2023 07 26 P&O IONA - NORWEGIAN FJORDS - HELLESYLT BADEHUS

Hellesylt is a small village is at the western end of the Geirangerfjord. Although it also welcomes cruise ships, Hellesylt tends to enjoy a more sedate atmosphere than its famous brother, Geiranger. It lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, close to the entrance of the Geirangerfjord. The Sunnylvsfjord is a southern branch of the much bigger Storfjord.

Hellesyltfossen waterfall which literally splits village in two, in contrast to the slender beauty of Norway's fjord waterfalls, showcases the raw power of nature, as a flood of water thunders over the granite rocks despite its height of only 20 metres. The cascade is at its most impressive from April to early June, when melting snow from the surrounding mountains swells the flow. A steep path on the northern side of the water leads you up to a stone bridge for the best vantage point.

Hellesylt Badehus (Hellesylt Bathing House) where people were swimming, diving and jumping into the water was built in 1937. The bathing beach and the bathing house at Hellesylt are popular with people both from the local environment and the surrounding villages on hot summer days. The bath house was voted Stranda municipality's cultural monument in 1997. The bath house on Hellesylt is one of the rarest and best preserved in the country, and during a ceremony on 2 October 2009, the building and the surrounding sea bath were declared protected by the National Antiquities.