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The county of Nord-Trøndelag cherishes its unique coastal and cultural environment. Notable attractions include the saga island of Leka with its red serpentine mountain formations reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, Stone Age rock paintings and one of Norway's largest Viking burial mounds.

To the north and south respectively, the islands Frøya and Hitra (now connected to the mainland by tunnels) and the coastlines of the Fosen peninsula and Namdalen offer great sea-fishing. In the words of Trøndelag Reiseliv, the regional tourist authority, "as you travel along the coast, the scenery changes from charming archipelagos populated by small fishing boats to rugged mountain formations.... But the people stay the same: everywhere they are warm, unrestrained and great fun to be with."

At Rørvik, an idyllic seaside town, the north- and southbound Coastal Express vessels converge every evening. Rørvik is also home to the Norveg centre for coastal culture and development, a spectacular building designed after the great sailing ships of old.

Unfairly, perhaps, the tiny little hamlet of Hell is arguably the best-known tourist attraction in. English-speaking visitors love the sign at the local railway station ("See! We've been to Hell and back!"), not to mention the winter-wonderland picture postcards ("Look! Hell freezing over!"), and so on....

In fact, Nord-Trøndelag is just about as unlike the Englishlanguage "Hell" - in Norwegian it would be helvete - as you can get. It's a bucolic sort of place, by far the more agrarian of the twin counties of Mid-Norway - although no less steeped in history than neighbouring Sør-Trøndelag.

Over a thousand years ago, long before Norway became a kingdom, the great farm owners governed the region from the court at Frosta; and large farms predominate to this day. It was at Stiklestad, one of the most important historical sites in Scandinavia, that King (later Saint) Olav was defeated by the farmers' army in 1030 during his crusade to Christianize the country. The Stiklestad national culture centre, a sprawling and impressive development of museums and open-air exhibits, stages a re-enactment of the battle, complete with choir and orchestra, during the annual Saint Olav Festival.

The county capital, Steinkjer, is the site of some important rock carvings dating from 3000 BC: the town itself can trace its history to 997 AD. Steinkjer is also the southernmost point on the 650 km long Kystriksveien (Coastal Highway) FV17, a famous scenic route running all the way north to Bodø, above the Arctic circle.

There are several good salmon and sea trout rivers in this part of the country, including the famous Namsen, considered one of the best fishing rivers in Europe. Countless coastal towns, villages and hamlets – Nærøy, Abelvær, Ottersøy, Foldereid, Salsbruket, to name a few – offer excellent sea fishing in beautiful surroundings.

The more intrepid tourist can explore one of the numerous national parks, some so remote and strictly protected that trekking and camping are the only options. The vast forest and mountain areas support a rich and varied wildlife including elk, lynx and wolverine, a bear population that is shared with Sweden, and wolves.