Prestvanet Lakeside Walk, Tromsų, Norway
This is a short circular walk from the centre of Tromsø, that anyone visiting Tromsø could enjoy - whether or not you are there to run a marathon! The route is variable, depending on how many of the attractive residential streets you want to wander along. It took me a couple of hours at a leisurely pace, stopping off for a while beside the lake.
I wasn't wanting a strenuous hike on the day of the race, but the weather was clearing up and I didn't want to waste the best weather of my visit so far. It was an opportunity to find an easy route through the city streets and see if I could find the country park which I had seen on the map, with a lake in the middle.
Setting out past striking statues
I set out just before midday from my hotel in Grønnegata, and walked northwards along it to the junction with Kongsbakken which rose directly up towards the peach-coloured façade of the city's main school building (you could easily start the walk from anywhere in the city centre). Then the road bent to the right, below Kongsparken which sloped up to the school.
Just at the bottom corner of the park were two life-size figures in black - an elderly man in a long coat with a young girl holding out her hand towards him. Presumably it had some educational significance. A plaque indicated the sculpture had been put there to mark the 200th anniversary of Tromsø in 1794. They reminded me somewhat of the statues of Desperate Dan and Minnie the Minx in Dundee City Square, erected a couple of years later!
I climbed the steps through the park up to the school, then round to the right rejoining the Kongsbakken which continued to bend uphill behind it. A bit further on, and two roads led off at angles to the right, with imposing grey timber buildings at the junction. They bore plaques indicated that they dated from 1890/1910. Of these 2 streets, I took the one on the left, which led up to the main city cemetery. I entered through a gap in the fence, but I later found there were plenty of official entrances from other streets.
It was a nice enough spot, as cemeteries go, with a timber chapel in the middle. I walked through to the other side to find a road junction where the city's Meteorological Institute was standing, and just beyond that the road started to pass the lake. I walked down to one of the paths skirting the lake, and stopped at various vantage points under the trees that lined the banks, watching the ducks and seabirds. There were plenty of other people out enjoying the Saturday sunshine.
Across the lake to the right, the peak of Tromsdaltingen had come into view. This was the mountain I had vainly hoped I'd be able to climb on the Thursday, with chance to recover before the marathon. However, the weather hadn't allowed it, and the amount of snow suggested I would have needed ice axe and crampons even in mid-summer. Although the lake was increasingly in sunshine, clouds still hugged the tops of the mountains.
Skirting further around the lake in a clockwise direction, more mountains appeared, and the clouds continued to melt away. A man and boy were feeding the ducks, but the seagulls soon spotted a free meal and descended in a frenzy of flapping feathers. There was a car park here, with information boards and an official-looking building.
The lakeside path continued around what seemed to be the head of the lake, with a stream trickling in, and on the other side there were thicker stands of young trees then a clearing with great views across the water. A large rock was conveniently positioned in front of the view, and I sat on it for 20 minutes or so, eating snacks to "carbo-load" for the race, writing notes in my diary and watching the birdlife. It was incredibly tranquil, and hard to believe that this was 400km north of the Arctic Circle!
Views from the streets of Tromsø
Then I continued down the east side of the lake, and the path left the lake shore. I found a route onto a residential street, then gradually worked my way back down to the city centre, turning right then left along one street then another. There were some great views of the buildings, down to the city centre and across to the Arctic Cathedral and Tromsdaltingen - now clear of cloud.
You can really take as long or as little time as you like! As usual I took lots of photos, and a few of them are shown here. A year later, it's great to look back on - an easy town and country walk with splendid views. If you happen to be stopping off in Tromsø, don't miss it!
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