In July 2006, I took part in a group cycling trip through the fjord region of Norway. Over 7 days of cycling (8 full days), we cycled roughly from Stavanger to Bergen meandering in and out of the fjords under our own power, but also on ferries and trains.
The tour was run by KeyMove out of Germany. The 16 of us included about half from Germany, half from the United States, and me from Canada. A guide drove a support vehicle, provided lunch each day and generally made sure we made it through the trip.
After the Norway component of the trip, I spent two days in Amsterdam on the trip home. There are photos and description from this part of the trip as well.
Stavanger
I arrived in Norway by flying from Canada via Amsterdam to Stavanger, one of the larger cities in the south-west corner of Norway. Since most of the group was arriving by ferry the following day, I had the afternoon and evening to myself to explore Stavanger.
Haugesund to Stavanger
The next morning, I took an express bus north for a couple of hours to the town of Haugesund where the ferry landed. On the way I met some others who had also arrived the day before in Stavanger. At the ferry terminal, the group met for the first time and got outfitted with our bicycles provided by KeyMove, the tour company.
The German members of the group had taken a train from Germany to Denmark where they had caught the overnight ferry to Norway.
From Haugesund, we had a relatively short cycling route south to a ferry. Marcel, the guide, provided a late lunch and we all managed to catch the 6:20pm ferry. After the ferry, it was a short ride into Stavanger.
Lysefjord
From Stavanger, we caught a ferry which took us (and our bikes) for three hours up the Lysefjord. It was our first real fjord with spectacular cliffs dropping into the water.
From where we got off the ferry, it was a 20km climb to a 600m pass and picnic. From the top it was a big downhill and then a series of headlands and passes to Hjelmeland for the night.
Hjelmeland to Haugesund
We left Hjelmeland early the next morning by ferry to the start of a 50km dash to the next ferry which left roughly 3 hours later. The cycle started with a long ride along the side of a fjord, then over a series of passes to the second ferry. Some of us didn’t make it to the second ferry and required a lift part of the way from the support vehicle. From the ferry, it was a very wet ride along bike paths and highways into Haugesund.
Haugesund to Leirvik
From Haugesund we cycled north to another ferry for the short ride to the island of Bømlo. In sunshine and rolling hills we cycled up the island to the picnic and then to a series of sea bridges to the island of Stord, and our stop for the night in Leirvik.
Leirvik to Os
We began with a short ride in light rain to a ferry which took us to another island. We cycled along the Hardangerfjord before cutting overland into sunshine and Bjørnafjord. We crossed over another sea bridge to the mainland and stopped for lunch. After lunch, the route was through a series of passes then along another fjord to a short ferry ride into Os. Fortunately, this ferry was frequent so there was less pressure to cycle quickly.
In the evening, Bjorn and I walked down to the ocean for some photography and to see the town of Os.
Os to Voss
From our hotel near Os, we headed off up a quiet backroad along Samnangerfjord. After about 20km, the road climbed up away from the fjord and joined a more major highway for the climb over a pass and several tunnels. Unfortunately, it started to rain which made for a wet, discouraging ride alongside the trucks over the pass and into Trengereid, our lunch stop.
The plan for after lunch was a short train ride to Dale, to bypass some long tunnels, then cycle to Voss. Because we were wet, cold and it continued to rain, we decided to go all the way to Voss by train. We left the bicycles with Marcel at the lunch stop, then walked down to the train ‘station’, which turned out to be just a bus shelter. After the train ride, we warmed up and relaxed for the afternoon in Voss.
Voss to Laerdal
From Voss, we joined the tourists for the hour train ride up to Myrdal. As the tourists ran to catch the tourist train down the Flåm valley, we got on our bikes for the unbelievable 20km ride down the valley. I think most would agree this was the highlight of the trip. At Flåm, we rejoined Marcel for lunch next to the cruise ship dock.
After lunch, we began the ‘Snow Road’, a 40km route over a 1300m pass separating Flåm and Aurland from our hotel in Laerdal. The ascent is 16km of steady switchbacks from sea level to the pass, all of which I did in 1st or 2nd gear. The first 8km of the climb was up the side of the Aurlandsfjord in sunshine with incredible views of the fjord. The second half of the climb was away from the fjord in light rain and wind.
The main highway between Bergen and Oslo avoids this pass by going through the world’s longest highway tunnel (24.5km). Marcel drove this route with the support vehicle to get the bikes and luggage to Laerdal.
After a well-deserved rest, warm up and snack at the pass with Marcel in the van (it was raining, windy and 6 degrees outside), we then had several kilometres of flat riding before a 20km descent to Laerdal. We all just showered, ate and slept that evening after such an exhausting and rewarding day.
Laerdal to Bergen
With our bikes packed for the last time into Marcel’s trailer, we got up very early for the bus and ferry trip back to Bergen. We took a bus to a fast ferry that took us the length of Sognefjord to Bergen.
We had a few hours in Bergen before the German members of the tour had to catch their ferry back to Denmark. Unfortunately, we discovered that the ferry was cancelled and they would have to take a bus to Haugesund for their ferry.
I stayed the night in Bergen and enjoyed my last few hours in Norway. The trip was a great way to see the incredible scenery of Norway. Thanks to everyone on the trip who helped make it so enjoyable.
The next morning, I caught an early flight to Amsterdam. I stayed a couple of nights in Amsterdam and then flew back to Canada.
Amsterdam
After my 8 day cycling trip in Norway, I stopped in Amsterdam for 2 nights on my way home. I was on my own and just spent the days wandering the city. I saw some of the tourist attractions and took a walking tour of the city.
Norway Cycling Map
Map our our route in red (bike), black (train), blue (ferry) and orange (bus).
