Aurland is a village at the head of the Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the great Sognefjord, and it is one of the most scenic spots in western Norway. Fewer than two thousand people live in the municipality, and the village has a harbour, a few shops and a long tradition of farming, goat cheese and fishing. The Aurlandsfjord is narrow and deep, with steep mountains rising above, and the neighbouring Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a short distance away. Lærdalsøyri and Sogndal are the nearest towns, so fill the tank here before you set off.
The road you take from Aurland is the old mountain route to Lærdal, known as the Snow Road, which climbs over the Aurlandsfjellet plateau to about 1,300 metres. It is a National Tourist Route, and one of the great roads of Norway, with a viewing platform at Stegastein, a curved wooden-and-glass walkway that juts out 30 metres from the mountainside, 650 metres above the fjord. The view from the end, down the fjord and across to the far cliffs, is superb, and the structure is designed to feel as if it floats in the air.
Above the tree line, the road crosses a bare plateau of rock, snow patches and small lakes, and the atmosphere is stark and quiet. The surface is good, though narrow in places, and the gradients are steady. Weather is the main factor. The plateau is closed in winter, normally from late autumn to late spring, because of heavy snow, and snowdrifts can line the road well into June. In summer, fog and rain are possible, and even in July, it can be cold at the top.
The village is known for its brown cheese and for the Flåm Railway, a famous mountain railway that runs from Flåm, a few kilometres away, to Myrdal, one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world. Tourists arrive by cruise ships, so the summer days are busy, and the best time for riding is early in the morning. In the evening, when the crowds go, the fjord is calm and the light turns soft. A plate of fresh trout or a waffle with brown cheese makes a good start.