Travel: Norway

Hordes of camera-wielding tourists pour off the train armed with more flashes than grace the average David Beckham photo call. With a ruthlessness worthy of the paparazzi, cagoule-clad families elbow their way across the platform to lean over a fence, below which thunders a torrent of white water. Even a distance away from the waterfall, the cagoules serve their purpose as spray patters on to heads and digital cameras are held at arm's length.

As I retreat from the crowd to the tranquillity of the now empty carriage, an ethereal music booms, in slightly tinny fashion, from the cascading water. A figure with blonde flowing hair and an equally flowing blue dress emerges from behind a rock, swaying and dancing to the music. Her emergence sparks a new frenzy from the throng on the platform on one of the steepest railways on earth. The Flam Railway.

It took 18 years to build 20km of line which, at times, literally takes your breath away as the cliff disappears from under you, revealing a sheer drop of hundreds of feet.

Construction began in 1923 and 18 of the 20 tunnels were hacked out by hand. On the train a running commentary regales us with tales including that of a beautiful mountain maiden who tempts shepherds into the peaks with an ethereal song, never to be heard of again.

Fortunately, none of my fellow passengers is tempted this time, and the train heads further up on to the Myrdal Plateau, where you can step out on to a lonely station, join the main Oslo to Bergen line and speed comfortably back to Bergen in two hours.

At the other end of the mountain line, the tiny, serene village of Flam lies deep in a glacier-carved valley at the end of Sognefjord – Norway's deepest and longest. Flam offers an absolute retreat from hectic city life. However, that needn't be a retreat from comfort. The wooden Flamsbrygga Hotel is a charming building dedicated to relaxation. An enthusiastic receptionist tells me guests ask where they can buy one of the hotel's beds, but the restful sleep they're enjoying may be more down to the fresh and unpolluted air and the days spent hiking.

From here you take the five-hour express boat back to Bergen with Fjord Tours along the waterway affectionately dubbed the King of Fjords. Ominous mountains plunge into the black, pure waters of the fjord as you speed along this immense waterway carved by the power of ice. Norway has nine of the world's 20 highest waterfalls, and most of these blast into fjords. Even on rainy days the fjords are beautiful, with dramatic dark rain clouds looming over the islands that dot these waterways.

The passenger transfers that take place mid-fjord are a source of entertainment. A network of trips from Fjord Tours offers flexibility by allowing people to swap boats. Our vessel swings around behind a large ferry, huge orange balls are flung over the side by the crew, taking the impact as the boats swing side-by-side. A gangplank is quickly lowered allowing a group to trot over to the neighbouring boat, and within moments both vessels are separating, and the crowds of passengers waving to each other with delighted smiles.

But Norway isn't all about fjords and hiking. At the end of the boat's journey is the bustling city of Bergen, sprawling and modern with a compact historical centre, and packed with museums – useful in a country that seems to have even more rain than Scotland.

This port was a stronghold of the Hanseatic German traders, offering a perfect haven for vessels. The colourful 17th-century wooden buildings on the waterfront are em-blematic of the city.

A trip to the Hanseatic Museum on the waterfront is a must. An owner with foresight battled through times when city fathers wished to demolish these buildings and create a modern waterfront.

Bombing in the Second World War brought other priorities for rebuilding and by the time this district could be considered again, there was more sympathy for these architectural relics.

They now house gift shops and the museum itself, preserved in its original state, offers a fascinating insight into life for the exclusively male German traders, who were fenced off from the rest of the city and banned from consorting with Bergen's beauties.

Seeing the enclosed bed chambers, a secret passage to the boss's bedroom and a darkened, secure showroom for produce will transport you to a bygone age and the tour is highly recommended.

Other sites worth seeing are the Rosenkrantz Tower, a fortress at the entrance to the harbour which dates back to 1560, particularly as Scottish masons, employed for their expertise, have carved their mark here.

A more modern curiosity is the Leprosy Museum. It's best to go after lunch as exhibits include preserved limbs damaged by this cruel disease, as well as images and tales of its ravaged victims.

The building was once a hospital and place of research for medical experts battling to find a cure for this once mysterious condition.

Should you emerge and find the city bathed in sunshine, a seven-minute ride on Scandinavia's only cable railway will take you from the heart of the city to the edge of the wilderness. Via the Floi-banen, soar 320 metres above sea level for a leisurely sunlit stroll through pine forest, past mountainside wooden houses and back down to the city centre again. From the top there are tremendous views of the city where you can clearly see the contrast between the old quarter and the new developments.

My final stop was the Bergen Museum, where a friendly member of staff confirmed that with my name and Skye ancestry it is likely I am the scion of Norwegian Vikings. As I browsed the black and white photographs of Norwegian farmers on display, I thought how they could easily be my own Scottish crofting ancestors; another reminder of the connections between our two nations.

Despite that link, I decided against the long-boat option my predecessors took, and made the return trip by air.

The facts Wideroe offers the Explore Norway Ticket, allowing unlimited internal flights for two weeks for 415 per person including UK connecting flights. The airline flies from Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Bergen. See www.wideroe.no Fjord trips with Fjord Tours start from about 100 for a day. The firm also offers a Fjord Pass for hotel discounts. See www.fjordtours. com Thon Hotel Bristol Bergen, Torgalmenn-igen 11, Bergen (www. thonhotels.com, 0047 55 55 1000). B&B from 170pppn. Bergen Tourist Board offers a discount Explore Bergen Card for about 18 for 24 hours. See www.visitBergen.com

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• This article was first published in The Scotsman, Saturday March 13, 2010