Erin's Adventures: Summer vacation in Norway

July 16: Guskøy – Sæbø (73 km)

The main themes of the day were rain, ferries, and breathtaking mountains. We packed up our things as quickly as possible and rode down to the gas station for breakfast. Though it didn’t offer water, shelter, or any view, we were at least away from the flies and had a picnic table at our disposition! The rain had briefly stopped while we packed and ate, but it was coming down pretty hard within 5 minutes of starting to ride. We were both cold despite the fact that we were cycling uphill, so we had to make a few wardrobe changes early on. The loose sleeves (under a windbreaker) were life-saving for me! We stayed on 61 all the way across the island (rolling in the rain) and over a bridge to Ulstein. The traffic was a bit heavier as we approached Ulsteinvik (a fairly important town for the shipping industry) and, in hindsight since we were too wet to bother checking the map, we probably should have been on a smaller road.

Once we passed Ulsteinvik, there was a separate cycling path all the way to Hareid. It started with a slow climb, followed by a long straight downhill. Normally, I would really enjoy flying down several kilometers, but this time I actually missed pedaling for warmth. We glided right onto the first ferry of the day (Hareid-Sulesund) and enjoyed some pasta and hot chocolate in the warmth. Going back out into the rain was tough, but we didn’t really have many other options, so we charged along 61 to Solevåg (with a little zigzag at the end to reach the cycling path next to E39) and, incredibly, arrived at the terminal as the ferry was pulling in. Again, we got nice and warm just in time to head back into the rain.

At Festøya, most of the cars turned right (E39 to Bergen), while we took the quiet coastal road toward Store Standal. The road follows the narrow fjord as long as possible, but at Store Standal, one has to take a ferry to go farther in. The ferry doesn’t go very often, and since we had 3.5 hours to cover 15 km, we took our time. We lucked out a bit: the rain stopped and some of clouds cleared, giving us marvelous views of the surrounding mountains. There is still snow above about 800 m, and the waterfalls were pouring down in full glory. I suspect that this section of road is even more amazing in clear weather, but I really can’t complain about our luck given that the forecast suggested it could mbe much worse. We explored the full extents of the Store Standal (it’s not very big, despite the name), which doesn’t boast any stores, cafés, or other consumer experiences. So, we settled down in the shelter together with two hikers to wait for the ferry. We had a long and interesting chat with them about their background and trip plans, and patched the tire, and the hours passed fairly quickly. Their hike had been waylaid by a dangerous snowfield, and after waiting for some time, they came up with a new plan that didn’t involve the ferry. We ended up being the only passengers on the ferry (even with the stop in Trandal) and it was an amazing trip with mountain views (and dry skies, though not completely fog-free).

In Sæbø, we found a cabin and decided that we deserved a luxurious indoor night (for 300 kr, it’s not much more than the cost of tenting). We enjoyed some warm soup and showers, and now I should wrap this up since my pancakes are getting cold. It’s been pouring since we got here, and it’s great to have a roof over our heads!

July 17: Sæbø-Hellesylt

We had a nice relaxed morning in the cabit, with oatmeal and pancakes. The ferry from Sæbø to Lekneset was only marginally busier (2 cars) than the previous day, and the clouds were high enough that we had pretty nice views of the moutains. We changes into our wet cycling shoes after exiting the ferry and started the 30 km ride to Hellesylt. The first few kilometers are flat and coastal, bringing you right to the tip of the fjord (where an expensive-looking yacht was anchored, in a strange contrast to the small tidy farmhouses). From there, the road follows the river gently up the valley. We had a pretty dry start and were able to really enjoy the first part of the valley. There was an interesting mixture of forest, farm, pasture, and steep (partly snowy) mountains. Some of the old stone bridges and pasture cabins from the late 1800’s are still standing, which also added some interest to the trip. There was a beautiful old hotel/restaurant in one of the valley villages – I don’t know when it actually was build, but the style reminded me of The Music Man. The rain and wind picked up a bit when we were close to the top of the valley road, so we didn’t dawdle too much. Close to the top, we noticed that one of the cows was lying unnaturally on her side, and Dražen could also see that she might be giving birth, but it didn’t look good. We didn’t see a phone number at the next cattle grate, so we stopped at the first house on the road (a bit further down), and the man there thought he could call someone who might know whom to notify. From there, it was a fairly quick glide down to Hellesylt, which is at the inner tip of the next fjord. We were pretty frozen by the time we got here and decided to see if we could find another cabin for the night. We found a spot about 1 km out of town, right next to a waterfall. They had an available cabin, but it hadn’t been cleaned yet, so we ate lunch by the reception while watching the fishermen try their luck catching salmon and trout. We haven’t actually seen any of them manage to catch anything, but I still find the spot extremely charming.

After a brief warm-up period in the cabin, we made a short journey into town for groceries, to locate the ferry terminal for tomorrow morning, and to find a trailhead for a short hike. We succeeded on all accounts and started off on a hike toward Åseneset, Åseberget in the rain. The path was a bit rocky and required careful foot placement, but it was nice to get out and do something other than cycle! We got a few nice views of the fjord and the valley where we are staying, but didn’t go all the way up to the top. We are both a bit tired and lazy, so it’s another quiet evening listening to the river and to the rain.