First Camp Lunde in Telemark – camping by the Telemark canal

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

After many nights of free camping in Norway, it felt really good to pull into a campsite and stay two nights in the same place. First Camp Lunde also turned out to be much more than just a place to park your camper. Just outside the campsite, the Telemark Canal flows past, with locks, historic ships and a charming lock café.

First Camp Lunde in Telemark

First Camp Lunde is located in Telemark, Norway, right next to the Telemark Canal. Here you can camp with a camper, caravan or tent, or check into a cabin.

This is a campsite that offers a scenic and peaceful environment, where you can experience the Telemark Canal with its historic boats or perhaps go kayaking.

In collaboration with First Camp, we stayed for two nights, which offered unexpectedly wonderful experiences.

Camping right by the Telemark Canal

What is unique about First Camp Lunde is that the campsite is located right next to the Telemark Canal. The surroundings are truly incredibly scenic and you can also see the beautiful boats passing through, just by taking a short walk.

Watch the historic ships pass through the locks

Lunde lock is located right next to First Camp Lunde, and this is also a stop where you can get on or off the boats.

At reception we were told what time the ships would arrive – in this case the M/S Victoria – and we walked down to the lock in good time. And it's amazing to see such a historic ship gliding across the water.

At the lock, the peaceful journey was changed to a holiday-intensive activity. The locks would be opened and closed, tows would be sent ashore, travelers would get on and off as well as bicycles and dogs. Idyllic, picturesque and almost a bit cinematic!

Lock restaurant and small shop

At the lock there is a lock restaurant – Slussekroa – and here we took the opportunity to have a beer in the sun while looking out over the lock area.

Right next door you will also find a super charming little interior design and gift shop.

Excursion to Vrangfoss locks

On day 2 we chose to take a trip to Vrangfoss locks, which is a 10-15 minute drive. This is an excursion you don't want to miss if you travel here! At the locks there is a lock staircase with five lock chambers. In many ways the place is reminiscent of the Göta Canal, while the landscape is more dramatic.

As we stood here, we saw the M/S Victoria arrive through the green landscape and slowly approach the lock steps.

There are many different viewpoints in the area, and we stood both right next to the lock steps and at a slightly further distance. The views are spectacular.

The sculpture park at Vrangfoss

At Vrangfoss there is also a sculpture park with incredibly beautiful sculptures that blend well into the environment. This makes it even more beautiful to walk around the area.

Things to do at First Camp Lunde

Besides exploring or boating the Telemark Canal, there is a lot more to experience at First Camp Lunde. Kayaking on the waters is very popular. You can also swim, cycle, hike or fish.

A campsite also for adults

Many times people think that camping is for families with children, and First Camp Lunde is of course a great fit for families with children who want to experience beautiful nature, but we reflected that this campsite is also very suitable for adults. Here, not everything revolves around play areas or pool areas, but there is a big focus on nature experiences, canal boats and cultural history.

Our experience of First Camp Lunde

We had a great time at First Camp Lunde in Telemark. What we appreciated most was the proximity to the Telemark Canal and the historic boats. Then it was also nice to have some comfort in the form of nice service buildings with good toilets and showers.

We rarely comment on serviced apartments. If it is clean and fresh we are satisfied, and we have no expectations beyond that. In this case, however, we must comment that the shower rooms were extra nice, which we appreciated, even if the number was somewhat limited.

If you don't live in your own camper/caravan, but want to stay in a cabin, you can also count on a high standard. We looked into a cabin and must say that the quality of just about everything in the accommodation felt very high.

All in all, we had two incredibly nice days at First Camp Lunde in Telemark, and we would love to come back!

More campsites in Telemark

• First Camp Bø – a family campsite
• First Camp Norsjø – by the water with wakeboarding

The overnight stay at First Camp Lunde was done in collaboration with First Camp. As usual, all views and opinions are our own.