So, yesterday, you know how I said we didn’t do crowds?  Well, today, we did do shopping – the people had mostly dispersed.

The morning was spent wandering about the streets of Røros, looking at at it all.

There were many stalls selling just about everything (I love this sort of thing).

We sampled.

I tried not to mind.

We admired.

(eeek – Moomin cardigans – just eeek!)

In the various little alleyways off the streets were courtyards with folk who had come up with their sleighs and horses.

Singing and story-telling.

Possibly some drinking too!

Oh, wow.  The atmosphere.  The décor.  The everything.  I soaked it all up.  Norwegian chic at its best.

Røros is not a large town (Wikipedia says 3,718 so half the size of Lerwick), but everyone had made an effort.

What a beautiful place with amazing buildings …..

…. and innovation.

The horses, who had taken part in the Opening Ceremony, were mostly out of bounds and that was good. They deserved their rest but there were a few stabled in the courtyards dotted around who we could talk to.

And so we wandered.

Now was our opportunity to go into Røros church.

A place of peace and tranquility.

(and curtains too – I mean how beautiful is that?)

Yes, we did shop but mostly we browsed, tasted and chatted to the traders.

There was old and new to look at and want.  Oh yes, I wanted!

(I even looked for a bell for Lambie – he needs a bell!)

This is an old horse-drawn snow plough.

I asked permission before I took this photo – a kind Sami lady in full traditional costume.

Shopping in Røros is an experience and now I need to go back!

Once the Opening Ceremony to the 2017 Rørosmartnan was over, we made our way down the hill.

None of us do crowds, so we left!

Daisy and I were asked if we wanted to go on a sleigh ride with one of the groups still making their way to Røros.

We didn’t need asking twice.

The horses and sleighs had been travelling that morning and we could see that everyone had worked hard and were now resting.

There were a few fires lit in the snow and folk gathered around them, drinking and chatting.

What a fabulous atmosphere and we were made very welcome.  I wandered about with my camera accepting swigs of Aquavit (well, it would be rude to say no!)

The horses had everything they needed and were content.

Some were snoozing, eating, drinking and some were just watching.

And then it was time to go.

This is our horse who pulled our sleigh.

And these are our drivers.

And this may be the bottle of Aquavit that was regularly passed back to us (again, rude to say no!)

Daisy and I were made very comfortable. We covered ourselves with sheepskins (wool on the inside).  Perfection.

There was a definite Narnia moment and I will admit I had a yearn for Turkish Delight!

And this is the horse who was behind us.  We made friends – wonderful and he had a very kissable nosey.

I may have become obsessed with trees!

So, we sat, in our life of luxury, listening to the horses’ bells ring while they walked along ever closer to Rørosmartnan.

Cars?  Meh!

Behind us was a sledge with folk playing accordians and everyone was singing.

Two hours later, having said we would only stay for 30 minutes (!), we arrived at Dalsbygda.

Heaven, utter heaven.  I will never forget.

Ok, so where were we?

Ah, yes, the horse drawn sleighs had just appeared for the Opening Ceremony for the 2017 Rørosmartnan, Røros’ annual fair.

The horses and sleighs arrived in groups of about 6 or so and were grouped according to the district they had travelled from.  They were introduced to the crowd as they came up the hill.

There were 92 horses participating – from all over Norway and Sweden, taking up to 10-12 days to travel to Røros, stopping off and making camp at various farms en route.

The horses all wore bells, which made a beautiful noise.  Not sleigh bells, but big ringing brass bells that clanged as they walked.

The horses were predominantly the Dølehest breed – a solid Norwegian draft horse.  I think, and I could be wrong, that there were also some North Swedish Horses too.

There were a few Fjord horses too (I always love a Fjord horse) with their traditionally cut manes.

The horses were all very well-behaved, worked hard and looked good.  They knew their job.

I love  this horse. He was happily helping himself to the hay in the sleigh in front of him!

This is the Norwegian version of Iacs!

So, there you are – the first photos of the horses and sleighs.  Magical, utterly magical.

We’re back and where to begin – I really don’t know.  I think the best way is to describe it all is as it happened.

Day 1 – we sailed on the overnight boat, reached Aberdeen 07:00, taxi to airport, plane to Oslo, train to Hamar, hire car to Dalsbygda where we were staying a couple of nights.

A good night’s sleep and then off to Røros – a little mining town (for copper 1644 – 1977)

It was snowing lightly when we arrived and the stalls were setting up.

The buildings were beautiful.

“The modern-day inhabitants of Røros still work and live in the characteristic 17th and 18th century buildings which have led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Røros has about 80 wooden houses, most of them standing around courtyards. Many retain their dark pitch-log facades, giving the town a medieval appearance.” – Wikipedia

People were gathering for the opening ceremony.  We started at the bottom of the hill and walked up.

This is Røros church – apparently the 5th largest church in Norway and built in 1784.

We went inside the next day (photos then) and it was beautiful.

This is a typical traditional Norwegian “sod roof” or “torvtak”, ie turf roof.

The turf is efficient insulation whilst the birch bark underneath gives the waterproofing.

There were stewards ensuring everyone was where they should be.

We arrived early (an hour) to get a good spot for photos.

And then it started.  First music, some speeches, singing, drama and then wonderful dancing.

First up, were the reindeer pulling sledges with their Sami handlers.

I am now rather in love with reindeer.

And then the horses arrived…….

to be continued……./

And huge thanks for Nick for holding the fort in my absence.  I told you he was good!

(Nick here, guest blogging while Frances is in Norway)

In case you were wondering, despite the title I haven’t been to Canada yet (I would love to go, but time and funds haven’t permitted to date). However we have our own great (small ‘g’) Lakes here in the UK, in the form of the Lake District National Park (green pin)

The highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is surrounded by glacial valleys leading off in all directions, forming a series of lakes, tarns, waters and meres, most of which have stunning mountain scenery as a backdrop. It’s an endless source of beautiful landscapes, so I go as often as I can. (In truth, there is only one ‘Lake’ that goes by that name – Bassenthwaite Lake, which is actually a man-made reservoir – most of the rest are meres, tarns, waters and reservoirs).

The largest of the lakes, and by far the most touristy is Windermere, which lies to the south and east of the region. I last visited Windermere with the family in April last year, and one evening I headed down to a jetty by the waterside that I had spotted on a walk earlier in the day, and took a gamble with a long exposure photo of the jetty, without a clue what I would see in the final photo. I knew there were a few stars, but I was not prepared for the layer of mist hanging over the water surface, or the orange glow from the other side of the lake (presumably from street lights).

I returned a few days later at sunset (once the cloud and rain that the area is famous for had cleared), now knowing just how photogenic the jetty was, and managed to catch the last of the orange light.

Not far from where we were staying is a small hill, Orrest Head, which was a pleasant if muddy climb, with lovely views over the lake, and the occasional Danny.

Towards the southern end of the lake, past the tourist hotspot of Bowness-on-Windermere, is another small hill called Gummer’s How. From the top of this peak the mist over the lake combined with the angle of the sun and created a surprising low rainbow hanging over the water surface,

Another popular area which is less touristy than Windemere is the town of Keswick, which sits on the banks of Derwentwater in the northern end of the national park. Castlerigg Stone Circle is just a short drive (or walk if you are so inclined) from Keswick, and sometimes if you get there early enough. you can catch an inversion layer where mist hangs over the Naddle Beck valley behind.

Later that same morning we headed to the lakeside in Keswick itself, as the mist was just starting to burn off the lake surface.

As Keswick sits on the eastern bank of Derwentwater, the sunset from the waters edge can be pretty special too. Even Danny enjoys having a good paddle when the sky is putting on a show.

On the same side of the lake as Keswick, but further south, there is Ashness Bridge, a small humpback bridge with a set of cascading waterfalls flowing underneath. It’s a fair way up a steep slope, so from the viewpoint near the car park you can look out over the whole of Derwentwater far below.

If you continue west from Keswick you get to Braithwaite, from where you can take a road through Keskadale down to Buttermere, with the famous Buttermere Pines at the southern end of the lake. I took this route early one morning, leaving while it was still dark, and catching the first hints of colour in the sky over the valley before the full light of the sun hit the Buttermere pines an hour or so later.

Half way through the dale is Moss Force, a waterfall tumbling down the back of Buttermere Fell that is an easy walk from the road.

The sheer variety of scenery in such a relatively small area is what keeps drawing me back to the Lake District time and time again, and more recently, I’ve enjoyed hiking up the many challenging fells that may not be as tall as what you can find in Iceland, but the views from the top are unbeatable.