Things we learnt Kayaking

Soljyst Marina, Oslo Kayak Tours, Oslo

My travelling buddy has always been a big fan of Viking history. For his birthday we agreed a trip to Oslo for the Viking Ship Museum would be perfect. In order to throw something a bit unusual into the mix, I decided to look for an outdoor activity that would give us an opportunity to get out and about on the fjords.

After a bit of research (read as “3 days googling, a migraine and an emergency gin to make it all stop”) I settled on kayaking.

I made contact with Oslo Kayak Tours who were swift and friendly in booking us a three hour tour from Sjolyst Marina on a Sunday morning.

When the day came for our fjord adventure we jumped on a train from Oslo Central Station. It quickly became apparent that we’d made a typically strong start- our train was heading in the wrong direction. A change of train and a quick apology phone call to Oslo Kayak Tours and we were back on route.

On arrival we were met by Annett who was taking our group kayaking. She swiftly fitted us out in life jackets, water shoes and strings for our sunglasses. We were given kayaks and shown how to safely get in before we were launched into the marina.
Oslo Kayak Tours, Sjolyst Marina, Oslo

After a bit of spinning gently in a circle we got a handle on the kayaks and off we went. Our group made our way out into the fjords with Annett telling us all about the nature and the land marks as we went.

It was all so peaceful, and pristine, and beautiful. A truly relaxing and joyful experience. And then my travelling buddy happened.

In retrospect, maybe a whole weekend of Viking history was a little too much. He decided he was “going Viking”- he tried to plunder my kayak. As we both started to tip perilously close to the water, I knew I had to repel the invader.

Two things we learnt at that point:
1. There was a reason Annett suggested we tie our sunglasses to our heads
2. Fjords are not as warm as they look
Oslo Kayak Tours, Oslo fjords
A short lived career in piracy meets a wet end

Annett made fishing a fully grown man out of a fjord and back into a kayak look easy. Safely back in his craft, we continued our tour back to the Marina.

A word of caution is fair at this point: there are no changing rooms on this tour, which is not an issue at all unless you’ve fallen in and have to change. A quick change behind some bushes in the car park and we were ready to carry on our day.
Oslo Kayak Tours, Oslo fjords
We went on tour with Oslo Kayak Tours (http://www.oslokayaktours.no/) for a three hour morning tour, leaving from Sjolyst Marina. A (correct!)  train from Oslo Central station  takes twenty minutes on the train and a 10 minute walk at the end to the Marina. Their customer service can not be beaten! It would be worth investing in a waterproof camera/smart phone case (ours was less than £10 from Amazon) and maybe your own sunglass string.

Comments

  1. I really love kayaking, but totally agree with the water looking warmer than it actually is. Even though one of you fell in, I sure hope it was fun!

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  2. Emergency gin is always needed. Looks like you had fun.

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  3. Kayaking is definitely harder than it looks! My first time, I flipped the boat more times than I care to admit. Looks like you had a fun adventure!

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  4. This is such a great post and your photos are beautiful! Oh man, I would not be happy falling in that water!!

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  5. Was it windy when you went? I love kayaking and I have thankfully yet to capsize! My first time ever resulted in circle spinning on a double kayak in the Olympic grounds in Beijing. Scenery there looks beautiful!

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  6. This looks like a lot of fun! I love viking history too, and I guess you got a taste of the viking life what with the water being cold and such:P Joking aside, the water looks lovely and your photos are gorgeous! I might be going to oslo next summer so thanks for the tip!

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  7. This looks hard, i wanted to try kayaking but I have this fear of being drown hahaha

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  8. This is so cute! I think kayaking is an amazing way to discover a new area. I tried it in New brunswick in Canada and I totally agree with you.

    elaishajade.com

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  9. that looks like a beautiful way to see the area and also get outside the city! I love these kinds of tours where you see things from a different perspective, i.e. looking up from a boat!

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