A few questions about touring in Norway.

[Anthony]

For my summer tour this year I am planning to cycle through Norway to the Nordkapp. I would be grateful if anyone with experience or knowledge about touring in Norway could answer some (or all of) my questions:

1. I am going in August, what kind of temperatures and weather (how much rain) can I expect.

2. Is wild camping legal/accepted/frowned upon?

3. Will there be midges in the evening (like in Scotland)?

4. How often do the ferry crossing run?

 

[psmiffy]

1. it will rain - how much is fairly unpredictable - if it does it will likely to be heavy at times - temperture is variable - most days in August should be able to cycle in shorts - 28 August my water bottles froze overnight going past the Glacier just south of Bodo
2. Wild camping is OK as long as you follow the rules - which I cannot remember
3. I did not see any midges - it might have been too cold for them
4. The boats are fairly frequent depending on where you are - it is best to get a handfull of ferry timetables when you arrive

Get the tunnel guide!
Shop for food when you can

 

[xilios]

Check out this site http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/norway.shtml a lot of country information and links.

 

[Dayvo]

A few years ago, a friend and I planned a ride from Nordkapp to Gibraltar. The route we decided on was more or less due south from Nordkapp into Finland, then crossing into Sweden, following the coastal road as close as possible to Gävle, then traversing south west heading to Helsingborg, Denmark etc.

It didn't go to plan as I fell on day one in the tunnel linking Nordkapp to the mainland and broke my collar bone! *

Anyway, I would suggest starting in Kristiansand, head up to Oslo, traverse north east to Gävle, follow the coast all the way to Haparanda, north through Finland and back into Norway at Kautokeino and eventually Nordkapp!

The reason for missing the middle part of Norway is that there are a lot of mountainous areas to 'test' you, and also the number of tunnels that aren't cyclist-friendly, due to the length of them and the lack of oxygen in them.

HOWEVER, as you will be cycling north, there is a big chance that you will be heading into bad weather (once you get to northern Sweden).

I'd recommend you start at Nordkapp and head south.

Mosquitoes or midges shouldn't be a problem in August.

Wild camping is permitted as long as you're not to someone's home and you clean up after you.

*We started the ride four weeks later from southern Sweden and took six weeks to get to Gibraltar.

 

[Anthony]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated! I guess I have a few more questions to your responses; sorry

It didn't go to plan as I fell on day one in the tunnel linking Nordkapp to the mainland and broke my collar bone! *

That's some back luck! I've read about that tunnel, it sounds dangerous.

Anyway, I would suggest starting in Kristiansand, head up to Oslo, traverse north east to Gävle, follow the coast all the way to Haparanda, north through Finland and back into Norway at Kautokeino and eventually Nordkapp!

The reason for missing the middle part of Norway is that there are a lot of mountainous areas to 'test' you, and also the number of tunnels that aren't cyclist-friendly, due to the length of them and the lack of oxygen in them.

My plan is to start in Bergen and head up through the fjords to Trondheim, then pretty much along the E6 to Nordakapp. I don't really mind the hills and I will cycle through the tunnels if i'm allowed. I'm guessing there will be routes around the tunnels cyclists aren't allowed in?

HOWEVER, as you will be cycling north, there is a big chance that you will be heading into bad weather (once you get to northern Sweden).

How bad is bad weather? I expect there to be rain, but will it be everyday? I would quite like to have a few days of sun and see the views. Is this likely?

I'd recommend you start at Nordkapp and head south.

Is there a specific reason for this? I thought it would be quite good to have Nordapp as the finishing point.

Check out this site http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/norway.shtml a lot of country information and links.

Thanks for this, it looks very useful.

The boats are fairly frequent depending on where you are - it is best to get a handfull of ferry timetables when you arrive
Get the tunnel guide!

Shop for food when you can

Where can you get the guides for ferries and tunnels?

 

[Dayvo]

Anthony! Look at Norway on Google satellite and you'll see that there aren't any direct coastal roads to Trondheim from Bergen, just the ones that weave inland, or lead out to a labrynth of islands.

There are just too many fjords in between the two cities to make it a 'straight' journey. And if you headed inland hoping to 'cut across' country then there are vast areas of nothing and no roads.

Nordkapp, I agree, would make a good final destination, but as I said, you will probably encounter bad weather in the far north - snow isn't unheard of at that time! On the plus side, you'll have 24-hour daylight in the far north, so you can sleep/rest when you're tired, not just when it gets dark.

Hopefully you'll find something useful here:

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Stories/Where-to-go/

http://www.bike-norway.com/engelsk.asp

 

[psmiffy]

Dayvo -what is Nordkapp like - I always sort of harboured an ambition to go there - the bit between there and Bodo is the only piece of the Atlantic coast that I have not cycled -but I get the impression that it more a sort of a symbolic theme park than a "proper" destination.

plus it is actually on a island and not actually part of mainland Europe in the same way that England is not actually part of mainland Europe even though we have the chunnel

 

[Anthony]

Thanks for the warnings, but I want to explore the roads through the Fjords. I know they will be tough and 'not a straight route' and I will have to use a few ferries but I still fancy doing it, the scenery will be amazing!

Its those ferries in the fjords that connect the minor roads together which I was wondering how often run. Will it be daily or more often do you think?

I might think about doing it from Nordkapp, I don't really want to be snowed on!

And thanks for the links they look useful.

 

[Haitch]

I've hitch hiked from Trondheim to Bergen and had no problems with the roads. Ferries were fairly frequent, can't remember ever having to wait long but that might have been luck. The scenery is fantastic and you can take the odd diversion to visit glaciers and so on.

 

[psmiffy]

My plan is to start in Bergen and head up through the fjords to Trondheim, then pretty much along the E6 to Nordakapp. I don't really mind the hills and I will cycle through the tunnels if i'm allowed. I'm guessing there will be routes around the tunnels cyclists aren't allowed in?

Quite a lot of the tunnels if you stick to the mainland route are no bycyles - few have the old route and you can get round but some pieces are brand new.

How bad is bad weather? I expect there to be rain, but will it be everyday? I would quite like to have a few days of sun and see the views. Is this likely?

The weather is either sublime or awful - not predictable - although even if it is bad the views are still out of this world

Is there a specific reason for this? I thought it would be quite good to have Nordapp as the finishing point.

I cycled southwards Bodo to Stavanger in late August early September 2004 - The weather will be deteriorating as you go north - I was in south of Sweden at the end of last August and it was definetly starting to crack up

Where can you get the guides for ferries and tunnels.

I emailed the Norwegian Road people and they were kind enough to send me a copy - no idea what the address is now -try googling

 

[psmiffy]

Its those ferries in the fjords that connect the minor roads together which I was wondering how often run. Will it be daily or more often do you think?

The ferries will not be a problem - just need to get some timetables - the longest I had to wait was about 2hrs

 

[Dayvo]

Dayvo -what is Nordkapp like -

smiffy! You are quite right: Nordkapp is indeed on an island, with a 7 km tunnel linking it to the mainland. It definitely isn't a theme park, and apart from the Nordkapp centre with the globe, it seems pretty dull, but I'm glad I went there!



The ride to the tunnel is very hilly, and will probably be very windy, too, with small communities dotting the landscape.

. . . but I still fancy doing it, the scenery will be amazing!

Its those ferries in the fjords that connect the minor roads together which I was wondering how often run. Will it be daily or more often do you think?

I might think about doing it from Nordkapp, I don't really want to be snowed on!

Good on ya, and yes, the scenery will be spectacular. Those ferries (at a guess) will probably run once/twice an hour depending on the distance involved - often just a few miles - and the weather - low cloud/nill visibility isn't uncommon.

For an idea of the landscape (but not the means of transport) this might be interesting reading:

http://capetocape.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=32

Feel free to ask any question and i'll see if I can answer it!

 

[Anthony]

Quite a lot of the tunnels if you stick to the mainland route are no bycyles - few have the old route and you can get round but some pieces are brand new.

Are you talking about the E6 mainland route? What do you do if there is no way aorund a no cycle tunnel? Do you have to get a lift or can you just go through the tunnel anyway?

 

[Anthony]

Thanks Dayvo. I think I'll go for the fjords option, it's too tempting to resist. I just hope I get to see the views.
But I will seriously consider starting from Nordkapp now.

 

[psmiffy]

Are you talking about the E6 mainland route? What do you do if there is no way aorund a no cycle tunnel? Do you have to get a lift or can you just go through the tunnel anyway?

I have read that you can call up the Norwegian form of the AA and that they will give you a lift through - but it seemed much too dodgy for me so I planned a route that avoided these places - If push comes to shove you could just risk it for a biscuit and go through but they tend to come in bunches - some of the ones that allow bycycles are OK (I am not that keen on tunnels at the best of times) others not so good - long badly lit and steep uphill plus no ventilation (which is probably the aspect to think about)