Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
serbring
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Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by serbring »

Hi all,

I have already started planning my trip for the next summer. I'm going to cycle from Bologna to NordKapp . Is there anyone who travelled along that route? Any reccomendation about places to see, cities to stop, activities to do is welcome. :)

thanks
Last edited by serbring on 26 Dec 2013, 2:52pm, edited 1 time in total.
andy14
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Location: Co. Mayo, Ireland

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching suggestion

Post by andy14 »

Avoid the E6 by whatever means
boblo
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching suggestion

Post by boblo »

I did Nordkapp to Gavdos a couple of years ago. Can give some background if you tell me what you want know.
pal
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Joined: 22 Mar 2008, 11:49am

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching suggestion

Post by pal »

I'd recommend coming up via the Norwegian coast, if you have the time: longer, and hillier, but much more interesting -- and minimises the E6 time... . For the very last leg (if you don't mind going the slightly long way round) you can leave the E6 just after Olderfjord/Russenes and take Road 889 down to Havøysund, from where you can pick up the Hurtigrute to Honningsvåg (last proper town before Nordkapp). That means you avoid a long undersea tunnel, and instead get a fantastic ride down an almost deserted, very scenic road: http://www.visitnorway.com/uk/Where-to-go-uk/North/Finnmark/Activities--Culture-in-Finnmark/Scenic-Attractions/Havoysund-National-Tourist-Route/
serbring
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Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching suggestion

Post by serbring »

Hi everybody,

I'm more interested in being in the nature than in cities, but I would like to stay for a couple of days in the big cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen. I'm preparing the route and for anyone who knows the area or have already done a trip in that area, any suggestion is really welcome. :)
thanks pal...I'll bear in mind your suggestion.
andymiller
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by andymiller »

serbring wrote:I have already started planning my trip for the next summer. I'm going to cycle from Bologna to NordKapp . Is there anyone who travelled along that route? Any reccomendation about places to see, cities to stop, activities to do is welcome. :)


Hi Serbring

Are you planning on taking the eurovelo 7 and are you looking for information on the southern sections?

If you are, you may get more information by starting a new thread with a different title . For example I expect there will be a lot of people who have taken the Danube cycleway who won't associate that route with 'NordKapp'.

I loved the section of the ciclopista del sole/eurovelo 7 through the Süd Tirol. Definitely go to see the Ötzi exhibition when you're in Bozen. The centre of Trento is also well worth a brief detour. Let me know if you want any recommendations on campsites on that leg (go to the camping at the ToblacherSee/Lago di Dobbiaco not the other one near Dobbiaco).
Furkuk
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Joined: 26 Jul 2013, 10:30pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by Furkuk »

Have a look at Australianlatvian on YouTube. Good little video of his adventure
Vorpal
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by Vorpal »

There are a couple of threads

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=25445&p=343394
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=56872&p=476844

that may have some useful information. There were also a couple of relatively recent threads about cycle touring in Norway that may have some useful information.

Norwegian cycle routes are usually good and maps are available from the local tourist information. Den Norske Turistforening is a good source of information. http://www.cyclingnorway.no/en/ also has good information (including some routes).

In general, I agree with the assessment that the west coast is more interesting. At the very least, go see the fjords and Bergen, then go north by whatever route your prefer.

If you go from Denmark, I recommend the Hirtshals / Larvik ferry. It is fast (4 hours from Denmark to Norway) and bicycle friendly.

Rallervegen http://www.visitrallarvegen.no/en is well worth doing, though there is a steep downhill section that probably means walking for a bit with a loaded bike.

I would recommend heading for Rallervegen from Oslo, either by bike or train. If you go by bike, you can follow national route 1 from Oslo to Drammen, then national route 5 from Drammen to Haugastøl. From Haugastøl, you can follow Rallervegen to Flåm. Although you can bicycle from Flåm, I suggest taking a ferry because the fjords are amazing.

You can take national route 1 all the way to Nordkapp. It's not the shortest way to get there, but I generally find that the national bicycle routes are relatively low traffic and make a balanced choice between getting there and seeing things. In populous areas, they often use the 'old road' that has since been replaced with a wider, modern road.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
serbring
Posts: 327
Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by serbring »

Hi all,

thanks for your information...I'm still planning my trip and its plan might be:
- starting from Munich
- get Hirtshals and get Kristiansand by ferry
- cycling to Oslo and visit the visit for a couple of days
- cycling to Tromso
- flying to Svalbard and stay a couple of days there
- cycling to Nordkapp
- Cycling back to Tromso to get the flight.


My budget is around 1000€ and I will camp as much as I can. I have from 4 to 6 weeks, it depends mainly by job project status. If my days will not be enough I'll start more in the North. Regarding Nordkapp I'm a bit confused, I found many opinions of bike travellers that getting that plase isn't a great deal...

Vorpal: Thanks for your detailed answer. I saw there are many destination of the ferry from Flåm. Which one do you reccomend?

Which activities have I have to do there?

why should I avoid the E6? Is it too crowded on August?

Regarding the southern part I'm open to everything except I would probably stop at Hamburg because I have few friends there. I don't know that much the east of Germany and Demark
andymiller
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by andymiller »

If you are planning to start from München/Munich/Monaco I'm guessing you are thinking of taking the DBB-ÖBB Eurocity from Bologna. There are only two bike spaces on the trains from Bologna; if you do have trouble getting a place it's worth knowing that the departures from Verona have whole carriage for bikes - so they have lots more bike spaces.
Vorpal
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by Vorpal »

In Oslo, many of the museums are at Bygdøy. There are lots of things to do on http://www.visitoslo.com/en/

serbring wrote:My budget is around 1000€ and I will camp as much as I can.


In Norway there is 'Allemannsretten' which means that you can camp anywhere, as long as it isn't cultivated, and isn't within 150 metres of a dwelling.

On the way up southern Norway, Tønsberg is worth a visit. If it's in port, there is a full scale replica Viking ship, Saga Oseberg http://www.osebergvikingskip.no/eng/ You can also see the original at the Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest Norwegian town. And some historians say that it is the oldest Scandinavian town.

If you want to see more things Viking there is also http://midgardsenteret.no/en/welcome-to ... king-hall/
serbring wrote:Vorpal: Thanks for your detailed answer. I saw there are many destination of the ferry from Flåm. Which one do you reccomend?


I would probably go to Bergen, but you can probably see how much time you will have, and decide when you get to Flåm (or book from Haugestøl, if you prefer to plan a little in advance).

serbring wrote:Which activities have I have to do there?
There's not much to do in Flåm. There is the Flåmsbana railway (it stops at a waterfall, which is nice), and a couple of tours. You can also take the Flåmsbana down to Flåm from Rallervegen. If you want to use trains going to or from Rallervegen that time of year, though, it is wise to book in advance.

serbring wrote:why should I avoid the E6? Is it too crowded on August?
Some sections of E6 are fine. Others are motorway (and cyclists are banned). The worst bits allow cyclists, but are 80 kph, narrow and very busy. And it's even worse in the rainy weather that west coast is known for.

That is one disadvantage of going up the west coast; the weather is fairly rainy, and while it should be better in August, there is no guarantee. You could end up riding the whole distance in rain. If, instead, you go north from Oslo, you can go via Lillehammer, which is nice.

If you do that, maybe you visit the fjords on the way back, or something

Oh... and another website that might be useful is http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/norway.shtml

serbring wrote:Regarding the southern part I'm open to everything except I would probably stop at Hamburg because I have few friends there. I don't know that much the east of Germany and Demark

Denmark is a brilliant place to cycle. There is thread with some other threads linked viewtopic.php?f=16&t=81692 about Denmark.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
serbring
Posts: 327
Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by serbring »

andymiller wrote:If you are planning to start from München/Munich/Monaco I'm guessing you are thinking of taking the DBB-ÖBB Eurocity from Bologna. There are only two bike spaces on the trains from Bologna; if you do have trouble getting a place it's worth knowing that the departures from Verona have whole carriage for bikes - so they have lots more bike spaces.


Thanks Andy! I didn't know it, you know Italy better than me :)
serbring
Posts: 327
Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by serbring »

Vorpal wrote:In Oslo, many of the museums are at Bygdøy. There are lots of things to do on http://www.visitoslo.com/en/


Thanks, how long would you suggest staying in Oslo? 4 days is enough to see/do the main things?

serbring wrote:My budget is around 1000€ and I will camp as much as I can.


In Norway there is 'Allemannsretten' which means that you can camp anywhere, as long as it isn't cultivated, and isn't within 150 metres of a dwelling.



Great. I don't like that much cooking in a tent, are there many shops/cafès/bakeries along the west coast?

On the way up southern Norway, Tønsberg is worth a visit. If it's in port, there is a full scale replica Viking ship, Saga Oseberg http://www.osebergvikingskip.no/eng/ You can also see the original at the Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest Norwegian town. And some historians say that it is the oldest Scandinavian town.

If you want to see more things Viking there is also http://midgardsenteret.no/en/welcome-to ... king-hall/
serbring wrote:Vorpal: Thanks for your detailed answer. I saw there are many destination of the ferry from Flåm. Which one do you reccomend?


I would probably go to Bergen, but you can probably see how much time you will have, and decide when you get to Flåm (or book from Haugestøl, if you prefer to plan a little in advance).



I took a look at the map and I could take the ferry to Bergen. I didn't find Haugestøl, where is it placed?


serbring wrote:Which activities have I have to do there?
There's not much to do in Flåm. There is the Flåmsbana railway (it stops at a waterfall, which is nice), and a couple of tours. You can also take the Flåmsbana down to Flåm from Rallervegen. If you want to use trains going to or from Rallervegen that time of year, though, it is wise to book in advance.

serbring wrote:why should I avoid the E6? Is it too crowded on August?
Some sections of E6 are fine. Others are motorway (and cyclists are banned). The worst bits allow cyclists, but are 80 kph, narrow and very busy. And it's even worse in the rainy weather that west coast is known for.

That is one disadvantage of going up the west coast; the weather is fairly rainy, and while it should be better in August, there is no guarantee. You could end up riding the whole distance in rain. If, instead, you go north from Oslo, you can go via Lillehammer, which is nice.

If you do that, maybe you visit the fjords on the way back, or something

Oh... and another website that might be useful is http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/norway.shtml


Ok thank I'll avoid the E6. Do you suggest any other activity I have to do somewhere else in Norway?

serbring wrote:Regarding the southern part I'm open to everything except I would probably stop at Hamburg because I have few friends there. I don't know that much the east of Germany and Demark


Denmark is a brilliant place to cycle. There is thread with some other threads linked viewtopic.php?f=16&t=81692 about Denmark.

Thanks, I'll take a look! :)
Vorpal
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Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by Vorpal »

serbring wrote:Thanks, how long would you suggest staying in Oslo? 4 days is enough to see/do the main things?


I should think so. It somewhat depends what all you want to see. At a minimum, I recommend seeing Fram, the Viking ship museum, the Norsk Folkemuseum, the old city and the fortress (Akershus Festning), all of which can be done in 3 days. After that, there is the Kontiki museum, the royal palace, the technical museum, parliament, the Nobel Peace Center, the national art museum, the museum of decorative arts & design, the Munch museum, Vigeland sculpture park, Vigeland museum...

You can buy open passes for Oslo that will let you in most museums, and unlimited public transport for a single price. It's worth doing if you want to see a number of museums.

serbring wrote:I don't like that much cooking in a tent, are there many shops/cafès/bakeries along the west coast?


There are shops everywhere. cafès and bakeries aren't as common as in other European countries, and they aren't the cheapest way to eat. The cheapest way to get a cooked meal is usually either shopping centre cafès or neighborhood cafeterias. Otherwise, bread is good and readily available; so are various fillings and things for sandwiches. Most food shops here have fresh bakery bread delivered daily. The only problem is that if you leave it too late in the day, some shops will be out of fresh bread. Also, it can be a fair distance between shops in rural areas, and they may be open relatively short hours (and not at all on Sunday)

serbring wrote: I didn't find Haugestøl, where is it placed?

http://goo.gl/maps/RjWjr is where the Rallarvegen starts. It can be reached by train or road.


serbring wrote:Ok thank I'll avoid the E6. Do you suggest any other activity I have to do somewhere else in Norway?


I often find that the best way to find things to do in Norway is to ask people along the way, or go to the local Norsk Turistforening office/shop, or tourist information. There is almost always something interesting, and it isn't always easy to find on the internet. Though, most of the popular things to do & see are in one of the previously linked sites.

Norway also has festivals during the summer months http://www.visitnorway.com/us/What-to-d ... in-Norway/
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
serbring
Posts: 327
Joined: 6 Feb 2011, 11:14pm

Re: Cycling to Nordkapp: searching for suggestions

Post by serbring »

Vorpal wrote:
serbring wrote:Thanks, how long would you suggest staying in Oslo? 4 days is enough to see/do the main things?


I should think so. It somewhat depends what all you want to see. At a minimum, I recommend seeing Fram, the Viking ship museum, the Norsk Folkemuseum, the old city and the fortress (Akershus Festning), all of which can be done in 3 days. After that, there is the Kontiki museum, the royal palace, the technical museum, parliament, the Nobel Peace Center, the national art museum, the museum of decorative arts & design, the Munch museum, Vigeland sculpture park, Vigeland museum...

You can buy open passes for Oslo that will let you in most museums, and unlimited public transport for a single price. It's worth doing if you want to see a number of museums.

serbring wrote:I don't like that much cooking in a tent, are there many shops/cafès/bakeries along the west coast?


There are shops everywhere. cafès and bakeries aren't as common as in other European countries, and they aren't the cheapest way to eat. The cheapest way to get a cooked meal is usually either shopping centre cafès or neighborhood cafeterias. Otherwise, bread is good and readily available; so are various fillings and things for sandwiches. Most food shops here have fresh bakery bread delivered daily. The only problem is that if you leave it too late in the day, some shops will be out of fresh bread. Also, it can be a fair distance between shops in rural areas, and they may be open relatively short hours (and not at all on Sunday)

serbring wrote: I didn't find Haugestøl, where is it placed?

http://goo.gl/maps/RjWjr is where the Rallarvegen starts. It can be reached by train or road.


serbring wrote:Ok thank I'll avoid the E6. Do you suggest any other activity I have to do somewhere else in Norway?


I often find that the best way to find things to do in Norway is to ask people along the way, or go to the local Norsk Turistforening office/shop, or tourist information. There is almost always something interesting, and it isn't always easy to find on the internet. Though, most of the popular things to do & see are in one of the previously linked sites.

Norway also has festivals during the summer months http://www.visitnorway.com/us/What-to-d ... in-Norway/


Many thanks Vorpal, I'll take your advices to heart :)

Regarding the weather tempeture, I read that even in summer the temperature could drop to 5 °C. So I have in mind to bring with me: a softshell, a fleece, a merino base layer, gloves and long pants. Obviously the summer equipment and rainy one. Are they enough in your opinion?
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