I’m going to start by saying…do not underestimate your 2-3 year olds. They are FIERCE and capable of way more than you can ever imagine. I’ll explain more later but let me start by saying taking my two toddlers on this trekking trip was the best decision we ever made. So if you’re currently asking yourself “should I take my kids on a trekking holiday?” the answer is YES..do it!
Every year for the past up to 8 or so years, a group of us friends had been going to Norway for a yearly hiking trip. Anyway, there were a couple years skipped (2020-2022) due to COVID and busy years…So when the time came to book our 2023 trip and all of a sudden we had two toddlers, it was a big conversation for us on deciding whether to take them or not. Fairly quickly we decided to take them both, a few reasons helped us but the main thing was knowing that we were going with a group of really close friends who love the kids, and that they were willing to help with bringing the kids on the hikes. So in June 2023 we set off for our hiking trip to Norway, Stavanger. A truly beautiful country – honestly the best views and freshest air I’ve ever witnessed – I couldn’t be more thankful to have been introduced to Norway. It would never have crossed my bucket list if not for this group.
We took the baby bjorn carrier (for Jaisal, 1.5 years at the time) and a carrier backpack (for Myla, 3 at the time) along with us. We ended up only using the carrier backpack as Jaisal hated being in the baby bjorn front carrier. So how did we carry Myla I hear you ask. Well…she walked pretty much the ENTIRE way. We did 2 treks in 2 days and she absolutely soldiered them both. That girl had me stunned at the way she climbed the rocks, walked down steep stones, walked for hours, all without a single moan! She loved it and was spurred on by all us adult cheerleaders along the way 🙂
We did two treks over the 4 days that we were there, and a few short walks. So here’s what our 4 days looked like…
Day 1:
The big one – a trail to the iconic Pulpit rock. It’s definitely not a flat trail. I’ll tell you that for nothing. Some parts were so steep even I was scared going up/down. We started off with the kiddos in carriers or the backpack, and that quickly ended up with Myla walking herself and Jaisal switching between being on Daddy’s shoulders and being in the backpack. I’d definitely recommend a shoulder carrier over a backpack carrier as it’s less strain on the shoulders and back. We didn’t actually invest in the shoulder carrier but I wish we did now. I found out about it after buying the back pack and it was too late by then. Lucky for us we had help with friends taking over to carry/help the little ones and I’m so so grateful we had them there. Not sure how we would have managed if it was just us 4! The view from the top of pulpit rock was INCREDIBLE. Pictures don’t do it justice at all. We were blessed with the perfect weather – a clear, sunny day with a cool breeze toward the top. For me this was the perfect time of year to go (I’m no good with snow and rain!).
The trail is quite rocky in some places and I would highly recommend hiking shoes with good grip. Carry loads of snacks and water especially with kiddos – even if they’re not walking they will deffo want snacks along the way no doubt!! We took a packed lunch with us for the whole group (bagels/sandwiches, crisps, snack bars and water), and ate just over halfway to the top. It was such a lovely little picnic and gave everyone the energy needed to reach the peak 🙂
Day 2:
A small hike up to Månafossen waterfall in Dirdal. It was a short but steep hike with beautiful views from start to finish. We had a big brunch before we left and took some lunch for the kids – and as always lots of snack bars for all. This was a much lighter trek timewise and effort wise but it still took a fair bit of energy to reach our stop point.
https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/norway/rogaland/manafossen-og-friluftsgarden-man
Day 3:
Rest day. By day 3 we thought the kids and us should rest so most of the group went to Kjerag and we took the opportunity to stay in PJs a little longer and go for a couple of short walks down to the local lake and around the area.
Day 4:
Check-out, explore a little, flight home. After a big breakfast we stopped at a lovely little park on the way to the airport to have a bit of a chill and walkabout before the flight home. The kids burned some energy here running around, getting in some of that clean fresh air and some snacking before the flight.
Must have items to take:
- Suncream
- Hats
- snacks! (food is pretty expensive in Norway so try pack from home as much as poss – snack/cereal bars are usually a good one)
- Water bottles
- Layering clothes – its gets quite cold the higher up you go so you need clothes that are easy to layer up and down
- trekking or walking shoes
- A good camera – photo don’t do this country any justice, it’s honestly STUNNING, but you’ll want the memories
- [This last one isn’t a must have but such a nice ‘to do’ at the end of a long trek] Accommodation with a hot tub! 🙂
Happy trekking!
~X~