show up, week after week, unwavering and friendly. Hikes venture into the local hills, beaches or woods. One such group in Stavanger got me started on my Norwegian hiking journey and I will be forever thankful to their leader and all the hikers I met there. Many of us were new to Norway and sometimes new to hiking. The conversations we had while on the trail made me aware of the concerns a good guidebook needs to address.

resources: offline and online

Over the course of a month in the summer of 2019 I ‘set up shop’ on the upper floor of the Stavanger Library. Generally, I need a quiet space when writing. I found the Stavanger library to be a perfect place to combine silence without solitude. Researching for the book was easier too, both online and in actual publications. More than once did I ask a very friendly librarian to get me a yearbook from deep in the storage rooms in the cellar, because I wanted to check out a specific article from a local association. It felt great to spend a few hours each day there, writing, researching and thinking alongside fellow writers and people of all ages immersed in their respective topics. It is good that such spaces exist for whomever needs them. The Stavanger library is free of charge, light and airy, has good desks and chairs and is used by many. 

I must have consulted hundreds of websites, podcasts, and online videos while researching for this book. I am grateful to all the people that are willing to share their knowledge and insights. The Internet is a truly awesome place and I can’t count the times that a I did get carried away while reading, watching or listening to these content creators, sometimes learning something new, sometimes deepening my understanding, renewing motivation or seeking advice, sometimes just enjoying the creativity and playfulness on display. 

cicerone press

A special thank you goes to the team at Cicerone Press. They trusted me with this project even before I trusted myself. They assigned me the best, kindest and most thorough editor I could have hoped for.  She combed through the manuscript with such an eye for detail and language that it humbled me, but also made me grateful for the many changes that enhanced the meaning of what I wanted to convey. As the production team set out to work, they brought text and photos together into a beautiful guidebook that looks inspiring and is easy on the eye. The marketing team is now in full swing to get the book into people’s hands. I could not have hoped for a better representation of the years of love and work I put into its content.

first guidebook

I would not have embarked on this journey without the success of an earlier guidebook. With my friend and co-author, we brought an idea to fruition, from concept and design to writing and publishing.  What we learned together proved a steppingstone for us both and we are very proud of each other’s achievements. (Update from June 2023: our second edition of the initial guidebooks is now available. We are very excited to present ‘Hiking Lysefjord and Beyond: day trips in the Stavanger Region’, available at all major online retailers.

my family

When my writing journey started in 2015, I could not have imagined what it is looks like today, with this new book and a blog to my name. None of it would have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of my family and our shared love for the outdoors. 

We moved to Norway in the summer of 2009. It was a very wet (and lonely) summer — we had relocated from an all year warm and much-loved country, arriving in a cold and rainy city, where many residents had left for their summer cabins or holidays. Our first attempts at experiencing the Norwegian outdoors are now part of our family folklore. “Remember the time when…”, followed by details as private as they are embarrassing. A few years later and we were hooked on Norwegian friluftsliv (outdoor life); kayaking, hiking and cycling in summer, alpine and cross-country skiing in winter.

Wonderfully effective for de-stressing while writing at the desk, my daughter’s messages and the shared cat videos often made my day. My son literally put the food on the table in the three weeks before the manuscript was due. My husband always carried the heavier backpack and walked every single stage with me over the course of these summers of hiking. He helped me record and organise hundreds of notes and thousands of photos, and kept me sane when IT problems hit a week before the deadline. He read and re-read drafts, double-checked facts and Norwegian spellings, all while brewing innumerable cups of tea.  On and off the track they soothed mind, nerves and limbs. Simply, this book would not have been written without him.

Thank you all.

Photo credit: Cicerone Press; cover photo of Hiking in Norway - South/the 10 best multi-day treks, Ute Koninx

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