The day started with the patter of rain drops on the roof of my hut. By the time I got up though the weather was clearing. So a Bombay Bad Boy for breakfast and en route. I think I'm really in Norway now because the man next door has married a troll wife. I was going to post her picture but decided I was being unkind - and she might turn me to stone! So here's the view instead
The forecast was showers but it was much warmer, 22C by 9 0'clock. Once I was on the road the blue sky looked to be holding its own.
I was really looking forward to the day because there were three of the key things I had come to see in Norway on one 150 mile day. Once through a few tunnels and past Kristiansund, the first was visible on the horizon. The Storseisundet Bridge which is the longest of the eight bridges making up the Atlantic Coast Road. Google it for better pictures.
The road is only about 5 miles long but it was apparently number one on the Guardian list of best roads in the world (I'm not sure about No 1 but it is good). It is an impressive engineering achievement and the bridge is really beautiful.
The rest of the road links a chain of rocky islands to join the road to Molde.
It is a picturesque drive
Seeing this made me wonder for the first time how you maintain a grass roof. Cutting the grass is bad enough when it's on the ground. The house was well kept but the roof was a disgrace.
This shed, which may be a bus shelter, was much better looked after.
Once again the hills were building in the distance.
The cruise ships were in, cluttering up the view! This is the Queen Mary 2. It gives you some idea of the scale of the landscape when you know that she displaces nearly 150,000 tonnes, is almost 350 metres long and can carry 2,600 passengers.
The next excitement was the Trollstigen, a steep climb up the wall at he head of the valley.
The pictures really do not capture how big and forbidding these huge slabs of black, wet, greasy rock are.
I had another good picnic spot. The water was the definition of icy blue.
Then on to the head of the valley and the road which you can see climbing up ahead. Note the small packhorse bridge middle right.
This waterfall, and another on the other side of the valley was what was feeding the picnic spot torrent.
The photograph looking up doesn't do the steepness of the climb justice. This one, looking down from bridge gives a better impression.
It took some concentration not because it was particularly steep, but because it was full of camper vans and coaches, the hairpins were quite narrow and the left hand ones involved heading for the drop! I was pleased to make it to the plateau at the top, 2,826ft up. I rode straight past the visitor centre; too many coach parties.
The drop down the other side was comparatively gentle. All the motorcycles I saw came up this way. Wimps!
The road dropped right down to sea level and a short boat trip, the 63 to Geiranger.
After surviving the Trollstigen, I could ride on water!
Then we climbed up, on a more civilised road, back to 2,800 ft and over the ridge
to drop down for sight number three, Geraingerfjord.
This is the only road into what is the epitome of the Norwegian fjord. It is a UNESCO World Heritage protected site. It is too steep-sided for roads.
Quite stunning. They wanted silly money for huts at the campsites so I am back in the tent
With this view from my door
I have had a really good day. I am staying here for two nights so that I can take a boat trip on the fjord. By using the tent instead of a hyt I have saved the cost of the tent in one stop. I drank my tea, cooked my Asda pasta in cheese sauce, which was very good, ate it and washed up and all the while watching a German couple trying to park their camper van level. Bed, brandy and book. I'm beginning to worry that the brandy won't hold out.