The Sogge Bridge crosses the Rauma river just outside Åndalsnes, and it is the last landmark of a long day on the Geiranger-Trollstigen route. Behind it, the valley of Romsdalen is a deep, steep-sided trench, with the Romsdalshorn, a pyramid of grey rock, rising to about 1,550 metres, and the Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, Europe's tallest vertical mountain face, nearly a kilometre of overhanging rock. Åndalsnes, about three kilometres away, is a small town of two thousand people at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, with fuel, shops, a railway station and a harbour. Climbers have come here for over a century, and BASE jumpers jump from the Troll Wall in summer.
You have just come down the Trollstigen, the Troll's Ladder, which drops from the plateau in eleven hairpins, with waterfalls pouring beside the road, including Stigfossen, which the road crosses on a stone bridge. It was opened in 1936 after many years of work, and it is one of the most famous roads in the world. At the top, a modern viewing platform of steel and glass hangs over the valley. The gradient is about one in ten, and the hairpins are tight, with narrow lanes where two buses can barely pass. Wet weather makes the surface slick, and fog can hide the bends.
The road is closed in winter, usually from October to May, and the date depends on the snow. Even in summer, snowdrifts may remain beside the road. In the valley, the weather is milder, but rain is frequent, since the mountains catch the clouds from the sea. Early morning and evening are the best times to avoid the tour coaches, which arrive in big numbers from the cruise ships at Geiranger and Molde.
At Åndalsnes, the Rauma Railway, one of the great scenic lines of Norway, runs through the valley to Dombås, passing tunnels, bridges and the Kylling Bridge, a stone arch high above the river. The valley is also known for its salmon river, and anglers cast from the banks. The town has a handful of cafes and restaurants, where you can have a waffle, fish soup or a plate of local cheese. Fill the tank here, relax by the water, and look back at the wall of mountains you have just crossed.