We are about to start the third month into our bike journey although it feels like we have been on the road for much longer, I guess because of all the things that we’ve seen and experienced in such a short timespan. When travelling you generally loose track of time, it’s hard to tell whether it’s been a week or a month, or whether it’s Monday or almost the weekend. Every day is full of unexpected turns and always ends up as a travel/work session, because enjoying and absorbing what we see is as important as creating content to share.
The best thing about travelling without a deadline is that you can design your route and routine according to the weather or how your body feels that day. We have found a pattern in our journey as we noticed we’d travel long distances on days with stable weather and rest on rainy days or very sunny ones. This second leg of the trip has brought less impressive landscapes in comparison to northern Norway and that’s why we’ve covered a bigger part of the country and increased our daily mileage to 40-70km. Nevertheless, the Helgeland cost was lovely to cycle as its still quite undiscovered, allowing for quiet roads and plenty of options for camping. During this past month we wanted to get close to Trondheim as fast as possible as this city is known to be the gate into the southern Norway’s spectacular scenery.
One of the first compulsory stops in the south west area is the Ocean Atlantic Road, known to be one of the worlds most beautiful drives. We cycled all the way there to find ourselves crossing in between a series of small islands spanned by several bridges and I must say… what a view from up there! (And windy too!)
Trollstigen is the other main attraction as you get closer to the Sunnmøre Alps, southern Norway’s heart of beauty. This mountain pass is a visual feast as you make your way up the 700 metres on a climb of 8-12%. Cycling all the way to the top certainly brings rewarding views, but I’d say my favourite part was to descend from there into the 35km long valley called Valldalen. On the way you can find plenty of wild fruits, waterfalls and very nicely designed architecture.
Unfortunately these two last spots have become very famous and are therefore a magnet for tourism. That’s why waking up early to make it there before all the busses and caravans do is a pretty worth it.
It’s time now to set out for the last hikes and mountain passes of this journey as we zig zag our way towards the city of Bergen. Loads of meals, tea and coffee to share with you all – without leaving a single trace.