Norway (all)

If you have two weeks to spare and a young children, the Lofoten and Vesteralen islands are an ideal area for a summer tour - gorgeous scenery, warm weather, white sandy beaches, and 24 hour sunshine. Best of all, the roads are free from traffic and pretty flat in this area since they hug the seashore. Self-catering accomodation in rorbus (fishing huts) is affordable and very memorable. This is the story of our madcap journey above the Arctic Circle in 2005 with two touring bikes and trailer bike, complete with a guide to accomodation on the islands, some tips about places to visit, and a brief list of what to take with you and what to leave behind. The area described is quite popular with touring cyclists but nowhere near as busy as other destinations during the summer holidays, so people are friendlier and there's far more space to relax in - like New Zealand, but only a couple of hours from the UK by air.

Welcome to Jørn's cycling homepage. If you are searching for ride reports from The Great Trial of Strength and the Tour of Jotunheimen and general information about tours in Norway, you have come to the right place. You can also find information and result from the local races in Trondheim. You can also read more about Velocipede (tm), a Windows based training log program for cyclists, and the Rec.Bicycles.* FAQ file. If you are cycling the net, I also have a list of other cycling related sites around the world. Want to know more about my bikes?

In the summer of 1999 I cycled a little over 7000km across Europe, from Nordkapp, at the northern end of Norway, to Calabria, the southernmost region of Italy. It was the best bicycle ride and adventure of my life so far. This is my attempt to share what I saw and felt.

Six days - eight fjords - nine mountains.

Glaciers, waterfalls, white nights, trolls...and 200 great-spirited cycling enthusiasts sharing the Fjordland fairytales.

Radtour Kristiansand - Stord - Bergen - Shetlands - Schottland - England.

Die Nordsee-Radroute macht süchtig! Mir geht es jedenfalls so, nachdem man im letzten Jahr gerade da aufgehört hatte, wo es immer schöner wird. Das war in Kristiansand, etwa an der Südspitze Norwegens. Wie kommt man da am besten wieder hin und von dort aus weiter? Das weiß am besten unser Freund Terje Melheim, der auf der Insel Stord südlich von Bergen gleichsam Schildwache an der Nordseeroute hält, die genau über diese Insel führt. (Mit Turid und Terje stehen wir seit vielen Jahren in E-Mail-Kontakt, außerdem haben wir uns weiland an der Neisse einmal spontan radelnderweise persönlich kennen gelernt). Unvergessen ist auch die Eröffnungstour der Nordseeroute 2001, die im Internet eindrucksvoll dokumentiert ist und mit etlichen Feierlichkeiten (auch auf den Inseln Bømlo und Stord) begangen wurde. Wer hätte gedacht, dass man einmal in diese nördlichen - und wie wir glauben finsteren - Gegenden verschlagen würde, und das auch noch mit einem Besuch bei Turid und Terje verbinden könnte?

La tappa prevista [Lillehammer - Gjovik] è talmente breve che ce la prendiamo con comodo e tentiamo di visitare Lillehammer, che però non offre un granchè. Così partiamo lungo il percorso che ci indica la nostra cartina, prima lungo la principale e poi lungo stradine secondarie che saliscendono nel bosco, dove ci fermiamo a raccogliere mirtilli. I miei loschi intenti di papparceli a pranzo affogati nel gelato sono bloccati dall'Anto che propone di portarli alla famiglia Servas che ci ospiterà alla sera. A malincuore accetto. Dopo pranzo ci permettiamo addirittura un pisolino a Moelv, dove un ponte ci conduce sull'altra sponda (est) del lago, che seguiamo docilmente fino a Gjovik. Qui la nostra ospitante si rivela una simpaticissima persona, con cui si instaura immediatamente un gran feeling, che rischia di sfociare in amore aperto quando concludiamo la cena con i nostri mirtilli più le sue fragole e una vascona di gelato alla vaniglia. Dopo cena, benchè quasi tramortito dalle tre o quattro porzioni di gelato, riesco a seguire l'Anto, la signora e la figlia in un giro turistico della cittadina, che le nostre due amiche coronano con un bagno in piena digestione in un laghetto artificiale freddino nell'aria fresca della sera. Ma sopravvivono, anzi, sono proprio contente.

Réveil paisible avec le chant des oiseaux, avant d´aborder 2 cols successifs. Pas le temps de chauffer la ``bête'', ca monte dès le premier virage. Après 2 km, je rejoins les italiens qui ont campé dans le jardin d´une maison du village précédent. Au sommet du col (275m), je décide de continuer à mon rythme qui est légèrement plus rapide que le leur.

Passé Hauge, je poursuis par la route de Rekefjord. Elle est splendide mais très sinueuse, le dernier troncon avant de rejoindre la route 44 n´est même pas asphalté. Je reprends des forces sur la place centrale d´Egersund en terminant mon saucisson emmené de Suisse. Egersund est une ville principalement active autour de son port.

Après cette partie montagneuse, je pensais pouvoir continuer tranquillement en longeant la mer du Nord. C´est un peu plus plat, mais un vent violent de face me rend la progression difficile... je ne vois pas le bout de ces longues lignes droites qui n´en finissent plus. Enfin la voilà cette AJ de Vigrestad, que j´ai cherchée durant une demi heure, qui se trouve en fait dans le hameau voisin de Härr. Seule une famille danoise y loge avant d´aller reprendre le ferry à Kristiansand. Je m´y cuisine un excellent riz casimir au Gruyère pour me remettre d´aplomb.

Je suis fatigué après cette journée résumant bien le monde de la petite reine en Norvège : ca monte et ca descend tout le temps et quand c´est plat y a du vent latéral ou de face.

It has become some kind of a family tradition to go on a big bicycle tour every summer. But this time we did add some enhancements to our usual plans. Bernhard had already been cycling on our previous tour, when we toured Gotland in the year 2001. But this was in a way the first time with slightly longer daily distances and in areas that could not be called totally flat. Our popular starting point of earlier years in Gothenburg was replaced by Oslo for this tour. This was worth a try, because it brought us closer to the areas we intended to visit and it gave us the opportunity to see different places as soon as the tour started. The clear disadvantage of Oslo is that it is kind of tough to find a legal and good way out of the city, especially when traveling to the east, as we did. And it adds a slightly longer and more expensive ferry trip from Kiel to Oslo. But on the other hand, after having done the ugly traffic of the Oslo area on the first day, things should get nicer at least from the second day onwards and we could see more of Norway.

Total Kilometers/Miles Cycling: 3849/2392 - Total Kilometers/Miles by Train: 435/270.5 - Total kilometers/Miles by car (rushing to Kirkenes to catch the plane to Chicago: 519/322.5 - Average distance per day 167/104.

Herausforderungen liegen manchmal vor der Haustür. Obwohl das nicht so ganz stimmt, denn wir leben ja nicht gleich hinter dem Deich. Aber nur gut zwei Bahnstunden davon entfernt. Es handelt sich um die bislang längste ausgeschilderte Radroute der Welt, insgesamt 6000 km lang: die Umrundung der Nordsee. Das ist die erste ``von 12 geplanten transeuropäischen Radfernwegen'' (EuroVelo) (aus bikeline). Die Route ist erst vor gut einem Jahr eröffnet worden, da gehört man ja glatt noch zu den ersten, wenn man diese Herausforderung annimmt. Bevor die Leute dort Schlange stehen. Wenn es denn dazu kommt...

Als es los gehen soll, steht keiner Schlange, denn wir haben einen Dauerregen. Wie nachher zu lesen ist, die größte Regenmenge in unserer Gegend seit 1881. Zum Glück verzichte ich auf einen Blick in den Keller, morgens um vier Uhr. Nur mit dem Rad zum Bahnhof zu fahren, das geht nicht, da wäre man ja gleich durch bis auf die Haut? Man kann improvisieren, alles rein ins Auto und dann bin ich weg, mit ein paar geschmierten Broten und einigen Tafeln Schokolade. Der Parkplatz hinter dem Bahnhof ist wegen Überflutung gesperrt. Man kann trotzdem um die Absperrung herum fahren und irgendwo eine Insel suchen, die Packtaschen aufladen und Wasser Marsch zum Bahnhof. Das Auto wird Annika dann später abholen, wenn der Seegang auf dem Parkplatz des Braunschweiger Hauptbahnhofs sich beruhigt hat.

[Titus is the bike] - 12195 km in 8 months through France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Greece - includes travelogue and many fine pictures

I've travelled quite a bit through the years, hiking on foot, by car, bus, plane... But cycling is just the right speed. Fast enough to actually get someplace, yet slow enough to smell the flowers as you go... Plus, it's the only mode of transportation where the engine actually improves with usage... Anyways, a friend lent me this book about a couple who spent a couple of years cycling around the world and I thought to myself that I wanted to do that ! So, off I went ! Well, I didn't quite make it... After 8 months on the road, I came back... Mostly due to homesickness, but I should have expected that, particularly on a solo trip...

Mid-morning after leaving Santillana [in Northern Spain], I take a break after a long cycle uphill and watch the progress of this little fellow... That's exactly how I felt... slow... but steady!

A recumbent trip from the southern border of Denmark to Lofoten.

The trip was an attemp to beat Fritz Hansens record from 1999. He did the trip in 20 dayes and nights, 3 hours and 12 minutes. I also went for his average of 289 km a day.

Why alone? It gives you some satisfaction, to know you did the trip alone, and without any help. If you bike in a group, you have to adapt yourself to the groups choice of route and daily distance. When you are alone you are completely free to follow your own rhythm.

I had been impressed by the magnificent scenery of northern Norway when, during an inter-railing trip 3 years ago, we had taken the train to Narvik, far beyond the Arctic circle, and then the bus on a long and winding journey down the coast to Bod?. I think it was at that time that I first became aware of the Lofoten Islands - as I researched the places we were to visit in Norway, I could not help but notice references to these magnificent islands, which we were not to visit!

They stayed in the back of my mind for some time, but after my successful Hebridean cycling tour last summer the idea of doing a similar thing in the Lofoten islands slowly grew. Having always been a firm believer in the ancient Chinese proverb about it being better to travel hopefully than to arrive, and hence never go somewhere quickly if I can spend a few days doing it instead, it seemed an ideal opportunity to wend my leisurely way up the Norwegian coast on the Hurtigrute coastal steamer. So come early July, I packed my panniers once more and caught a flight to Oslo, from where I travelled on by train overnight to Trondheim on the coast...

A five-week tour of Scandinavia, starting in Oslo and ending in Stockholm. Excellent practical information (the summary data table, which includes graphical weather information, is just great). Gorgeous photos (including the canonical midnight sun, but plenty of other spectacular views), and a very good story make this report an instant classic.

Middle of June 1998, we [...] started the trip we had dreamed of for a long time: by bicycle from top to bottom through Europe. A view on the map shows that this journey covers 36 degrees of latitude and in total has a length of 7200 km. The trip started in Norway and from there led us through Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and finally to Gibraltar. Not the shortest route, but also an exploration of the better parts of Europe. This on-line trip-report was built up while cycling.

From Minko Oh's cycling site.

A short bicycle trip from one world to another (plus train travel 36 hours from Nikel to St. Petersburg, and a bike trip in the streets of St. Petersburg).

Also see Igor Romanenko's Comments.

In the fall of 1998 I set off on a long journey by bike. It covered more than 15000 kilometers and 14 countries. During this trip I was hit by rocks and cars, I was baked, soaked, and deep frozen by the weather gods. Mostly, however, I had a superb opportunity to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, meet wonderful people and enjoy the culture of widely differing lands. This site is about my bike trip from Sweden to South-East Asia via Eastern Europe, The Middle East, Pakistan, China, and Tibet. It also contains general information and links on bicycle touring and travelling in general.

A five-week tour of Scandinavia, starting in Oslo and ending in Stockholm. Excellent practical information (the summary data table, which includes graphical weather information, is just great). Gorgeous photos (including the canonical midnight sun, but plenty of other spectacular views), and a very good story make this report an instant classic.

Mit dem Fahrrad von Bern ans Nordkap und über Finnland bis in die Baltischen Staaten. Mit vollbepacktem Drahtesel vier Monate unterwegs. Dabei ergeben sich interessante Begegnungen und eindrückliche Naturerlebnisse. Regentage, Fahrradpannen und andere Tiefpunkte sind schnell wieder vergessen. Einige Eindrücke (nicht nur) aus dem hohen Norden.

After seeing photos of Norway's famous fjørds, I decided it would be a great place for bike touring. As it turns out, I was hardly the first one to think of the idea as the area was teaming with cycle tourists from Germany. If you decide to visit, you will see why it has become so popular.

Ein Blick auf die Uhr verriet uns, daß wir bereits im Oslofjord sein könnten. Als wir das Deck erreichten, zogen bereits die ersten Berge an den Seiten des Schiffes vorbei. Das war also das Land, das uns für die nächsten Wochen beherbergen sollte! Berge, Berge, Berge. Und Inseln. Ich war begeistert - aber auch ein wenig besorgt, wie in dieser Topographie die Straßen aussehen mögen.

A 1203 km tour in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in May 1996.

David does it again. His now complete report of his 1996 Nordic bicycle trip consists of five chapters:

• Swinging through Telemark, Norway
• Denmark
• Shivering in Sweden
• Tripping in Troll-land, Norway
• Rallarvegen and More, Norway.

Four weeks, 2500km, 30000m gain... a great ride in a great bicycle touring country.

The ``tradition'' of going to Copenhagen in May started in 1992 when we took the ferry from Oslo to Frederikshavn and cycled via the Danish mainland Jutland. However, with only 350 km this tour became too little of a challenge after 2 times. Therefore, in 1994, we did our first trip to Copenhagen via the Swedish West Coast.

Karl and Karin travel with two children (age 3 and 1) in trailers. Now who was talking about ``anchors''...

The report of a 25 day bicycle tour of Sweden and Norway near midsummer 1994, by Dave Dermott. Includes the Vättern Rundan 1994.

The report of a 37 days (from July 21, 1994 to August 26, 1994), 4240km tour of the Baltic See along the route: Hamburg - Schleswig/Holstein - Denmark (Border-Frederikshavn) - Norway (Moss-Ostby) - Sweden (Sorsjoern-Grisslehamn) - Aland-Island (Eckeroe-Mariehamn) - Finland (Naantali-Helsinki) - Estonia (Tallinn-Valga) - Latvia (Valka-Bauska) - Lithuania (Salociai-Lazdijai) - Poland (Sejny-Kostrzyn) - Brandenburg - Berlin - Magdeburg - Hannover - Paderborn.

I cycled around the Baltic Sea from mid-June to mid-July 1996, starting in Stockholm and going clockwise, finishing in Stockholm a month later. It was a great trip!

The report of a 37 days (from July 21, 1994 to August 26, 1994), 4240km tour of the Baltic See along the route: Hamburg - Schleswig/Holstein - Denmark (Border-Frederikshavn) - Norway (Moss-Ostby) - Sweden (Sorsjoern-Grisslehamn) - Aland-Island (Eckeroe-Mariehamn) - Finland (Naantali-Helsinki) - Estonia (Tallinn-Valga) - Latvia (Valka-Bauska) - Lithuania (Salociai-Lazdijai) - Poland (Sejny-Kostrzyn) - Brandenburg - Berlin - Magdeburg - Hannover - Paderborn

A 25 day bicycle tour of Sweden and Norway near midsummer 1994. So why am I on a bike tour of Scandinavia? ( Norden) A long time ago, I was on a trip there with my parents. If I ever went on a bike tour of some foreign land I thought it should be to Norway and Sweden. Some features of the Nordic lifestyle appeal to me- the love of outdoor sports for example. After bicycle touring my big passion is nordic ski touring. I was curious to see that if those old Participaction Canada ads about the 60 year old Swedes were true . THEY ARE TRUE!

Also the climate, vegetation etc of Sweden and Norway are much that of parts of Canada ( Sweden like Nova Scotia, Norway like British Columbia). It would be interesting to see a how another society has developed in the same environmental conditions as Canada. It would be both exotic and familiar.

A recumbent ride from Bergen (Norway) to Motala (Sweden) with Richard Freytag, Charles Clinton and Ian Feldman.

After weighing the pros and cons the far north was attracting me, and the choice fell on Sweden and especially Norway. The timing and the route were perfect - we would return just before the start of the mountain stages of the Tour de France; in June relatively few mosquitoes are around, and, especially in Sweden, there was a fair chance of good weather. The flat part of Sweden gives you a good opportunity to do a bit of cycling before attacking the steep Norwegian mountains.

Mir scheint, es wird jede Nacht ein paar Grad kälter! Wir sind beim Erwachen fast am Boden festgefroren. Das liegt sicher auch daran, daß wir uns schon nahe 1000 m Höhe befinden. Ich stehe auf und mache den obligatorischen Fotogang des Morgens. Ich sehe in der Ferne schon die Bäuerin wirken. Ich beschließe wegen der Milch zu ihr zu gehen. Sie sitzt vor dem Kuhstall und trinkt in der Sonne sitzend einen Kaffee. Ich geselle mich dazu und sie lässt mich einen Becher ``füll mil'', noch euterwarm, testen. Wir reden über Land und Leut.

Wer es nicht erlebt hat, der kann es kaum beschreiben: Ein Ziel so vage, so unkalkulierber, so weit. Und dann befindet man sich auf den letzten Metern.Wer jemals im Norden Europas Urlaub gemacht hat, der weiß, dass im Sommer die Sonne endlos zu scheinen scheint. Aber das täuscht. In der Höhe der Lofoten muss man schon sehr nahe am längsten Tag eintreffen, um von den Berggipfeln die Mitternachtssonne zu sehen. Im August ist es zwar immer noch legendär hell, aber die Sonne taucht bereits für einige Zeit unter den Horizont. Ich bezeichne dieses Schauspiel auch gerne als den Untergang der Mitternachtssonne.

Nordkapp - 4.8.84 - ich bin am Ziel. Das Nordkapp ist zwar schon recht rummelig, weil natürlich Bus um Bus hier hin gekarrt wird, aber es ist nicht wirklich überlaufen. Und Wegezoll gibt es auch noch nicht. Es ist doch eine ganze Reihe von Personen, die auf die sportliche Art und Weise diesen Weg meistern - und da gibt es natürlich viel zu erzählen, auch wenn in dieser Nacht der Untergang der Mitternachtssonne hinter den Wolken stattfindet. Ich schwinge das nun leicht beladene Rad auf den Steinsockel, der die Weltkugel trägt, und mache mit Stativ ein Bild.

One year after intermediate examinations I manage to take two months off my studies to have a dream come true, cycling to the North Cape (norwegian: Nordkapp). Sure, travelling more than 3600 miles to the north of Norway is not everybodies delight. Temparatures are expected to be low and the weather to be unsteady. However, at the end of this journey I may declare the Scandinavian weather beeing not as bad as its reputation.

On the 4th of july I am ready for take off. That time my bike is one of the oldest, heaviest and less reliable bikes that have ever been seen on their way north. 20 kg of additional weight has to be carried: A tent, sleeping bag, camera, 11 color films (300 slides) and other equipement. On this trip, that does not cost more than DM 1800.- in the end, I ruin a shirt, a jeans, a cycle chain, a tyre cover and not less than 9 spokes. Though the bike never has a puncture.

Cycle touring is an excellent way to see the world. It's fast enough to cover great distances, yet slow enough to take everything in. This years ride aims to raise money for UK registered charity Motivation.

Wenn Ihnen in Norwegen jemand auf Ihre Frage nach Steigungen mit ``mostly flat'' antwortet, seien Sie gewarnt: flach hat in Norwegen eine andere Bedeutung als in den Elbmarschen. ``Meistens flach'' bedeutet in Norwegen: Steigungen unter Hundert Meter. Chris Heymans, einer der Organisatoren und Planer der North Sea Cycle Route, fuhr übrigens einige norwegische Strecken, auch solche mit ``stiff Uphills'', mit seinem Brompton-Faltrad (natürlich mit Gepäck). Es ist eben alles relativ. Relativ ist, europaweit gesehen, auch die Qualität der Radwanderwege. Eine in Deutschland unglaublich miese Qualität bedeutet im restlichen Europa das Gegenteil.

Sie sollten also, wenn Sie eine längere Strecke auf der North Sea Cycle Route fahren wollen, Ihre Vorstellungen von ``gut'' und ``schlecht'' in ``anders'' wechseln. Erfreuen Sie sich an dem ständigen Wechsel der Landschaften. Lernen Sie immer wieder interessante Menschen kennen und genießen Sie das Flair der Dörfer und Städte rund um die Nordsee. ``Jeder Tag ist wie Weihnachten, jeden Tag eine Überraschung''. Dieser Slogan passt am besten zur Northern Opening Tour durch Schleswig-Holstein, Dänemark, Schweden, Norwegen und Schottland.