No way Norway

Sib

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Location
Bath
just back from a 3400 mile round trip.
any questions about route or bike set up just ask.
some random pics..
 

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more..

more pics from norway..
 

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more again..

and more...
 

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Looks stunning. Got a map of your route you can share? Those roads look awesome!
 
Picture 4.

Is that a roundabout in a tunnel?

btw. Good photographs, any maps or words?
 
I think we spoke briefly (bike to bike) on the autobahn in Germany whilst both heading North. Looks like you had a great trip as well.

Small World! :beerjug:
 
Picture 4.

Is that a roundabout in a tunnel?

btw. Good photographs, any maps or words?

Suspect its the Laerdal tunnel. They have refuge / rest area for those who find the 24 kilometers of tunnel too much to take in a oner.
 
Hi Tricky yes we did speak bike to bike on the motorway, somewhere in Germany near Osnabruck possibly, hope your trip was good too...

my route was something like this:

left Bath after a hearty brekky and got the (delayed) chunnel and arrived at a prebooked hotel in Leuven near Brussels, very pretty town with big student population so bars are very lively. motorway all the way.

the next day went from Leuven to Lubeck in Germany with some motorway and some A roads, I hadn`t predicted so many roadworks on german motorways so trafic was generally bad but i did filter a lot unlike all german riders who stuck to the rules. a fairly easy day but was just breaking myself in. you could skip this day and get from belgium to Hirtshalls in one hit but i didnt want to be knackered at the start of my trip and after all, i was on holiday.

the next day was another easy-ish day from Lubeck to Hirstshalls at the top of Denmark where i was planning to camp but by mid afternoon there was biblical rain so i wimped out and booked a cheap hotel ready for a 10am fast ferry to Kristiansand and i`m glad i did as it was still pouring in the morning.

the next morning a very rough windy crossing was making everyone sick and i couldn`t wait to get off frankly. then if by magic the sun came out and it was suddenly 22 degrees and I was heading due north from Kristiansand. within ten minutes its all stunning and it only gets better and better.

my plan was to head north until Rystaad then head west along the mountain road to Lysebotn, catch the ferry to Forsand and head to the campsite at Priekestolen ready for the Pulpit rock walk the nest day. this was all going to plan and i was riding alongside a couple of fast harley (!) riders who i got chatting to, as bikers do so well, we just made the 6pm ish ferry and when on the ferry they said they were looking for accommodation near Priekestolen so we shared a very smart Hutte (cabin) just north west of the bridgeof Forsand which worked out cheap between us and we talked bikes, Brexit and Norway over a beer or four. (bring your own as beer in Norway is crazy money) .

next day I went ten mins up the road and pitched my tent at Priekestolen campsite, met some other great biker people and did the Pulpit Rock walk, a bloke died in front of us of a heart attack despite everyone`s CPR efforts but thats another story. top tip. have Norways emergency numbers in your phone and a method of working out your exact position to direct a helicopter in if required. time from man collapsing to chopper arriving was around 20 mins which for the middle of nowhere was good i thought. it rained that evening to make a sombre day even more sombre.

next day was north to Odda and although the roads were amazing i cant remember much about it apart from seeing more and more waterfalls, the sun was out and all was good.

next day was the first of several epics. pure sun. from odda headed through Voss and 15 mins north of Voss when you come out of another long tunnel you suddenly enter ridiculous scenery, the scale doubles, think New Zealand on steriods. i headed to Gudvangen, up the twisties to the viewpoint at Aurlandsvagen, along the top high plateau road all the way to Otta then north west to a campsite for the night somewhere near Tessand. there are huttes/campsites everywhere so no need to worry about where to sleep or you could wildcamp if you wanted to but as it was 25 deg i fancied a proper shower.

next day i`ll never forget. up early and headed to Geiranger and stigfossen to be ahead of all the coaches. this area is unreal and was to be my most northern part of the trip. I then headed back past Geiranger and at Grotli too the 258 which is an unpaved road but easily rideable even on road tyres, this is a must. after the plateau it drops down towards Hjelle, through Stryn and camped just west of Loen and the stunning Lovatnet fjord. a long, hot but stunning day.

next day was easy as i headed to a hotel in Voss where i met my wife who`d flown into Bergen, we then kayaked and hiked with Nordic Adventures based in Gudvangen for a few days

then i headed to Bergen for a night then in the morn my wife flew home and I caught the very comfortable overnight ferry from Bergen to Kristaiansand. this was fairly spendy but i nice way to relax my bones after a full on long hike/kayak/camp few nights.

waking up in Kristiansand I had no plan but the weather was good and i just typed Bruges into my gps as a month before i had been there and remembered the best ribs place ever (Beer and Ribs, Bruges) so I set this as my target at around 740 miles. i made it for a 7.30pm sitting and although tired was still contemplating heading back to Bath via the chunnel that night just to say to myself that i did it but then common sense took over and i opted for the Ibis Centrum in Bruges

next day i was back home by lunchtime and patted the bike "well done" as i do after a big trip. PS the bike had no issues at all and ran like a dream in wind, rain, 25+ degrees etc etc .

kit list:
left pannier was MSR hubba 2 tent, sleeping bag, exped carry mat, overtrousers, raincoat which i put over my summer biking jacket, waterproof gloves, crocs, paperwork, travel towel
right pannier was small gas cooker, spare cannister (not used) water, beer, cans of mohito, camping food, nuts and snacks
rollbag was clothes and hiking and kayaking stuff
tankbag was maps, power monkey for phone, small water bottle, go pro stuff
i also took anothe small rollbag for wet clothes which could be dried one by one under my cargo net when the sun came out, this worked well.

not sure what i spend but in Norway prob average around £80 a day on fuel, ferrys, accomm at campsites. in europe prob more as i got through more fuel and was mainly at hotels.

having toured Ireland a few times, France lots, Spain lots, NZ, Alps and Pyrenees lots, Morocco twice I can say that Norway is right up there. If you want really fast riding stick to the top of spain but if you dont mind slowing down a bit and looking at the scenery I highly recommend it.


go do it
 
Great detail that Sib, especially what you have onboard. :thumb
 
Good write up Sib. I knew it was you cos of the Norwegian flag on your pannier and you have the same bike as me. :)

I bought beer from Supermarkets but one evening in Mo i Rana I met a couple of English guys on bikes and we went for some beers in the local town.

Six pints (between us - two each) came to nearly 600 Kr (= nearly £60). :eek:
 
It looks very much like the roundabout inside the tunnel on the A13 just after crossing the new Hardanger Fjord bridge.
 
because of the length of the tunnel they have built the round abouts in case of problems in there they can turn the trucks around.
 
Hi Bacalao you are correct. I've never had to make a navigation decision before in a tunnel !
 
Nicely done Sib ... great write up and photos. Norway will def have to be done sooner rather than later and your sort of write up only encourages people like me to get my arse in gear. Thank you !:thumb2
 
Cheers Rusty.
I think the key is to not plan too much, only the places you want to get to. Everything will work out fine in terms of accommodation which is always high up on my 'concerns' when planning a trip and Norway is as easy if not easier than most countries mainly because there are so many huts/ campsites. Hotels are less common but since they are so speedy it's not so surprising, however they can be found in the bigger places but will need booking in advance in the height of the summer. Also as it doesn't really get that dark there is less need to find a bed too for some reason until late afternoon.

If only there was an easy way to get the bike to the top of Denmark or bottom of Norway..bring back the ferry !!!
 


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