Derry City striker Tim Nilsen describes life in lockdown in the city between the seven mountains

But while most of his teammates will be finding it tough to fill the void and struggling with the onset of cabin fever, Derry City striker, Tim Nilsen is making the most of his picturesque surroundings back in his homeland.

The 28 year-old Norwegian returned home to Bergen, known as the City between the seven mountains, two weeks ago and he’s taking full advantage of the beautiful landscape and mountainous terrain his hometown has to offer.

With the nearest ski slopes just 10 minutes from his home, Nilsen has been using them to keep fit and keep his body and mind healthy during this unprecedented and deeply challenging time for people across the globe.

Of course he’s following his tailored training programme set by Derry City coaches but he’s hoping his additional and unique routine on self-isolation in Norway can benefit his fitness levels when he eventually returns to Ireland.

“I have done most of the programme that we have received, added a little extra myself as well,” he explained. “When I can’t run the intervals on the programme, I try to find similar intervals that I find myself. I’m also going on some skiing now.

“After all, it’s much tougher to run intervals almost every day and train strength after that of course. When you work out with the team we get to run at the same time as we play football and stay in shape that way. I’m lucky that I have lots of weights at home and long ski slopes only 10 minutes away.”

There’s certainly no place like home and Nilsen is enjoying being back in his native Norway with his family and his girlfriend but he admits he’s missing his ‘Derry City family’ and, in particular, his housemates, Peter Cherrie, Stephen Mallon and Colm Horgan, who had made him feel so welcome since his arrival on Foyleside.

“I live with amazing people on the team so if I had to be in lockdown with them I think that would be great,” he added.

So how does that particular ‘family unit’ work?

“We have the ‘dad’ of the house in Peter,” explained Nilsen. “The little kid who we all take care of in Stephen and we have Colm who knows just anything and is an amazing cook as well.”

Nilsen’s girlfriend, Anette, is currently pregnant with their first child, a baby girl, due around early September time, and so Tim recently travelled about 150 miles north of Bergen to Sogndal, a picturesque village beautifully situated by the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord to be by her side.

It’s a different way of life from his early experience in Derry but he admits he’s struggling with living life in the slow lane.

“I was at home in quarantine for two weeks.A little back and forth between mom and dad who don’t live together. And now I’m done with the quarantine and I am in a city called Sogndal from which my girlfriend is born.

“It’s about three hours drive from my hometown, Bergen,” he explained. “It is very slow these days. My family have a home office and I’m a little alone in the daytime. It is of course tough, but all in all I am most glad that they still have a job when I see so many being laid off here.”

So how bad has the pandemic hit Norway?

“I don’t know that much here, but I know we have over 5,000 infected and 50 deaths. And it’s incredibly sad to know that so many people die from this tragic virus.

“I’ve appreciated how lucky we are to have each other and care so much about each other.

“You see how wonderfully good work the health workers are doing and even everyone sitting holding the grocery stores open - they risk their lives to help others. So a HUGE thank you to all of you. And to everyone else, STAY HOME, please!”

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