Oldedalen is a

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ...

in Stryn Municipality in

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The long valley runs north-south and ends at the Nordfjorden at the village of Olden. The south end of the valley reaches up to the great

Jostedalsbreen Jostedal Glacier or is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is in Vestland county in Western Norway. Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of Luster, Sogndal, Sunnfjord, and Stryn. The highest peak in the area is Lodalskåpa at a ...

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

inside

Jostedalsbreen National Park Jostedalsbreen National Park ( no, Jostedalsbreen nasjonalpark) is a national park in Norway that encompasses the largest glacier on the European mainland, Jostedalsbreen. The park was established by royal decree on 25 October 1991, and then in ...

. The small

Briksdalsbreen Briksdalsbreen ( en, the Briksdal glacier) is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen is located in the municipality of Stryn in Vestland county, Norway. The glacier lies on the north side of t ...

is a smaller arm that branches off the main Jostedalsbreen glacier, and it sits at the end of the Oldedalen valley. It is a tourist attraction due to its easy to reach location. The western side of the valley is a fairly steep wall of mountains with the Myklebustbreen glacier at the top. The lake Oldevatnet lies in the center of the valley for most of its length. At the north end of the valley, the lake empties into the river Oldeelva, which flows into the Nordfjorden. Both the

Olden Church Olden Church ( no, Olden kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Stryn Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Olden on the north end of the Oldedalen valley. It is the church for the Olden parish ...

and the historic Old Olden Church are located near the north end of the valley; the Ljosheim Chapel lies at the valley's southern end.

References

Stryn Valleys of Vestland {{Vestland-geo-stub