Erin's Adventures: Summer vacation in Norway

July 14: Askvoll – Måløy (approx 135 km cycling, plus ferry)

Today has been a long day of cycling! We pushed a bit farther than the original plan in order to shorten the required distance on Saturday and Sunday (which are expected to be wet). We got off to an early start from Askvoll, cycling at 7 am, after a windy (and slightly rainy) night. The first part of the ride took us over rolling farmland, then next to the fjord into Stongfjorden. Although we reached the village at “rush hour”, it was very quiet. From Stongfjorden, we followed a quiet, winding road over one hill, the along the fjord, and then over what felt like an endless hill, with false summits tricking me all the time. When we finally got some downhill and found ourselves next to a little lake, we took a much-needed refueling break and admired the mountainous landscape. From there, we reached the real hill – with grades up to 7%, I made good use of the “granny gear” on my bike to tow the trailer all the way up to the tunnel.

From there, of course, we got a good dose of downhill, which brought us to the last rolling section along the coast to Førde. The tunnel which had caused us some worry during the planning phase of the trip was equipped with a special bike/pedestrian path and tunnel on the side, so we had no trouble there. We stopped by the water in Førde for a longer break (more refueling) and to switch trailer-chauffeurs. The first section out of Førde is on the only available road (#5), which is nice and flat along the coast (with a few short tunnels) but quite busy and a bit stressful.

At Naustdal, we departed from #5 in order to make a long detour (necessary for cyclists) to avoid the tunnel. We climbed and climbed through forest and pastureland all the way up to the old tunnel. The 200 m tunnel is closed for car traffic, but allowed for non-motor vehicles which have no other alternative. It’s dark and damp, but gets you to the other side – and to the fast downhill back to #5. The #5 road is reasonably flat (although every uphill is tiring after two really big hills and a lot of distance), and would (generally) have many nice views if only the traffic were slower. There was one long (1.8 km) tunnel, fortunately mostly downhill. We were also lucky to hit the tunnel during a lull in traffic in our direction, so we were only overtaken twice in the dark. A few more food breaks were required to bring us all the way to the quiet coastal town Florø, with its lovely views of the outer islands. We were then faced with a choice: take the ferry tonight and cycle another 5 km to camp, or stay in Florø and take the first ferry in the morning, which wasn’t until 11:30. Since we are expecting one more dry day, I’m writing this from the ferry and hoping for swift progress to the tent so we can finally rest.

View from somewhere along the detour around the tunnel.

Florø

July 15: Steinvik Camping (Måløy) – Guskøy (98 km)

We were successful last night in finding the campsite and a nice flat bed of grass to set up our tent. It was a late night by our recent standards, so we slept in a bit and didn’t actually start cycling until around 10. It was drizzling just enough to be uncomfortable as we headed up the first hill out of Måløy, through the tunnel, and down the steep (in this case freezing cold and wet) descent to the coastal road which we followed for the next 30 km or so. The road winds around several peninsulas and is rolling, flat, and with little traffic. As the rain let up, we enjoyed more views of the outer islands and colorful houses next to the road, always with steep hills on our right hand side. Although it was cloudy, it felt like cycling through a postcard and I’m really glad that we kept this section in our plans. One of the small villages in the inlets was called Nordpoll, which somehow struck me as comically similar to Nordpolen (the North Pole) and needed mentioning here.

After the turn-off to Selje, we stayed right and headed toward Åheim. I fought my way up the hill – it felt like the longest 2 km you could imagine – but at least the slow slog gave ample time to enjoy the green forest, followed by bare rocky terrain with views back to the previous inlet (or fjord, I’m not sure). Like every good uphill, there was also a downhill back to the coastal road again – and, again, it started drizzling just to make sure I don’t get out of practice with putting my jacket on/ taking it off/ putting it on… The drizzle was short-lived, and the coastal road offered smooth sailing to Åheim, where stopped for lunch (including some delicious pastries from the grocery store). Dražen took the trailer after lunch (the system of switching at lunchtime seems to hold promise based on whose legs are better at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day).

We followed route 61 the rest of the day. From Åheim to Fiskå, it was still a flat coastal road. Although 61 is slightly busier than 618 was, the traffic was not too heavy and the nature of the road (in terms of what speed one could safely drive) varied significantly. From Fiskå, we expected another big hill before the ferry from Koparneset to Årvika, but it turned out to be a gentle, straight climb. Dražen got a flat tire a few kilometers before the ferry, but we put in a new tube and our fingers are crossed that it will hold. We have another spare and a patch kit, so we expect to be covered. We reached the ferry just in time and chatted a bit with another cyclo-tourist (a Swiss woman) after getting off. She was a bit sick and having trouble keeping food down, which sounded miserable. We decided to continue on 61 and look for wild camping. We crossed the first of at least two hills (with a fantastic lookout spot near the top) and have made camp just before the big lake. We are well-removed from the road (next to an old gravel path), but the flies are causing us significant distress and I am very happy to be inside the tent.