Straight to Hell

There is no fire and brimstone here, but James Lane counts himself lucky to stumble upon Hell

Only in Europe is the saying “to go to Hell and back” literally possible. Just take a trip to Hell, Norway. There are few signs of any fire or brimstone in Hell. It’s a sleepy rural town in central Norway that boasts a train station and a handful of shops.

Hell lies in close proximity to Trondheim, crossing the Stjordalselva river and is by a fjord.

Tourists have trekked to Hell in recent years, many just to photograph themselves in front of one of the train station signs.

In Norwegian, the word Hell actually means luck, but the town’s name stems from the overhanging cliff caves in the area known as Hellir in old Norse.

Apart from its name and tranquil setting, the town also hosts the annual Blues in Hell festival each September and yes, Hell does freeze over for several months each year.

Tourist officials, not surprisingly, advise locals giving directions to avoid instructions like: “Just go to Hell.” Maybe AC/DC had it right on

when they sang: “If this is hell then you could say it’s heavenly.”

For another fiery name, look out on the map for Boca do Inferno in Portugal.

A short trip from Lisbon lies a rock formation known as “the mouth of hell” — the Boca do Inferno.

This is a popular site, usually during storms, to watch spray shoot from the chasm below.

On the day I visited, however, the Inferno was anything but apocalyptic, as waves pushed gently against the jagged rocks.

Apart from its natural spectacle, the Inferno is steeped in legend as the site where magician, astrologer and occultist Aleister Crowley faked his death in 1930.

Crowley left a note near the rocks and his “death” quickly gained currency with the help of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. Pessoa told the press he had seen Crowley’s ghost the following day.

There was international furore when the English mystic “reappeared” three weeks later in Berlin to launch an exhibition of his artworks. The episode is commemorated by a plaque at the Inferno.

If you’d prefer a more cleansing experience, you may want to head to Purgatorio, Italy.

Purgatorio (Purgatory) is the second part of Dante’s Divine Comedy and it’s also a tiny village in Calabria — the toe of the country’s boot-shaped peninsula.

Or for the pure sake of comedy, visit Upper and Lower Slaughter, pretty villages in the Cotswolds district of Britain’s southwest.

The word “slaughter” is derived from the Old English word “slohtre” meaning muddy place and is less to do with killing and more to do with picturesque charm. — AAP