Breheimen. From perennial ice to lush valleys with transhumance farms

Transcription

1 Breheime From pereial ice to lush valleys with trashumace farms

2 2 3 Dulsete i Mørkridsle (TD) Hestbrepigga see from Blåhø (TD) Glaciers, peaks, plateaus ad valleys Breheime has some of the wettest ad the driest parts of the coutry. The park spas from almost sea level to well over 2000 m. The ladscape has bee shaped by glaciers, avalaches ad other geological processes through hudreds of thousads of years. Toy, you ca see everythig from lush valleys with trashumace iry farms to barre moutais ad glaciers. Breheime is oe of the most varied atioal parks i Norway. O the summit of Vagse (1757 m a.s.l.) i Jostele, with Sekkebree i the backgroud (JAG)

3 4 5 Straumle Sprogl cabi (TD) Hikig i Lule (OR) ENJOY THE SCENERY With its close o 300 km of marked paths, Breheime has bee temptig hikers ito the moutais for may years. Yet may of the routes are amog the most demadig i souther Norway, partly because the marked paths i the area are fewer ad ot so visible i the terrai as i more visited atioal parks, ad the cabis are mostly self-service. Whe you are hikig i Breheime, you experiece the stilless of ature ad magificet valleys, plateaus ad peaks. I summer, you ca meet grazig livestock o the may trashumace farms. The Hestbrepiggae are the loftiest peaks i Breheime, ad Nordre Hestbrepigge reaches 2172 m a.s.l. Tverråls kyrkja (2088 m a.s.l.) is perhaps the best-kow peak, towerig over oe of the paths from Sota to Nørdstelseter. Wherever you begi, the ascet of Tverrålsskyrkja takes a whole y. The most widely used routes ito the are via Sota, Lule, Grotli, Høyle, Sogefjellet, Nørdstele, Mørkridsle, Vigle, or alog Vale ad Vivatjøi i the valley of Jostele. Remember that crevasses may make it hazardous to hike o a glacier. You must always use a rope ad other safety equipmet whe you are o a glacier, ad also kow how to remai safe there. You ca also hire a guide. Several compaies ad moutaieerig huts offer guided walks i the park, both easy skiig ad ramblig trips ad more demadig climbs o glaciers ad peaks. Several lakes ad rivers i Breheime have good trout fishig, particularly the larger lakes. Fish have bee released to improve the stocks i may lakes. Remember to have a fishig licece.

4 6 7 Harbard glacier (TD) Drivadefosse i Mørkridsle (TD) Ladscape ad geology Glaciers, peaks, uplad plateaus ad trashumace valleys The wester part of Breheime is a rugged ladscape of steep moutais ad deep valleys, but the easter part is more getly slopig. This is partly because the wester part is domiated by hard Precambria bedrock, whereas softer, more easily weatherig schists predomiate further east. Aother reaso is that durig the ice ages it was mostly the glaciers west of the watershed that scoured out the terrai. I the east, distict traces of the getle pre-glacial terrai, called the palaeic surface, are still to be see. Moraie soils left behid by the retreatig glaciers offer a good basis for plat life. Lakes ad rivers Breheime has umerous rivers ad a wealth of waterfalls that tumble dow the moutaisides. Several of the rivers flowig mostly or etirely withi the park have bee protected for may years from beig developed to geerate hydroelectricity. They iclude the Mørkrid, Strye, Måråe, Glitra, Blakåe, Ostre (ad Tudra), Skjøle ad Bøvre. The rivers, which origiate i the may glaciers, help to esure very varied plat ad aimal life. Drivadefosse, i the valley of Mørkridsle, is the best-kow waterfall. The valley of Dummle has the largest limestoe caves i souther Norway. They were formed by water slowly dissolvig the limestoe over thousads of years ad are therefore very vulerable to mage. Hestlshøgdi from Ledfjell (PD) View alog Sprogle towards Grei glacier (MC)

5 Grotli La ss gva e Reiheime NP ggi Hosrøve NR Stryefjellet LVO M å år le Skridulaupbu Raudlsvatet Døfosse Bismo Sekkebree Jostelsbree NP Liavatet KupeSlæom 1728 Kupvatet 1768 Styg geva tet le S t ve ar sk t So Tu a dr BREHEIMEN NATIONAL PARK Tudralskyrkja Tverrålskyrkja 1970 Jostelsbree g pro Lom Sota seter Mysubytta LVO Tverreggi 2047 le Gjelhøi 1982 Trulsbu Sproglshytta 1757 Vigle LVO Ofsarvatet Kattøyro 1411 Tusse Skjolde 1232 Fortu B ø v d er al e 1777 Juvasshytta Jotuheime fjellstue Spiterstule 1634 Krosshø Fast Mørkridsle LVO Åsetvatet Storhøi Bøverto skysstasjo Dumhøe Storevatet Stølsle Vogse Viglstøl Sveilsosi Spørteggbree Prestesteisvatet le le Liabrekule ale Geis Vale 2021 m Høyrokampe NR Nørdstelseter 1775 Lo 2172 LVO1492 leblåhøe Liabrevatet Gråosi Hesthøi Storivile g i 2068 Krossbu Sogefjellshytta Jotuheime NP Leirvassbu u Gjerde l Hestbrepigga Høy Aretzbu g se Svartlsvatet Harbardsbree Nigard et e Raubergstule Fåberg rt Nigardsbree NR L Lu vat als ad d u Holåti Fortuls- Illvatet bree 2088 Fo Nigardsbree Hestlshøgdi 2091 Breilsvatet Josted Formgjevig og digital kartografi: Gåsvat kart-tjeester, Digitale kartta: States kartverk N250. Løyve r. MAD12002-R Hjelle Ottale LVO Polfoss Glittervatet Raudeggbree Videseter Turtagrø Fivla Fuglesteg Faaråkhytta Utlale LVO Leged Couty boury Natioal Park Cetre Staffed lodge Natioal Park Iformatio Self-service cabi Protected Ladscape Area Car park No-service cabi Nature Reserve Camp site Natioal Park Village Overight accommotio Café/restaurat 0 km km

6 10 11 Lithuaia maa-grass (TD) Lady s-slipper orchid (OR) Wild reideer (MK) PLANT LIFE ANIMAL LIFE The plat life i the shows particularly broad diversity attached to alpie terrai, avalache scars, aciet piewoods, calcareous birch woodlad, rich ad old broad-leaved deciduous woodlad, waterfall spray zoes ad fluvioglacial deltas. The plats iclude strogly westerly species (straw sprogwort, a liverwort), distictly easterly species (Lithuaia maagrass), southerly species (Dicraum viride, a fork-moss) ad ortherly species (Braya liearis, a orther-rockcress). There are also alpie species (Draba cacumium, a whitlow-grass), cotietal species like glacier buttercup, species which maily occur i cetral Norway (commo sea-buckthor) ad species with a disrupted iteratioal distributio (water rock-bristle, a moss). May rare Red Listed species, icludig lady sslipper orchid ad bristly bellflower, are foud ear Høyrokampe ad i Mørkridsle, ad Norway has iteratioal resposibility to protect such species. Breheime is the home of wild reideer. The third largest strai i Norway is foud i Ottale, ad the makes up the souther part of this area. Norway has iteratioal resposibility to protect the wild reideer habitat. Apart from wild reideer, aimal life i the high moutais is comparatively sparse. However, several big pretors (especially wolveries), raptors (golde eagles, gyr falcos ad rough-legged buzzards) ad other Red Listed birds are foud there. There are also commo birds like sow butigs ad wheatears. Several rare birds, like white-backed woodpeckers ad twites, live i the lush valleys. The valleys also have good stocks of red deer, ad elk are commo i the easter valleys. Rhododedro lappoicum (OR) Wolverie track (JK)

7 12 13 Neighbourig protected areas Mørkridsle Protected Ladscape Area (34.7 km 2 ). There are may well-kept trashumace iry farms here, ad livestock still graze the old cultural ladscape. The outstadig River Mørkrid supports a particularly large variety of plats. Høyle (OG) HISTORY Old ad ew use of the moutais Dow the years, the people livig aroud the park have bee strog ivolved with the moutais, hutig, fishig, trashumace farmig ad joureyig betwee south-easter ad wester Norway. The wild reideer are importat for uderstadig the cultural heritage history of Breheime. People who lived by hutig reideer could probably ihabit parts of Breheime aroud 7000 BC, after the ice had retreated. There are may cultural heritage sites ad relics liked with wild reideer hutig, both stray fids like arrowheads ad permaet hutig ad trappig systems. Pitfalls are particularly otable. Wild reideer are still huted toy, thus maitaiig a 9000 year-log traditio. The remais of three sælehus, which offered simple, overight shelter to medieval travellers crossig the Breheime moutais, ca still be see. May trashumace iry farms i the valleys have old buildigs that are still i use, i Mørkridsle, Mysubytta, Høyle ad Vigle, for istace. Sheep, goats ad cattle graze here i summer. Vigle Protected Ladscape Area (29.2 km 2 ). Vigle shows evidece of a uusual evet at the ed of the last Ice Age. A glacier arm from the Jostele ice cap wet part way up the valley of Vigle ad met aother arm that came dow the valley. The collisio formed moraie ridges that are importat for uderstadig the climatic history of the area. This area, aroud the trashumace farms of Viglstøl ad Breisetestøle, is ow a extremely valuable cultural ladscape. Mysubytta Protected Ladscape Area (5.58 km 2 ) was desigated to safeguard valuable cultural ladscape with trashumace farms ad cultural heritage relics, as well as the sceery alog the river ad the varied aimal ad plat life. Stryefjellet Protected Ladscape Area (11.8 km 2 ) has great sceic qualities, icludig a outstadig U-shaped valley, cultural heritage relics liked with the old moutai road crossig Stryefjell ad a beautiful river. The area is also importat for the wild reideer. Høyle Protected Ladscape Area (11.1 km 2 ). Lake Høyl ad the river are importat elemets i the ladscape, i additio to cultural heritage relics, trashumace farms ad outstadig biodiversity. Høyrokampe Nature Reserve (9.91 km 2 ) is a superb area cotaiig may rare vascular plats, liches, mosses ad fugi. It is thus especially valuable for research ad teachig. It has a great variety of habitats, icludig atural grasslad, avalache grasslad, calcareous woodlad ad rocks. A old bowma s hide (JK) Mysubyttsetra (JK) Hosrøve Nature Reserve (16.4 km 2 ) has virtually pristie woodlad with idigeous plats ad aimals. The area is little disturbed by ifrastructure ad has oe of the largest kow occurreces of the rare wolf liche.

8 14 15 Breheime Natioal Park i brief A sigpost (JK) I a atioal park, you are oe of Nature s guests Go wherever you wat, o foot or o skis. Aythig with a egie is basically baed. Stop wherever you wat, ad camp for the ight if you wish, but tidy up afterwards ad take your rubbish home. You may light a fire, but remember the geeral ba o fires i woodlad betwee 15 April ad 15 September. Show cosideratio whe you gather firewood, do ot fell old trees sice they are importat for isects ad birds. You may pick berries, mushrooms ad commo plats for your ow use. Show cosideratio for cultural heritage sites, vegetatio ad aimal life. Take extra care i the breedig seaso. Hutig ad fishig are allowed, as elsewhere. Remember to buy hutig ad fishig liceces. Do ot use live fish as bait. You must ot take live fish from oe river or lake to aother. You may have a dog with you, but remember to keep it o a leash (the boroughs have slightly differet by-laws regardig this). ISBN (Prited) ISBN (Pdf) Layout: Guri Jermstad AS. Photographers: Odd Repp (OR), Morte Kiellad (MK), Ola Gjeilo, Visus (OG) Per Steiar Løkke (PSL), Morte Clemetse, Aurlad Naturverkstad (MC), Per Dagsgard (PD), Joh Ato Gladstø (JAG), Tom Dybwad (TD) ad Jør Karlse (JK) Cover photo: Tverrålskyrkja with reideer o Sjellflye (PSL) Where: The boroughs of Skjåk ad Lom i the couty of Opplad ad Luster i Sog & Fjore How to reach the : Rv 55 betwee Luster ad Lom over Sogefjellet ad Rv 15 betwee Lom ad Stry over Stryefjellet are the pricipal roads leadig to the Breheime Natioal Park. The most frequetly used gateways are Sota, Lule, Grotli, Høyle, Sogefjellet, Skjolde/Mørkridsle, Vigle ad Jostele. There are also good car parks there. Iformatio o overight accommotio ad other services: Luster Tourist Iformatio Office, phoe , Skjåk Tourist Iformatio Office, phoe (ope i summer) Lom Tourist Iformatio Office, phoe , See also Cabis: You ca use may cabis ad lodges close to ad withi the park. They are owed by a variety of orgaisatios, icludig the Norwegia Trekkig Associatio (DNT, seve self-service cabis) ad Skjåk Almeig. Check the stard beforehad, who ows the cabi ad whether it is ulocked. Sota Sæter (DNT), Krossbu (private), Sogefjellshytta (private) ad Nørdstelseter (DNT) are four staffed lodges situated just outside the park boury. Maps: Several maps i the Norge 1: set Breheime 1: Breheime 1: Hikig map Skjåk 1: Hikig map Lom-Vågå 1: Desigated: 2009 Area: 1691 km 2 Adjacet protected areas: Stryefjellet Protected Ladscape Area Mysubytta Protected Ladscape Area Høyle Protected Ladscape Area Mørkridsle Protected Ladscape Area Vigle Protected Ladscape Area Hosrøve Nature Reserve Høyrokampe Nature Reserve Natioal Park Cetres: Breheim Cetre, Jostele, phoe , Norwegia Moutai Museum i Lom, phoe , Maagemet ad supervisio: Local Board for Norwegia Nature Ispectorate, phoe More iformatio: Prit: GRØSET

9 NORWAY S NATIONAL PARKS Norwegia atioal parks are our commo atural heritage We set up atioal parks to safeguard large areas of coutryside from the seashore to the moutaitops. For Nature s ow sake, ourselves ad future geeratios. Natioal parks boast magificet sceery with varied aimal ad plat life, waterfalls, glaciers, lofty moutais, edless plateaus, deep forests ad lush woodlads, ad beautiful fjords ad coasts. You will also fid cultural heritage remais showig how the areas were used i the past. The atioal parks offer a multitude of opportuities for thrillig ecouters with atural history. Make use of our magificet ature o its ow terms. Welcome to Norwegia atioal parks!