Norwegian touring.

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Chrispa90
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Norwegian touring.

Post by Chrispa90 »

I'm planning a long cycle trip beginning in June this year. It's early in the planning phase but initially I was hoping to start in Trondheim in Norway and head south towards Oslo. I wasn't planning to take the coastal route towards Bergen but a more direct route inland. I would be camping all the way.
Has anyone got experience of this?
Anything at all would be helpful re routes and camping site availability and generally about riding on Nowegian roads.
Thanks.
hamster
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by hamster »

Key points:
1 Don't worry about campsites - Norway feels virtually empty! You also have a legal right to camp provided you are not roadside and a distance away from a dwelling. Planning food for days ahead is necessary.
2 Many roads are unsurfaced, even main ones, particularly in high altitude areas like the Hardangervidda.
3 Expect sleet and snow even in August.
4 There are terrifying long tunnels, some of which are illegal to ride in (but there is usually an old track alternative). However some require a bus instead.
greyingbeard
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by greyingbeard »

By roads unsurfeced did you mean un-metalled /tarmacced. Ive been on "loose" surface roads that are well maintained.
Last time I rode in Norway most roads were far better than ours. Hills a lot bigger though.
I didnt go very far north.
hufty
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by hufty »

Norway? Jealous already. Although if I were you I'd start further North and head even further North :)
Don't fear the tunnels, just get a good LED front light. In fact I quite like a long tunnel once in a while.
Food - I would expect to go past at least one shop or petrol station a day but you'll need extra packs of noodles to cover the early closing Saturday/closed all day Sunday/no shop until Monday afternoon combo.
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cycletourer
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by cycletourer »

Norway is a lovely place to tour with some beautiful scenery, we were touring there this last summer doing the 'Mjølkevegen' & 'Numedalsruta'. As hamster mentions there are many tunnels in Norway which are banned to cyclists therefore you need to take this into account when planning your tour. Some have alternative routes usually the old road and some you may need to take a bus. There is an interactive Norwegian Tunnel map on our site which shows all the tunnels in Norway which you might find useful when planning your route. We also have some general information on touring in Norway here. I would concur with hufty that you will need to carry some extra food due to shop opening times. Personally I would keep away from the main roads if you can as some of them can get very busy in the summer with heavy traffic and although the Norwegians are lovely people they don't seem to like getting held up by cyclists and tend to overtake you on blind bends and summits :shock:.
hamster
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by hamster »

greyingbeard wrote:By roads unsurfeced did you mean un-metalled /tarmacced. Ive been on "loose" surface roads that are well maintained.
Last time I rode in Norway most roads were far better than ours. Hills a lot bigger though.
I didnt go very far north.


I mean no tarmac. Generally the more arterial ones are regularly graded and while unsealed are fine. However, some local 'bomweg' roads can be very rough with huge corrugations.
All it really means is that you need toughish tyres.

hufty wrote:Don't fear the tunnels, just get a good LED front light. In fact I quite like a long tunnel once in a while.

I suspect that you haven't ridden in Norwegian tunnels. Generally they are unsurfaced and unlit: the longest I have experienced was over 20km long. The road and walls are the same colour and they have a haze of spray, dust and diesel fumes inside. Visibility can be dreadful.
greyingbeard
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by greyingbeard »

Ive ridden in a couple of main road tunnels with a "no-mountain-bike" sign on, cant have applied to proper tourers m'lud, the alternative tracks looking very hard work, there was little traffic so we chanced it. Was fine. Luckily. Did the same on a footpath going up to a glacier, applauded by tourists on foot.
Ive ridden through a couple of abandoned tunnels, that was "interesting", non-urban exploring before it became trendy.
Thinking now that the further afield one goes the more fun it gets. Go for it.
Vorpal
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by Vorpal »

An inland route can be very mosquito-y in summer. June maybe early enough to avoid them. However, your route is a bit hilly, and high fjell roads can still be snowy in June.

Here are a couple of threads about Norway.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=93564
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=86142

Avoid the E6, and use FV and RV routes, instead. FV tend to be the quietest paved roads.

I might have some suggestions later. I'm on lunch at work now, but I have looked at an inland route before.

There are more un-tarmacked roads in Norway, but I haven't yet come across any main roads without tarmac. Very often roads that used to be main roads are not tarmacked, but still make excellent cycle routes. They are more interesting, but often hillier than the 'new' main road.

Why don't you want to do a coastal route? Western Norway is incredibly scenic.
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willem jongman
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by willem jongman »

Loved Cycletourer's tunnel website. That should be very useful. I had an Edelux headlight, but that was not nearly bright enough entering tunnels from broad daylight. The road surface in those dark and wet tunnels could be very bad, with huge potholes.
Do not forget that some ferries may not run because of frozen fjords etc. I was quite pleased with my 50 mm Marathon Extreme Tyres, though others managed with Big Apples. Of course, they had the edge on tarmac, but I was happy with the extra grip on gravel roads.
hufty
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by hufty »

hamster wrote:
greyingbeard wrote:
hufty wrote:Don't fear the tunnels, just get a good LED front light. In fact I quite like a long tunnel once in a while.

I suspect that you haven't ridden in Norwegian tunnels. Generally they are unsurfaced and unlit: the longest I have experienced was over 20km long. The road and walls are the same colour and they have a haze of spray, dust and diesel fumes inside. Visibility can be dreadful.

Whatever. I suspect that you've never even been to Norway so take that. Chrispa, a lot of the tunnels are under 20km long and are tarmac-ed, just like the roads either side of them. I have a dynamo hub and a B&M LED light, so even the longer ones are a joy - the road and the side walls in front of me are illuminated very well indeed. The noise of the traffic is just that - a bit of noise - get over it. Don't let the tunnel trolls on here scare you!
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willem jongman
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by willem jongman »

I have indeed seen nice modern tunnels with good lights and smooth tarmac. However, I have also seen the unlit damp ones with huge potholes.
Vorpal
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by Vorpal »

willem jongman wrote:Loved Cycletourer's tunnel website. That should be very useful. I had an Edelux headlight, but that was not nearly bright enough entering tunnels from broad daylight. The road surface in those dark and wet tunnels could be very bad, with huge potholes.
Do not forget that some ferries may not run because of frozen fjords etc. I was quite pleased with my 50 mm Marathon Extreme Tyres, though others managed with Big Apples. Of course, they had the edge on tarmac, but I was happy with the extra grip on gravel roads.

I hope no fjords are frozen in june! :lol:

On main roads, tunnels typically have a good road surface and lighting. The worst ones tend to be on cycling / walking routes rather than roads, but they also aren't so long. Generally, the long tunnels should be avoided. They aren't very nice places to cycle. The alternative is invariably, higher, hillier, and incredibly beautiful (but may still be snowy in June). 8)
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
willem jongman
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by willem jongman »

Well we did have to find a different route because a ferry was not yet running.
iviehoff
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by iviehoff »

I think by taking a fairly direct route from Trondheim to Oslo you are missing most of what is best in Norway. The direct and obvious route is that of the E6 road which is the main N-S road in Norway which is to be thoroughly avoided by cyclists, for its heavy traffic and numerous closed tunnels (and they won't be tunnels quiet enough for you to nip through regardless). So it will be a game to avoid that. Also, the E6 follows the broad Gudbrand valley (or Gudbrandsdal) for much of its length, which is the major valley of Norway, with numerous deep tributaries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudbrand_Valley So trying to get out of that valley puts you in major conflict with the grain of the terrain. You can keep east of it fairly easily, which is missing even more of nice Norway, in a sense, but trying to keep west but parallel to it basically throws the whole idea into a cocked hat because you have to go a long way west, though, sadly, not really far enough... And the high passes which you would like to use to avoid various unpleasantnesses can still be closed at that date.

If you are going for a long route, well you have many alternatives. Tromso to Trondheim, via the islands, is a 3 week tour, much more interesting than the one you suggest. If your aim is to cycle beyond Norway then you can go through the fjords and find the ferry to Jutland (continental Denmark). Many cyclists do find the fjords and mountains between the sea and the route you suggest another major highlight of Norway.

It can still be cold in early June, even in the south. The summer is short in Norway.
greyingbeard
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Re: Norwegian touring.

Post by greyingbeard »

Never mind internet trolls, silly word for silly people, there are real trolls in Norway. Generally under bridges but also on mountain tops hurling boulders down. Even on a few road signs, watch out !
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