Preikestolen – Pulpit Rock
We went to an area in the fjords, in the region of Stavanger called Preikestolen, better known as Pulpit Rock.
Preikestolen is a platform in a cliff 25 × 25 m wide, 600 meters high, directly to the Lysefjorden fjord.
The walking route is about 8km , to go back and forth, through trees, rocks, lakes, areas with snow and a rocky path.
The track is only ” open ” in the warmer months, that is between the end of March and the end of October, but it is always advisable before going, to see the weather.
There is a car park on the mountain already near the beginning of the route, but it costs 20 €, so we decided to park 7 km from this park and make the 2h walk.
Coordinates of the park where we spent the night with a motorhome without paying (Has bathroom):
59º00’19.6”N 6º04’13.6”E
We parked in a parking lot, which had a bathroom and an outdoor picnic tables, overlooking a large lake.
As it did not seem to us that there was any problem and there was no sign to say otherwise, we spent the night in this park.
As that place was going to be a unique moment of our lives, we decided to make it even more incredible and go see the sunrise at Preikestolen.
We got everything ready, we slept for a few hours in the late afternoon, and around 1 o’clock in the morning, we went backpacking for the famous stone.
The first stage of our walk was the 7 km along the road until you reach the park, where the pedestrian route starts.
The path is accessible to everyone, beside the path is not to hard, everyone can make it.
The average time estimate is about 2H each way .
The trail is always marked by a red “T” and at night the T is reflector, and when we look it with a flashlight it looks great.
Throughout the night we saw very little… we walked through wooden walkways, stones the size of soccer balls, climb the gender of a riverbed, climbed a stone staircase and then we came to a wider area with a very rocky terrain.
When we went it was late April and we still caught some snow on the walk, and it is necessary to take some precautions, like proper footwear.
When we realized that we had finally arrived we were very happy, it was around 4:30 in the morning and we still did not see anything, only the stars and the closest.
Around 5 o’clock in the morning, it was very cold, when the sky began to clear and we were absolutely fascinated by the scenery ahead of us.
A short time later the sun began to rise and was the culmination of everything, a sensation that becomes difficult to put in words, we absorb the first rays of sun, while we warmed and saw a breathtaking view.
After some time, the first faces start to appear, all fascinated with what they saw.
One thing we loved to see was the reaction of people to Pulpit Rock, it’s really one of those moments when we feel small, before the dimension of nature.
Around 10 o’clock in the morning, we started our journey back to the motorhome. When we went down the path it seemed like another one, since everthing was with light, we could see the size and the colors of what is around us.
There were many people of different nationalities going up from children to the elderly and even animals. Very nice to see all those people, who at that moment had a common goal .. to get to Pulpit Rock. When they asked us if it still took too long, we would only answer one thing. “The view is incredible.“
It was undoubtedly one of the best experiences we ever had and will stay forever in our memory.
The view was indescribable, with the sun rising right in the middle of the fjord.
For us, that we had left Portugal five months before, and after all we had been through, being there at that moment, watching that spectacle of life and nature, was undoubtedly a very strong feeling!
Overall recomentations:
- Wear suitable hiking shoes, especially if there is snow along the section;
- Bring comfortable clothing for walking;
- Bring at least 2L of water per person;
- Bring food, fruit and energy bars;
- Bring sunscreen;
- Take a raincoat in the backpack, in case it rains;
Recommendations for the path at night:
- Bring a good flashlight, per person;
- Tell someone that you will do the path at night;
- Wear a thermal sweater in the backpack, warm socks and if possible some pants, also to change. Because when we reach the top, after a course so large and always up, the body is sweaty and should be replaced by a dry one, at least the one that is in direct contact with the body.
- The first hours of daybreak are usually quite cold:
- All the above general recommendations
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