‘Why do you actually run this blog?‘, Trine asked. We were at a cabin in Fagerlia, Meråker, where we have been a lot. How to answer that? We did always had a bath here and there, didn’t we? But, of course. intensive bathing started with all the trips to Iceland during Corona pandemi. We had decided to have a bath every day, and since each trip started with a 5-day quarantine, there had to be cold outdoor baths every day the first week. ‘Bathing forces us out for new adventures! Through the bathing blog, we get many great experiences, and we visit places we would otherwise never get to see. It’s hard to believe, but there are still regions in Trøndelag none of us have ever visited. Not in 50 years!‘
Meråker was separated from Øvre Stjørdal municipality in 1874 and consists of the upper Stjørdalen with surrounding forests and mountains. The name is a farm name, from ‘Merr’ = female horse and ‘åker’ = field. Meråker has only one village, Midtbygda, with a common primary school for the entire municipality. Here, however, the advantages of the area in terms of nature and climate have been taken into account, with the focus on sports subjects, especially skiing, at Meråker upper secondary school. In collaboration with NORD University, you can also take higher education in Meråker.
There are many cabins in Meråker, the ratio between the number of inhabitants and the number of cottages is 2:1. For Trine and Knut, cottage life in Fagerlia has lasted for over 40 years. Idun, on the other hand, is in this context a pure novice, with only 32 years’ experience at the cabin (2024). In particular, the many years of the ‘Hut Years Eve‘ were legendary. The sledge competitions are high on the list of funny traditions, not to mention the clothes-changings. Funny, though, that it was always funniest for the boys.
In summer, swimming was also sometimes out of the question, as the previously mentioned stable unstable weather in Trøndelag was not always in line with the practical challenges of getting the kids packed and ready for bathing on a nice sunny day – before the rain started. But sometimes things happened smoothly, and Trine has at least once managed to get four children into the river all by herself.
Bathing in Fagerlia had to take place by old paths by Kråkstadåa river. Old, you said? Neither Idun nor Knut can remember that we have ever visited Kråkstadåa. However, Trine is convinced that, ‘Yes, you must have been there before!‘. As said, so done, and this confirms the claim that we experience more blogging Tobatheornottobathe than we otherwise would. This morning bath would not have happened without the blog!
We are talking April 2024, full spring in addition to the already mentioned weather, alternating between sun and rain. Kråkstadåa in the spring is not at all a suitable place to throw the children into the water, and Idun was very skeptical about entering the river.
After some debate, we were ready for bathing, and even though the current was strong, it wasn’t scary, since you could touch the bottom of the river all the time. Fun!
After a bath in the adult’s bath tub, time is just right to have both food and a quiz at Kirkebyfjellet pub, right next to the skiing tracks. ‘Fagerlia’s fagreste (beautiful)’ quiz team is not on the top 3 in this spring’s tournament, but despite the few members in the group (for now), we are not at all in a bad position either. Start the Quiz!
P.S.: Rumours in the Fagerlia area say that bathing in Kråkstadåa is not allowed, because it is drinking water for the cabins. We checked this and were told by someone at Meråker municipality that there are no such restrictions.