06 June | Sheeps Inn

Bicycles: on- and off-road

Exploring the Oslo region and city is especially great by bicycle. There are lots of cycle tracks in and around the city and throughout the region. Norway has been enthusiastic in encouraging people to cycle to work or free time activities. Tourists to our region can hire cycles at Viking Biking or to join one of their organised bike tours. Click on the link for many exciting suggestions and prices.

For those who have their own bike, the forests surrounding the city offer amazing off-road tracks and of course the forests are for everyone to enjoy, whether by bicycle or on foot.

Looking down on Oslo city

Biking in the Oslo forests in December

As you can see from the picture, it is possible to rent off-road bikes at Oslo sommer park at Tryvann. Oslo Sommerpark is at the top of the Holmenkollen hill. In winter this is where you find many slalom/snowboard tracks while in summer it is a great starting place for cycling in the forests above Oslo. This is also where you find the beautifully situated Climbing Park with one of Scandinavia’s biggest and best rope courses

Visit a Lighthouse

A pleasant drive of about three quarters of an hour takes you to Filtvet lighthouse (Filtvet fyr). It is also possible to take the 250 bus going south from Vollen and change to the 85 bus. This bus trip takes about an hour but check on the bus planner. Filtvet is an important lighthouse at the entrance to the narrowest part of the Oslo fjord. The restaurant, Villa Malla, is right beside the lighthouse and commands an amazing view of the fjord and the passing ships and boats of all sizes. Visitors can enjoy Mediterranean style lunch or dinner buffets or just buy icecream. At lunch time, you can have a sustaining bowl of soup of the day while watching for some of the world’s largest cruise ships to pass by – or just a few sailboats. If planning on having dinner, check http://villamalla.no/info/ to ensure that the restaurant is not closed for a special event such as a wedding.
Right beside the restaurant you might like to visit the art gallery, Galleri Malla, sunbathe on the sandy beach or have a swim in the fjord. The most adventurous might like to book a water scooter for speed on the fjord…

After visiting Filtvet, you might like to return to Sheeps Inn by driving up the west side of the peninsula, perhaps visiting the picturesque village of Holmsbu. Alternatively you could return along the Oslo fjord coast, through the villages of Sætre, Båtstø, Nærsnes and Slemmestad.

Children’s playgrounds and training apparatus for all ages

Every school and kindergarten in Norway has an outdoor playground. During school hours these are for the use of the children attending that place. However after 17:00 on weekdays, at weekends and during national or school holidays, most of these may be used by all children. There are several in and around Vollen. By walking down to the village and across towards Arnestad school, you will find five fun outdoor playgrounds and also outdoor training apparatus for older children and adults.
New in 2019, is a kilometer long track around the school grounds for roller skiing. Children can also practise cycling skills there. The track is, of course, also used for cross country ski practice in the snowy months of the year.

The pictures below are from May 2018 and as well as showing some of the playgrounds at Arnestad school, they also show one of the tee-offs and a hole at the new Frisbeegolf. The whole course is found throughout the forest and down to the seaside at Vollen. This frisbeegolf course attracts keen adult experts who are amazing to watch in action, and also complete beginners and all those whose skill lies in-between! I have some frisbees for SheepsInn guests who would like to try so just ask me if you’d like to borrow them.

Below are a couple of photos from April, as the snow was finally melting in Vollen. Maybe not as pretty as in spring and summer, but still a great place for children to enjoy.

Magic Ice, Oslo

Magic Ice is found in four towns in Norway (and also in Anchorage, Alaska, Copenhagen, Denmark and Reykjavik, Iceland) The photos here were taken in Svolvær, in Lofoten in the North of Norway but the concept is much the same at each location. On entry you are given a warm robe and gloves as the temperature is several degrees below zero Celsius. Then a drink at the Ice Bar and afterwards you have fun wandering round the ice-blue rooms filled with ice statues.
The Oslo Magic Ice is right in the centre of Oslo.

Opening times:
Monday – Thursday and Sunday from 11:00 to 23:00
Friday and Saturday till midnight.

Admission price is NOK 195,- which includes a welcome drink served in an ice glass and a winter poncho to wear in the exhibition hall. Children pay 50% and there are discounted prices for families and students

Ice-cream in Vollen

Especially in the summer season, there are lots of places where you can enjoy some delicious Norwegian ice-cream in Vollen village. Here are some we recommend:

In the picture below, Sofie is enjoying a BIG soft ice from Vollen Marina sports shop. This is the store where you can buy sailing equipment, clothes, hats and lots more good quality articles for summer sports.

Of course there is an assortment of delicious ice cream desserts at Vito’s Restaurant just behind her in the picture. Vito’s is open from April to late autumn and is the place to buy take-away pizza and other Italian meals, or have a meal or drink inside or out while watching boating life.

The closest place to buy ice-cream when you are down at the beach in Vollen, is in the Fjord Museum. On your way up or down from the beach, you might like to enjoy a delicious ice-cream in the Greek restaurant, Elea, just across the street from the supermarket. However it is cheapest to buy ice-cream in REMA 1000 supermarked – look for special offers of boxes of six.

Café Oscar in the village centre, sells ice-creams as well as lots of wonderful cakes and bakes. The soft-ice machine has an exciting strawberry soft-ice as well as the usual vanilla! Below Liam is enjoying some soft-ice in March… looks as if he’s enjoying it!

Hunderfossen Family Park with lots of trolls!

For those traveling north from Oslo, the Hunderfoss Family Park, about 3 hours by car from Vollen, at Lillehammer, is just great for children, big and small. There are dozens of great activities for each age group but perhaps this park is most famous for the big Fairytale cave where children and adults can enjoy reliving some of the most famous fairytales, involving princesses, kings, princes and TROLLS!

You will find lots of information about the park throughout the year and also about the Hunderfossen Snowhotell on the Hunderfossen website