A log flume stretching over 4 kilometres is well maintained and can be visited in Southern Norway. We obviously needed to check this out and brought along our hammocks and some chocolate to investigate

Since the log flume was rather long and also featured a decommissioned hydroelectric power plant along the way we decided to bring the hammocks and spend a night here. The trip can be seen in the video below:

We travelled to Vennesla near Kristiansand in the afternoon and started hiking before sunset. The log flume was (and still is) under maintenance, so out of the four kilometres three of them were accessible.

We decided to hike until we found a suitable place to hang our hammocks on the first day and explore the rest the next morning. After walking about half the flume and having crossed a spectacular suspension bridge (yes, a log flume suspension bridge!) we arrived at an area close to the closed hydroelectric power plant. A lot of meltwater caused high water levels and both trees and a part of the path to the power plant was submerged in the cold water.

The night wasn’t going to be as idyllic as the surroundings though. Why we were so poorly prepared after spending so much time camping outdoors is a bit strange. But we did expect it to be warm when we packed our bags in June (yes, it has taken us a long time to publish this). First the mosquitos arrived, seemingly happy to see us. And the mosquito repellent was of course safely stored back home… Then came the cold. Even though we had some warm clothing the bottom of the hammocks became so cold. We did know that it was wise to bring sleeping mats, but didn’t think it was necessary. We were so wrong… The result was a big lack of sleep and not exactly the night we had imagined.

The benefit of barely two hours of sleep is the possibility to get up early and explore with no-one else around. Around four o’clock it was extremely quiet and we even saw a beaver swimming around the power plant. We tried to get closer to take a photo, but it decided to dive and disappear.

Despite the less pleasant night it was about to get a lot better. When the sun rose it became substantially warmer and the mosquitos appeared to retreat to wherever they came from.

The second suspension bridge was actually even bigger and better than the first one, and just as fun to cross. On the other side there was a bench, so we decided to stop for lunch.

Just beyond this bench the log flume stopped. Or, it was closed off. This was the part that’s under maintenance and once completed it will extend the hike for another kilometer. There is a low tunnel through the mountain here that looked exciting. A bit of a shame that we couldn’t check it out, but at least it’s an excuse to return. The maintenance is scheduled to finish in the summer of 2021, so with a bit of luck it should be possible to check out this season.

There is a parking lot next to the start of the log flume and the hike is suitable for most people. The starting point can be found on Google Maps here. The parking lot is on the other side of the bridge right next to the river.