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Comprising several interconnected stretches of water, the Nordfjord does not have quite the lustre of its more famous neighbours. But the compensation is the Jostedalsbreen glacier , a 500-square-kilometre ice plateau whose lurking presence dominates the whole of the inner Nordfjord region, its 24 arms flowing down into the nearby valleys, giving the local rivers and glacial lakes their distinctive blue-green colouring. In 1991, the glacier was placed within the Jostedalsbreen Nasjonalpark in order to co-ordinate its conservation. The main benefit of this for tourists has been to provide guided glacier walks (June to early Sept) on its various arms, ranging from two-hour excursions to all-day, fully equipped hikes. Prices start at around 100kr, with a half-day trip weighing in at about 250kr. A variety of places take bookings for the guided glacier walks - including Stryn tourist office - and these are accepted up until about 6pm the evening beforehand. Equipment is provided, though you'll need good boots, warm clothes, gloves and hat, sunglasses, and food and drink. With your own vehicle, you can get within easy striking distance of the designated starting points for all the glacier walks. By bus it's a little trickier, but it's usually possible with a bit of preplanning. These starting points are also the places to head for if you just want to get close to the glacier without actually getting on it; two such routes are detailed below. At the eastern end of the Nordfjord system, STRYN is the biggest town in the region and the most obvious target, though its modern centre is far from beguiling. Strynefjell is a natural stop for anyone interested in slalom skiing or snowboarding as the alpine centre on the glacier has good skiing conditions all year round. The town is also an important transport junction: buses stop beside the river, from where it's a five-minute walk east into the town centre, where the tourist office (June-Aug daily 9am-6/8pm) takes bookings for guided walks on the Jostedalsbreen. There's inexpensive accommodation in Stryn too, most conveniently at the fjordside Walhalla Gjestgiveri (tel 57 87 10 72; GBP15-20/$24-32), a delightfully unpretentious place down by the river, about 200m from the tourist office on Perhusvegen. The obvious alternative to Stryn is LOEN - just 11km southeast around the fjord along Hwy 60. The hamlet spreads ribbon-like along the low-lying, grassy foreshore within easy striking distance of an arm of the Jostedalsbreen glacier, and, like Stryn, it is on the main north-south bus route. It also has the big advantage of being home to one of Norway's more famous hotels , the Alexandra (tel 57 87 50 00, www.alexandra.no ; GBP40/$64 and over), a big and flashy modern block tucked in beneath the hills and fringed by carefully manicured gardens; the slightly less expensive motel-style Hotel Loenfjord (tel 57 87 57 00; GBP40/$64 and over), across the road, has comfortable modern rooms. The Alexandra has all the information you'll need about visiting the nearest glacier nodule, the Kjenndalsbreen, to the southeast of Loen.
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