Gjendesheim is the place where Norwegian mountain romance meets Norwegian mountain reality. The long, green lake of Gjende lies below, coloured by glacial flour into a shade that looks like it came from a paint chart for a particular kind of dream, and above it rises the Besseggen ridge, one of the most famous walks in the country. Ibsen sent his hero Peer Gynt riding across it on the back of a reindeer, and generations of schoolchildren have never quite forgiven him for making it sound easy.
The riding here is a pleasure. The road approaches from the Bygdin side through open country, with the surface mostly smooth and the bends sweeping rather than sharp, and it climbs gently toward the highest section of the Valdresflye. The summit is at roughly 1,390 metres, so the air is brisk and the wind can bite. There are viewpoints where you can look down onto Gjende and its steep sides, and the contrast of the green water with the grey rock is the image that sells the whole route.
The area is part of the Jotunheimen National Park, and the walking is serious. Besseggen is a full day for most people, using a boat across the lake for one leg, and the weather can change fast. If you are riding rather than walking, the best plan is to stop, look, and take in the scale. The place gives a good sense of how the glaciers carved these valleys, and in the rock walls you can see the layers and scratches left by ice.
Gjendesheim is a mountain lodge and trailhead, so a simple meal and coffee are often available in the season, but do not count on a wide choice. Beitostølen to the south is the nearest place for any real resupply. Parking is busy on summer weekends, and the best hours are early morning or late afternoon, when the day-walkers are away and the light is low and warm.