Day 6 Nigardsbreen & Sognefellsveg ...the wet way

Nige not looking too happy on the ferry to Hella as he always seems to be able to get the inside of his visor as wet as the outside making it more of a blur. Al reckons its its age and his eyesight is always like that so it shouldnt make a difference. Plus his new gloves are now too tight but they were ok before the trip? And he chucked his old pair away yesterday!!
Out and about to see a glacier and more mountains. Weather has broken and it's tipping down most of the morning as we travel east to Gaupne then north up the Jostedalen valley 604 to see the Nigardsbreen glacier. Raining all the way there and back down the valley, no wonder all the waterfalls and the river along this 20 mile or so stretch were in full flow. Saw a few rafts in the river- that's one activity that's not weather dependant as your going to get wet through whatever.
We leave the valley of rain and it clears up as we leave Gaupne eastwards and head up the Sognefellsveg . Not going all the way to Lom though and turn around half way along. Weather clear on the way up, but coming back towards the drop down to Turtagro, the cloud has dropped and we can't see 25yds for the mist, which then disappears as quick as it appeared. It left the rain though and it's a wet ride for the next 10 miles. We're retracing our steps back to Balestrand and get back to base around 17:30. Overall 210 miles for the day and a 'good un' despite the rain.

Not a happy Nigel

Nigardsbreen glacier through the rain

Slightly happier Nigel

Sognefellsveg

Sognefellsveg

Turn around point on Sognefellsveg

By the way, for cruise ship spotters, 'Brilliance of the Seas' passed by at around 22:30 en route from Flam to Bergen. Again we waved and got nothing in return.

Day 5 Balestrand & Gaularfjellet

Circular tour planned today, west along the 55 to Vadheim, then pick up the Fv93 which is a sneaky little road over the top to Nautsundet, with the plan to pick up any likely looking gravel roads and follow them wherever. We got lucky first time by getting on one at Heggim which looped back south to meet the E39 via a place called Sygna? This fell in with the master plan which included going through the Naustdaltunnel north of Forde then taking the first right for Ramsdal to go back to Forde by using the old road bypassing the tunnel. Sign at start of old road said it was closed after Ramsdal, but it wasn't and mission accomplished.
So back to Forde then head towards the Gualarfjellet which starts at Moskog - did this road from east to west last year so this time its west to east! This takes us all the way back to Balestrand and its a 170 mile day, but plenty of stops meant it took 7 hours.
Weatherwise the rain caught up with us today - wet when we got up but not rain falling and it got drier the further away from Balestrand we went, and the only time we hit rain nand got soaked was for the last hour coming down the Gaularfjellet. So Balestrand is a rain magnet, I knew things here were too good to be true about this place.
We stopped for a picnic lunch - bread, cheese, cold meats etc - similar to what you would get at a Norwegian breakfast (cough cough). Nice spot beside a lake which also attracted a group of a dozen or so kids with a group leader marshalling them on a hike. Anyhow they must have seen Nige, because we were offered ice lollies by the group leader who said the kids thought the 'old people' might like one!!!!

Gravel road to Sygna

Gravel road to Sygna

Nice place for a spot of luncheon for the pensioner

Panorama of the hairpins at the Balestrand end of the Gaularfjellet 

Nige about to go down the hairpins and getting wet

Arcadia - all 85000 tons. We waved but they didn't wave back

A good day topped off with watching two cruise ships passing by whilst sitting on the balcony with a cold beer - the rain had stopped by then and the sun was popping out now and again.

Day 4 Up to Balestrand

Bit of a long haul today, 285 mile journey further north to Balestrand where we are basing ourselves for 4 nights and doing 'day' trips. Staying at a cracking hostel in Balestrand - en suite and a balcony overlooking the fiord all for £39 each!!
The initial 120 mile part of the route followed the Ryfylke route from Oanes on the Lysefjord to Hara in the Roldal valley where the 520 meets the E13. In particular the bit from Sauda along a gorge then up to the mountain plateau was spectacular - as is most of Norway anyway!.
Then it was along the 13 to Voss via Lofthus and the ferry over the Hardangerfiord just past the new bridge being built. Now here's a first for us, a roundabout in a tunnel, this being for the spur off to the new bridge connection. After Voss, another great road over the mountains to the ferry at Vangsnes, where we have to get off and on again at Hella to face the right way for landing at Dragsvik, then it's just around the corner to Balestrand. As you can see, sunshine & blue skies all the way - it ain't going to last I'm sure.

Somewhere on Ryfyllke!

View from balcony

Ryfllke

Ryfllke

Balestrand Vandrerhjem - more like a hotel and definitely recommended

Update on the hostel - price includes breakfast, the bathroom has underfloor heating, there's a PC available for free use, wifi available, two supermarkets within 5 minutes walk, petrol pumps around corner.



Day 3 Lysebotyn

Fv986

Well catch up with days 1 & 2 later as we've had some hassle with wifi and then blogger. Anyhow we are in a place called Byrkjedal and today's plan was to go over to Lysebotyn and back which means east along the 45 ovstabodalen and hunnedalen to Svartevatn and then the Fv975 & 986 mountain roads over the top and down to Lysebotyn. Great road and scenery, enhanced by the beautiful weather - don't think it's going to last but here's hoping.

Fv986

Fv986

View from Eagles Nest

We stopped at the eagles nest cafe before dropping down the hairpins to Lysebotn and then spent some time chilling at the dock watching the base jumpers leaping off the Kjeragbolten, dropping to the fjord and getting picked up by a motor boat to be brought back to Lysebotyn.
We missed a trick here as we should have got the ferry from here to Forsand and had a mini cruise up the fjord instead of backtracking the way we came, although that was just as fun going the other way.
Took a couple of side trips on way back- first was up and over to where we ended up in a farmyard at the end of the road in Nedre Maudal. We then went to have a look at the Manofossen waterfall at the bottom of Frafjord. We tried to use the old road over from Gilija instead of the tunnel but after going along it and double checking with a local who said it had collapsed and had landslides all over, and why we're we crazy not to use the tunnel, that idea was abandoned and through the tunnel we went.
To get to the waterfall from the car park you have to scramble up a steep rubble strewn path for about 20 minutes. The steepest points having some steps and chains to hold on to. Lung busting and sweaty in my bike boots & trousers, but a worthwhile effort to see the 90m falls.
Nige wimped out on the effort and headed back to base to get tea on!!!

Tomorrow we head up to Balestrand, based there for 4 nights .

Hostel in Byrkjedal

Repairing landslip on 45

Manofossen

Lysebotyn

Lysebotyn ferry we should have got

Day 2 We reach Norway at long last

Fast cat from Hirtshals, and it is fast enough to get us away from this dump - you might get the impression that we havent had a good experience of Denmark this trip - might be unfair but thats the way it is.
Strapping down the bikes on the Cat was an experience - theres not a level platform anywhere on the car deck, its all sloping one way or another and the bikes are all parked on across a slope!! Crisis averted as its always been like this but it doesnt seem stable at first until you get the first strap on.

Left over right or right over left?

2 1/2 hours later we disembark at Kristiansand and the E39 to Flekkefjord, followed by 44, 501, E39 again and then 503 to Byrkjedal. Scenery improving all the time with every mile travelled North. We go along Jossingfiord and check out the HMS Cossack memorial, and see the houses under the cliff at Helleren. The most interesting thing we saw was the boulders at Gloppedalsura which were just 2 miles from the hostel - interesting WW2 connection involving the Norwegian army in 1940 that I hadnt heard of before.

Gloppedalsura looking towards Veen

Hostel room at the Byrkjedalstunet Hotel for two nights,  brekkie included at around £36 each. Digs are spotlessly clean. We are self catering with a range of 'look what we found' meals supplemented with veg, bread, beer from local supermarkets.

Byrkjedal Vandrerhjem

Checking out the surroundings we wandered into the hotel bar and had two beers - £14 for the round so we had to go back to the room and break out the emergency grog to calm down. Lesson learned, beer in Norwegian bars and food in restaurants is still expensive!!
When we got back, we found we had neighbours - a family on pushbikes who had just done a 90km day and they were still up talking at midnight!

Day 1 Hours of nothingness in Denmark to Hirtshals

Ride up to Hirtshals crap. Hours of nothingness even though we took a recommended 'scenic route' from Esbjerg on the road 11. Highlight of the day was a near miss with a 8ft x 2ft sheet of aluminiuim plate flying off the top of an oncoming truck, over a couple of cars in front of us to land in the verge next to Niges bike as he hit the brakes!!.
Surely Denmark has more than Carslberg/Tuborg, bacon, pastries and the little mermaid to offer? If it has we missed it all.
Arrive at the delightful ferry port of Hirtshals - its the middle of summer and its out of season -or so it seems. We book into the hotel hirtshals and then check the small print on the booking form ' note this is not luxury accomodation' as were in a shed out the back. Well I wouldn't argue with that, we stayed in worse, but not at that price. Winge over, its our own fault for letting Al book it 'cause it was the cheapest available at the time!! Thank God Steve wasn't with us otherwise there would have been blood on the carpet to add to all the other stains.

We're off to Harwich

Places booked on the 17:45 boat and we get there for 14:30 which meant a bit of hanging about at the dock before boarding began - not much to entertain you as the facilities consist of of 3 vending machines and a toilet. Nige didn't take up the offer to go to the nearby Morrisons and sit in their cafe and read the free papers.
There's always a long distance cyclist in ferry queues and this one is no exception - this guy planning 20 to 30 mile a day through Denmark and Sweden to go to a mates wedding in Norway. He'd already been on the road for 3 days coming from Chippenham.
Army was there as well in a tracked light tank, another tank like thing with a gun and a landrover. Dread to think what the fuel bill would be.

Long distance cyclist peering over Niges left shoulder, and the army behind him using a gallon of fuel to get through passport control.

Get on for 16:45 and get the bikes strapped down - then its up to the cabin and a look around the ship to see whats what - not much to see just a bar and two restaurants. Prices extortionate - £27 for the buffet meal and £5.40 a pint. Tip of the day, go to Morrisons and get a cooked chicken and salad, a bottle of wine or two and eat it in your cabin. You might as well get your continental breakfast ingredients from Morrisons as well  while your at it.

£5.40 - don't spill any its the only one you're having





Norway - Nige gets on boat

Manannan late setting off from IoM due to one engine u/s.

Didn't make him late for the gales and rain on the M62 though and the spectacle of dickheads chasing across 3 lanes. Turn up at Als and it brightens up. Sat night in the Swanholme - good beer & food, rest of sat night spent at ALS drinking whisky, playing snooker ( every home has one??) and listening to Lynrd Skynerd. Leave Al asleep head down on kitchen table and off to bed.

Off to the North again....

Norway again this summer, this time Nige & Al heading over on the 24th June and back on the 6th July.
Nige all excited because he gets of his rock in the Irish sea again, and Al all excited because itrs his first trip this year due to the self imposed exile in the Urals
Immingham boat full, so going the Harwich/Esbjerg/Hirsthals/Kristiansand route. Made a saving on DFDS internet prices by using Sport Travel Solutions - got their details from an ad in the Vintage Motorcycle Club magazine.
All ferries booked and rooms in hostels arranged - accomodation working out at around £35 each per night incl. breakfast. Considered a bit of camping & Hytte but we're getting on a bit and starting to get used to beds & en-suite bathrooms instead of possibly packing wet tents every couple of days and lugging sleeping bags and gear all over the place. How times have changed now we can afford the luxuries!!
We're staying in and around the fjords this year, saving the long drag up the E6 north for another time when we'll 'do' Nordland/Lofoten/Troms/Finnmark as a trip of its own.
We are tight arsed and budget conscious so just got find the statoil mug from last year and join the YHA again. (Tesco clubcard deal still available). We'll be doing a daily blog hopefully from 24 June.