Prestholtseter - Geilo

This is as traditional and local as you get it in Geilo. Located at the bottom of the infamous stair trail up to Hallingskarvet, this place serves simple lunch food in a real Norwegian environment. Be sure to have a bowl of Rummegraut , the sour cream porridge served with cinnamon&sugar. I have had the pleasure to have been at private parties at this gem, and a more Private party is hard to find as it is faaaar from residential areas. Enjoy!

First of all, the road toward Prestholtseter is breathtaking. There's a long winding road flanked by large open expanses of green dotted with white patches of snow (in the summer). It's a good 15-20 minute drive from Geilo city center. A few people somehow manage to make the walk. It's the last stop before you go up the mountain for a 2-3 hour hike.

We drove in to Presholtseter and started the walk up to Hallingskarvet on the 2000 stairs laid by Nepali sherpas. The trail was excellent, though quite steep. We initially wanted to do the whole Presholtrunde, but when we reached Presholtskarvet it was so foggy that we could not find the path. We decided to go down the same way we came up in order not to get lost. The way down was easy, and we ended the hike with rømmegrøt and waffles at Prestholtseter. Traditional Norwegian food. Seating both inside and outside. Good service and food. To be recommended, and the surrounding nature is amazing.

The best and easiest way is to drive by car from the center of Geilo to Prestholtseter turisthytte: a traject of about 11 kilometers. Map: [hidden link] After some kilometers you have to stop at a self-service entrance , that looks as if it is not that important to pay, but when opening the wooden box you will find special printed paper, to fill in some details of the car, and envelop for the charge (30 Kroner) and some pens to fill in all they wanted to know. One part of it is for taking with you, as a control, the other part, the envelop, is for dropping in the metal box , marked with a white arrow. Excellent. This money is in fact not for anything else than to maintain the road up to the start of Hallingskarvet National Park, to Prestholtseter. After several kilometers driving through landscapes with several holiday houses, hytta, nature starts to change. Not any tree, only green empty areas of low bushes. A huge impressive area expands everywhere. Overwhelming! Till finally Hallingskarvet mountain is looming. Breathtaking. You arrive at Prestholtseter . The turisthytte is a very nice common restaurant, with healthy food, also traditional Norwegian food, and with enough parking place outside. From there it is possible to walk, to climb via a special paved path upward. You will feel very much Norway there. The view on Hallingskarvet mountain is uncomparable. Unique. You can watch a video about this mountain, and Arne Naess, the founder of Deep Ecology, and explaining in the videos what he senses, when climbing up here: [hidden link]

An absolute must to see in Geilo are the mountains and National Park area in the village. Before climbing the steps or tracking in the mountains, it is worth stopping here to taste small dishes which were common during the older days in the area. Porridge, flatbread, lefser, waffler etc. It is also possible to order a private, group evening here. This little place has been managed for several generations in a family. It used to be where the sheep grazed during summer and then a person would stay and sleep to look after the animal and also make butter and goats cheese. Still very simple, authentic.