DD - Flipbook - Page 1
28 June to 10 July 2026
Day 10
Molde to Balestrand (371km)
8 July 2026
Today was easier and shorter but, thanks to
Norway’s geography, no less spectacular and
dramatic. The roads were mostly tarmac and
wider than those of yesterday afternoon, plus we
had three Regularities and one Test to keep the
pressure on the leaderboard.
We also took to the high seas again, with two ferry crossings
in the morning. The first was within 3km of leaving the
hotel in Molde, which whisked us over the fjord and into
the first Regularity at the Kjersemfjell. Here a herd of cows
and a flock of sheep caused some of the crews to drop time
across the steep and broken hillside.
Another ferry delivered us to a Time Control in Stranda,
where a huge plate of freshly baked patisserie lay in wait at
the Dreges Hotell. The Rally did its best to do them justice
and, once fully sated, left for the lofty heights of a very
scenic Passage Control at the Geirangerfjord Viewpoint in
Ljøen Utsiktspunkt.
The Markane Regularity was a map reading exercise on a
network of minor roads towards the Innvikfjorden before
we crossed the hills at Breimsbygda to a deep glaciated
valley and pulling into lunch at the Time Control in the
Stardalen Sommarkafe. The Øvingsbane Jølster driving
centre was right next door, giving crews an easy transition
from dining room to the start line. The test was very similar
to the one yesterday afternoon, with some tight turns and a
little sideways action.
A picturesque Regularity along the shores of the
Jølstravatnet brought the day’s competition to an end.
However, the fun wasn’t over thanks to a long and incredibly
scenic pull to a Passage Control on the spectacular Utsikten
Gaularfjellet. From the viewing platform, which stands
high over a set of hairpin bends, we took time to snap a
few selfies before winding our way down towards the MTC
and night halt in Balestrand village.
In this small settlement, population 785, on the shore
of the Sognefjorden, we enjoyed the delights of one of
Norway’s most iconic hotels, Kviknes, sitting right on the
water’s edge. Reputedly the first ‘fjord hotel’ in Norway,
the original establishment can trace its history to 1852,
with the current hotel managed by the Kvikne family
since 1877.
www.rallytheglobe.com
