Category: Cycling

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).

This trip was a solo cycling trip from Kingston to Ottawa, roughly parallelling the Rideau Canal. This trip was done over 6 days at the end of August and early September in 2005. Each cycling day was roughly 60km along the most direct route, although I tended to take less direct, but more interesting back roads. For accommodation, I stayed in bed and breakfasts – it is much easier to cycle when you know there is a warm bed and hot shower waiting for you at the end of the day.

I started the trip by taking the train with my bike to Kingston. The following day I cycled north to Westport. From there, I meandered north and east to Merrickville crossing the Rideau River a total of 4 times. I did a day trip to Smith Falls from Merrickville and spent a second night in Merrickville. On the last cycling day, I travelled north along the Rideau River to Ottawa. The next morning, I packed up my bike in a box and took the bus back to Toronto.

I estimate that the total distance cycled was about 300km over 4 days of cycling.

Train to Kingston

The first day of the trip involved loading everything on to my bicycle and cycling down Yonge Street to Union Station in Toronto. There I dismantled my bicycle (removed the pedals and rotated handlebars) and loaded it into a box for VIA rail.

I had rehearsed this so things went smoothly for me but a cyclist who arrived shortly after me, could not get his pedals off and damaged my pedal wrench in the process. I arrived in Kingston in the early afternoon, assembled my bike and cycled downtown from the station.

In Kingston, I had a reservation at the B&B on board the Alexander Henry, a former Coast Guard ship but now part of the Great Lakes Maritime Museum. I cycled around Kingston, including over to the Fort Frederick Museum at the Royal Military College. Around 5pm, I checked in to the B&B and spent the rest of the evening on foot. I walked through the downtown and past Queens University before having dinner.

Kingston to Westport

In the morning, the remains of Hurricane Katrina provided torrential rain and wind. I headed off anyway on my bicycle. My first stop was at the Kingston Mills locks just north of Kingston – it was still raining so I barely slowed down.

From there, I continued north, along Highway 11 and 10 to Perth Road. Then I branched off the highway onto the Cataraqui Trail. After an exhausting ride along this trail, I had lunch at Chaffey’s Locks as the rain finally ended. From there, I headed north to Crosby and then west to Westport, arriving at 4:30 (~80 km). After a shower and nap at the Toybox B&B, I walked into Westport for dinner.

Westport to Merrickville

After a delightful breakfast in the sunshine, I cycled back toward Crosby and then north along Highway 14 to the locks at the Narrows.

After watching a few boats go through, I continued along Highway 14 and then Highway 21 to Rideau Ferry for lunch and again crossed over the canal system. I had a run-in with a snapping turtle that I attempted to move off the highway.

From Rideau Ferry, I headed directly east, bypassing Smiths Falls along the back roads. I cut north through Kilmarnock Island, one of my favourite parts of my trip, then into Merrickville for the night (~90 km, see route). Since my B&B was about 1km out of town, after a shower and nap, I cycled back into town for dinner and to enjoy the sunset.

Merrickville has been named the ‘prettiest village’ in Ontario. However, almost all it has are restaurants, antique stores and jam stores. It has a lovely park beside the canal though. 

Smith Falls

After my first night in Merrickville, I took a day trip to Smiths Falls. The two towns are ‘only’ about 20km apart but by taking my time on the back roads in each direction and wandering through town, somehow the entire day passed by.

The Canadian Pacific Railway goes through Merrickville and I managed to catch a train crossing the Rideau River. I also spent some time at a rural crossing and photographed a train there.

In Smiths Falls, I started by going to the Hershey’s Factory and saw thousands of peanut butter cups being made (no photos allowed), but I didn’t buy anything from the giftshop. Another attraction was the Scherzer rolling lift bridge used by the, now abandoned, Canadian Northern Railway. In the evening in Merrickville, I walked into town for dinner and again enjoyed the sunset over the Rideau River (~50 km). 

Merrickville to Ottawa

From Merrickville, I cycled north paralleling the Rideau River. I started on the east side of the river until near Kemptville where I crossed to the west side. Passing through small villages and many river side cottages, I crossed back to the east side of the river at Manotick for lunch. From there it was a short trip through the farms until the first subdivisions of outer Ottawa. A thunderstorm got me completely soaked in the last mile to the B&B – my first rain since Kingston (~75 km).

Ottawa

After drying out, I walked to Parliament Hill and enjoyed the sights as the sun set behind the storm clouds. I had dinner in the Market and enjoyed the very corny ‘Sound and Light’ show at Parliament Hill in the evening.

The next morning, I packed up my bike for Greyhound and left my bags in storage before meeting a friend for brunch. After a good visit with her, I made my way back to Greyhound to catch the 2:30 bus back to Toronto.

Intersection Signs

I got sort of obsessed with the various intersection signs along the route. A sample:

This page contains highlights from my trip to the west coast of Ireland in July 2005. The cycling tour started and finished at Killarney and was run by Irish Cycling Safaris.

Day 1 – Killarney

We all met for the first time. I had time for two quick walks through town before and after dinner.

Day 2 – Killarney to Sneem

In the morning we got our bicycles and spent some time getting those figured out. From Killarney, we biked south to Killarney National Park. Our first point of interest was Muckross Abbey and soon after, Muckross House. From Muckross House, we cycled along a path between the Killarney Lakes before rejoining the main highway for its climb to the pass at Molls Gap. We had lunch at the restaurant at Molls Gap.

After lunch, we headed towards Sneem. There were several gentle hills as the road snaked through a broad valley. We also had our first views of the Atlantic Ocean. In Sneem, we were thankful for showers, drinks and dinner.

Day 3 – Sneem to Glenbeigh

With some bruised bottoms and sore legs in the morning, we had a gentle hill out of town. After backtracking for 6km, we turned on to a narrow backroad that climbed gently, steeply and finally very steeply to the Gap of Ballagheama. For much of this ride, it was raining – our first wet weather.

From the top, we descended down to Glencar and lunch. After lunch we cycled along a gentle valley with lakes before a final pass and descent to Glenbeigh for the night. After arriving at Glenbeigh, some people cycled the 4km down to the ocean.

Day 4 – Glenbeigh to Dingle

In the morning we took a bus along the coast to Dingle. From Dingle, we cycled a loop to Slea Head on Dingle Peninsula and back to Dingle for the night. The first part of the bike ride was along spectacular cliffs but unfortunately it was raining hard – our wettest day on the trip.

After drying out over lunch, we continued around the Dingle Peninsula. The coast became less steep and there were several old buildings to break up the ride. There was a final pass through wet weather before we returned to Dingle.

Day 5 – Rest Day

We were scheduled to stay the day in Dingle and we could do what they wanted with our day. In the morning, Herve and I cycled out toward Slea Head along the route we had done the previous day. The weather was much better which meant there were more views.

In the afternoon, I wandered around Dingle, including its harbour.

Day 6 – Dingle to Killorglin

Starting in Dingle, the first task was to climb over the highest highway pass in Ireland, Conair Pass. The long steady climb through open fields and heather had views back toward Dingle and once over the pass down into Brandon Bay to the north. After descending the pass, it was mostly flat to Camp, and the Railway Tavern. There was live music, drinks and sandwiches for lunch.

After the lunch, we started the climb into the mountains and into the fog. This pass rated a ‘very steep climb’ for the last section. From the pass, it was a quick descent out of the fog and into the sunshine on the way into Killorglin. Our B&B was about 1km outside of town. Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the evening festivities. Thanks to Joe for the wine and paté.

Day 7 – Killorglin to Killarney

On our final morning on the bicycles, I took a few photos in the morning before breakfast of flowers and fields as well as some of the morning routine.

Our morning ride paralleled the main road toward Killarney and Beaufort. There we turned into the mountains and started climbing to Kate Kearney’s Cottage for a rest. From Kate’s it was a climb alongside the horse drawn traps to the top of the Gap of Dunloe.

From the pass, it was a quick downhill into Black Valley and then flat along the valley floor. Just before lunch there was a steep climb up to Molls Gap, the location of our lunch on the first day.

After lunch at Molls Gap, we descended on familiar territory to Killarney National Park.

We arrived back in Killarney and the Lake Lodge B&B. We had our last dinner together before goodbyes. In the morning we all started heading off in our separate ways.