Vorpal wrote:
As cycletourer said, main roads in Norway often use tunnels where cyclists are not allowed. In addition to the site linked above, it may be worth checking this one http://www.vegdata.no/2014/06/17/cyclin ... n-tunnels/ This one is off the highways department database, so it doesn't depend on people updating it; information about new tunnels is always good here, but information about older ones is not always available, so check both the site that cycletourer linked, and this one.
I concur with Vorpal that is good to check both the vegkart and our tunnel map as the Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian road authority) do occasionally change whether tunnels are banned to cyclists. We have to rely on cyclists and local Norwegians keeping us informed of any changes. Unfortunately the Vegkart isn't that intuitive to use. To find the tunnel information type 'tunnel' in the search box in the top right and then click tunnel in the search list. This will then bring up the tunnels on the map. By zooming in to the area that you will be travelling through you will see that the tunnels are marked as a green dot on the road. If you click on the dot it will give you a list of the information on the tunnel. In the list look for 'Sykkelforbud:' if it says 'Ja' it is forbidden to cycle through. The advantage to our map is that for planning purposes it is visually easier to see the banned sites as they are marked in red.
beardy wrote:Asking from the viewpoint of somebody who has never flown with a bike, do the luggage weight limits allow you to carry enough kit (including the bike) for four weeks of wild camping?
To add to this. A lot of airlines do charge per item of baggage, for us that would be 4 panniers and a racpac each. We get around this by putting the panniers in a couple of large tote bags which are light enough that we could carry them but we tend to do circular tours so we tend to leave these at an hotel or campsite for pick up on our return.
jakobpoffley wrote:Thank you cycletourer for your reply,
I'd actually already found your website and it has been very helpful. The lofoten isles do look amazing but i'm not sure how i would combine them into the trip. I'd like to think that i'm good at reading maps and i prefer to stick to proper roads than tracks and cycle routes because they always take so much longer. I'm glad the touring can be quite tough becuase i want it to be challenging. Thanks for showing me your tunnel map. I'm sure it will be extremely useful in choosing a more specific route when the time comes. What i'm thinking of maybe doing is starting in oslo then cycling west to Bergen maybe go a bit south. Then cycle up to Tronheim which when looking at flights it seems you can get direct flights to england to get home. Please let me know what you think. Also is it worth trying to visit pulpit rock?
Thanks once again
Oslo through to Bergen and then on to Trondheim is approximately 750 miles. Remember on the mountainous roads in Norway you may not be able to do the same speeds or distance that you may normally do. You may have to use the old roads that go around the banned tunnels these are often a longer distance than the tunnel or they may go over the mountain passes that the tunnels now avoid. There is also the good old Norwegian weather to consider, which is akin to Scottish weather. Therefore have some contingencies planned where you could shorten your route or the potential to get on a bus, train or ferry (the hurtigruten ferry runs the length of the west coast of Norway) to complete your route or else assist you along the way if you look like running out of time.
As far as going along the Ralarvegen you may have to do that or take a southern route as RV7 is currently effectively closed to cyclists due to the Måbøtunnelen being closed to cyclists and the alternative route for cyclists closed due to rockfall. When I recently contacted the Statens Vegvesen they were unclear as to when the rockfall would get cleared and the alternative route opened to cyclists.
The Rallarvegen is certainly OK to do on most touring bikes including a Dawes Galaxy, but there are a couple of sections after Finse where you might have to get off and walk for a short way, but it is certainly worth that for the scenery.
As far as Pulpit Rock is concerned, personally I haven't been there but from all accounts if the weather is good the views are spectacular.