I was looking for a cheap solo weekend away and after a little research plumped for Norway’s 4th biggest city.

But isn’t Norway expensive I hear you exclaim. Well not really actually.

A return flight from Gatwick with the excellent Norwegian Airlines arriving 2pm Friday and departing 7pm Sunday cost £75, two nights room only in a hotel based 15-minutes from the centre set me back £45 a night.

The airport bus (£22.50 return) takes 30-minutes to the centre so I started by exploring the old town (Gamla) with my small backpack.

The old white wooden buildings have seen lots of replacements down the years and after a particularly bad fire destroyed much of it, the whole area was almost demolished.

However, committed locals saved the day giving you the chance stroll the cobbled streets. It houses a couple of museums too, notably the cinematography version.

Stavanger is home to many museums, the most popular of which tell the stories of the city’s two main industries – petroleum and fish canning. Not to my liking but fairly unusual at least.

On the other side of the fjord from Gamla stands the vibrant ‘new’ town stacked with independent bars, cafes & restaurants. Many are housed in colourful buildings in a kaleidoscope of colours.

I settled for a coffee and cinnamon bun and a good read of my book covering Russia’s history from 1891-1991 by Orlando Figes, one of my favorite historians.

After checking into my hotel, it was back to the centre for some delicious vegetarian mezze and a film at the central Odeon (the fabulous A Complete Unknown).

The Jæren Railway

Next day I would take The Jæren Railway from Stavanger to Egersund. The line hugs the coast for much of the journey and takes around an hour.

Egersund was a 15-minute walk from the station. The centre of which was quite nice and the wooden church very interesting, but the main reason people come there is for hiking the surrounding countryside.

That was not on my itinerary so I decided to return part way and get off at a small town called Bryne.

The most notable thing about Byrne is that the local professional football club is where a 15-year old Erling Haaland started his career. The superstar striker is a local icon with his likeness adorning a few buildings.

I actually watched him play for Manchester City at a local sports bar, but he failed to score against Nottingham Forest.

I returned to Stavanger for more coffee & cake and later a very nice Greek meal followed by another film.

The train set me back £17 return.

Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen)

The highlight of my last day was a fjord cruise to see the famous Pulpit Rock, a cliff with a 25 metre by 25 metre flat summit.

The picturesque journey up the Lysefjord lasted 3 ½ hours departing at 11am. The cruise plus a coffee & pastry cost me £67.

We sailed serenely along the fjord through narrow gaps between cliffs, past waterfalls and remote homesteads to the rock, brought to the world in Mission Impossible 6.

Norway is breathtaking and the fjord did not disappoint. Here is a gallery from the trip.

Returning at 14.30, there was just time for lunch and a final wander before the bus back to the airport.