July 23rd: Veiholmen – Kristiansund (70 km)
It was nice to see a bit of sun again this morning! We cleaned the house and ate plenty of breakfast (cereal, raspberries, pancakes…) before heading off around 10 am. The wind had died down (from 11-12 m/s to 7 m/s) and we had some regrets that we didn’t get out on the water, but it was also very nice to cycle and we’re still trying to avoid being overly ambitious.
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| Smøla is beautiful in the sun |
We rode back to the main island, made a quick bathroom stop at Hopen, then turned right to follow the road along the west side of the island. We got closer and closer to the wind farm as well as the threatening clouds as we went along. It’s possible to ride through the wind farm, so of course we did, and it was fun to show off what I work with (even if these turbines are on land and – by today’s standards – small machines). We could get up close and hear the whoosh of the blades passing, and also enjoy the marsh landscape. I think that Statkraft has done a nice job making it possible to visit the farm, including more signage than I remember from 2011 as well as a blade on display, by foot or bike. I guess it also helps build some local approval!
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| Action photo in the wind farm |
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| Enjoying the ride by the wind turbines |
When we exited the wind farm, we followed the road on the west side of the island to Straumen, then continued along back to Edøy. With the tailwind, we were at Edøy at around 12:30 despite taking lots of pictures! The weather turned wetter as visited the old church (and the site of a recently found Viking ship, though there isn’t much to see other than grass). The subsequent ferry ride was uneventful and we rode over Tusna in light rain.
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| Photo from the west side of Smøla |
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| The church at Edøy |
Since the weather was dull, the ride over Tusna passed quickly as well (no photo stops), and we were at the next ferry crossing almost before we knew it. We decided to stick to our initial plan nonetheless and have stopped at Byskogen Camping outside Kristiansund. We’re quite impressed by what we got for 130 kr: a spot for the tent, two showers, and access to a cozy common room which kept us dry under the downpour just after we got here, and the usual kitchen facilities. The weather cleared up after the rain, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow – I’d love to see the Atlantic road without all the rain!
July 24th: Kristiansund – Bud (85 km)
We woke up to a gray morning which quickly turned into a downpour. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy our breakfast in the common room before going back to pack up the tent. The rain passed through quickly and we found our way to the bus stop in Kristiansund with few difficulties. This is actually quite the feat – we always seem to get turned around there because the water is everywhere.
The bus pulled up just as we finished taking the luggage off of the bikes and purchasing our tickets online, and it was a smooth and easy trip through the tunnel. (The bus was also nearly empty – there were just two other passengers). The weather was still pretty gray as we started toward the Atlantic road, but we were dry (and done with ferries and busses for this trip). |
| Calm weather on the way to the Atlantic road |
After a few km rolling through the pretty coastline of Averøy, the bike route turned left. We decided to follow it despite the fact that this detour would add about 20 km compared to our initial plan – after all, the road was less busy and we hadn’t been there before. The first part of the detour wasn’t especially exciting, but it got more fascinating as we continued. The stave church at Kvernes was quite neat to see, and the road after Kvernes was beautiful. We rode along through farmland with the sea and beautiful mountains on our left. I really enjoyed that section!
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| View along the way |
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| Stave church at Kvernes |
After the detour, we hit the start of the famous section of the Atlantic road – with the bridges connecting the small islands – in lovely sunny weather. It is indeed a treat to see it in good weather (especially with some ice cream along the way!). The traffic was a bit heavier there than the rest of the day. I never felt that we were in much danger, but I was worried that we would become witnesses to car-on-car accidents when some drivers passed us at extremely dangerous points.
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| A break along the way |
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| One of the famous bridges on the Atlantic Road |
After the famous section of the scenic route, there is in fact a continuation of the scenic route, which is what we followed to Bud. That section is equally beautiful – though less of an engineering feat – very lightly travelled, flat, and we had sun and tailwind. I’m not sure it’s possible for a bike ride to get much better! The beach at Farstad was a highlight along the way.
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| Along the less famous section of the Atlantic Road |
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| A quick semi-dip at Farstad |
We got groceries in Bud and I’m writing this while very hungrily waiting for the rice to finish cooking, so that’s all for now…
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