Tag: Lofoten Islands

Norway Day 14: Hopen Lake – Sandnessjøen

Distance: 70.73

Time: 5:31

Elevation Gain: 2039 feet

Keen to get moving on what was set to be the flattest part of the ride so far, Hugo and I set off at 9:45, taking it in turns to push the pace. We had a nice tailwind and it was overcast, perfect conditions to ensure that we could make it all the way to Sandnessjøen in time for me to make the next day’s ferry.

We pressed on past Berg, before finding ourselves labouring into the wind, as we reached the end of Skillbotnfjorden, turning northwest towards the small island of Brønnøy, before the route whisked us south again to the ferry port at Horn, after almost 32 miles, at an average speed of 13.1 mph, most definitely the quickest stint of the trip.

On arrival we found a couple of German cyclists making coffee at a picnic bench, whilst some distance off a pair of French cyclists were chatting to the inhabitants of a motorhome. Soon after, another cyclist arrived, I hoped there wouldn’t be a limit to the number of cyclists allowed onboard.

The German cyclists were both on their way to Tromso, from where one would carry on to Nordkapp alone, and the French cyclists were also on their way to Tromso, but, like me, were also considering taking a ferry to Bodø tomorrow, but from Nesna, 40 km after Sandnessjøen.

The next stage was merely a short hop, with us breezing through the 12 miles between Skjœret and Forvik with a short stop at the shop in Velvelstad, along with all the other cyclists, before rolling down the hill to the port.

From Tjotta it was 38 km to Sandnessjøen and it was still not 4 o’clock yet, so plenty of time to play with. The road followed the coastline, turning back for a long stretch into the wind, before climbing up onto a long plateau, from where the stunning vista of ‘De Syv Søstre’ (the Seven Sisters) became visible, and formed the backdrop for the rest of the day as we were blown past Sandnessjøen airport and down to the port.

I scouted out where the ferry would depart from the next day, and Hugo bought the one thing he felt he was missing by not originally setting off for a cycling trip, cycling shorts.

Hugo had found an interesting looking camping spot, 5 km away, so we followed the road up and down to the edge of the fjord, to a beautiful spot, beneath the 7 Sisters and on the edge of a fjord-side lake. There were some other cyclists around, including a couple, who, like Hugo, were from Grenoble. The next day, the women was heading back to France, but the man was carrying on to Nordkapp, a potential future cycling partner for Hugo?

The next day, I was up at 5, suddenly second guessing myself as to whether I’d left enough time to make it to the ferry, by 6:25, but the climb back to Sandnessjøen wasn’t as bad as I’d feared and I was at the ferry with plenty of time to spare, and took my place on board for a very pleasant 5 hour journey.

At Nesna, the French cyclists got on, broken by the extra 40 km that they’d undertaken the previous day. When they got to Bodø, they were planning a rest day before crossing to Lofoten tomorrow.

After a short walk across Bodø, and stock up on supplies for that night’s camp, I made the 13:30 ferry to Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands. And as I approached the end of the 3.5 hour ferry journey – which was inexplicably free for all of the many cyclists and pedestrians onboard – an outstanding landscape presented itself and I started to see what all the fuss was about.

Norway Day 13: Fjistero Fjordcamping – Hopen Lake

Distance: 54.42 miles

Time: 5:13

Elevation Gain: 3,502 feet

Fjistero Fjordcamping had been an ideal spot to spend the night. The reception building had a seating area that was left open all night, so we plugged in a few electrical devices overnight. It was very satisfying to start the day with a full power bank for once.

I had started to consider the fact, that if I wanted to get to the Lofoten Islands in time to do the final 400 miles (including ferries) to Tromso, I would really only have two more cycling days to finish the stage to Bodø, and there were still 400 km to go. It was time for another short cut. Having discovered that Norled had operated the fast passenger ferry from Bergen to Selje, and also the one from Kristiansund to Trondheim, I wondered if there was something similar servicing the major northern port of Bodø, from where I would be taking the ferry to the Lofoten Islands.

A quick search suggested that a company called Reis Nordland operated a ferry that started in Sandnessjøen, at 6:25, each morning, and 5 hours later arrived into Bodø, and it was 200 km away, perhaps I had a solution, all I had to do was get to Sandnessjøen.

We rolled along the edge of the fjord, before starting to climb gradually inland. The elevation profile showed a climb to start the day so we were happy when we arrived in Kolvereid and the climbing hadn’t been too severe.

After picking up some supplies for the day, at the Remo 1000 supermarket, we set off again, waving to the German woman from the day before as she turned into the supermarket car park, she must’ve been pushing hard with her laden steed.

Turning back onto the main road, we realised that climb one was just beginning as we climbed steeply away from the town.

We rolled past the glistening blue waters of Storvatnet lake on silky smooth tarmac, heat radiating from the surface, whispy white clouds on a bright azure sky.

Soon, we were undulating along the side of Årsetfjordan, the way seldom staying flat for long. Towards the northern end of the fjord the road finally dropped to its banks and it looked like an ideal place to stop for lunch.

Hugo had bought a block of Norwegian Brunost brown cheese to have for lunch, ‘that is no good’, he exlaimed! Well, according to the lady on the train from Oslo to Bergen, you’re meant to have it with strawberry jam and waffles, I pointed out. Apparently, he preferred the Beaufort cheese made in his home region of France.

Beyond the fjord, a small rise revealed a trio of impressive mountains, the tallest, sitting at 1058 m was Heilhornet, and I was busy admiring the view when Hugo pointed out that the road ran along its flank, half way up. I didn’t want to know how we got up there, but I was sure we’d find out…

After a steep climb under a hot sun, we stopped at a gushing waterfall to replenish our water supplies, before plummeting down the other side, then through a pair of tunnels, along to the end of the road at Holm.

After only a few minutes waiting for the ferry to Vennesund, it wasn’t long before we reached the other side, and after that we pedalled another 5 miles, under a clouded sky, to a natural beauty spot, Hopen lake, a part fresh, part salt-water lake, with a beautifully renovated historic pier, and a handy space-age toilet block with a supercharged, but freezing, external shower.

Norway 2025: The Atlantic Coast

For much of the year, my intention was to cycle the length of Italy during the summer; that is until a freak spring warm spell in Scotland caused me to pause for thought and decide that 3 weeks of cycling in 30°C+ temperatures might not be as fun as I had been thinking.

Luckily, I had been formulating a back up plan, one built upon the itineraries of fellow travellers I’d met on the road and one that might provide a nice change of dynamic, stunning vistas, long days and the low UV index that was now appealing. How about a ride that combined all three – and as it finished up in the Arctic circle and not too far away from the most northerly point in Europe – significant amounts of each.

When I spotted that Jenie and Pierre – who I had met while cycling in Iceland – were cycling in Italy, I thought I’d see what their recommendation would be, receiving a fairly strong signal when it transpired that their favourite place for cycling was Norway and that they’d been three times.

The route I had my eye on was a section of Eurovelo 1, the Atlantic Coast Route, the full route of which began at Nordkapp (the northernmost point of Norway, and Europe) and followed the coast south through Norway, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.

A significant undertaking, and one that I wouldn’t be able to complete in the 21 cycling days available to me, so I’ll be attempting a portion of it, 1200 miles down the Fjordlands of Norway, from Bergen, to Tromso in the Arctic Circle. With a whole lot of ferries and tunnels along the way, it might not be as straightforward as it seems…

Wish me luck!