Im thinking of possibly cycling parts of norway, Ive just read a few books/guides and internet blogs about people doing it and was wondering if anyone here has done it ?
I was thinking of either starting at Bergen or Trondheim and going up towards Tromso so Im cycling the fjords.

I should add, this is during summer……….

I’ve done a couple of touring holidays there. Probably my favourite place to cycle. It used to be possible to get a ferry to Bergen from North Shields.

Bergen is a fantastic place to head to the fjords from. However it’s a sprawling city and is not easy to find your way out of. The scenery is absolutely stunning and the campsites are usually positioned on the sides of the fjords or lakes.

You need to plan your routes carefully because some roads have tunnels where cyclists are prohibited. The roads are much busier than they used to be but the drivers are careful. The roads are narrow so buses have to pass you disconcertingly close but the drivers know what they are doing.

In the summer the days are long allowing plenty of time for long rides and pitching your tent. Campsite huts are cheap and comfortable but need to be booked in advance in the summer. Be careful in September as things start to close down.

Norway is very expensive to eat out in but all the campsites have well appointed kitchens so it’s easy to go self catering.

I’ll have to check out our old routes to recommend some places to head to.

I can confirm what is written above. Shame the ferry stopped. You can get a book called Tunnel Guide Fkr Cyclists which tells you which ones you can go through. Many have alternative routes on the old roads which are long and hard but small and quiet.

There was a piece by Cameron mcneish on the adventure show last month featuring a series of national paths with huts, pretty luxurious bothies, which looked amazing. Looked like right good singletrack, and beautiful bothies in stunning locations.

Give me a shout if you’re thinking about starting in Trondheim.

Contrary to what’s been written above, I think that attitudes of drivers to cyclists is closer to the UK than other places in Europe like France or Italy. They’ll give you plenty of space so long as you don’t hold them up even for a couple of seconds. Otherwise expect to get squeezed.

Saying that the roads are much quieter and often there are separate cycle paths, especially near the cities. Overall I quite enjoy cycling over here.’

http://english.turistforeningen.no/

This link is more about getting into the mountains but it’s got some information about camping and things like that.

Thanks for the ideas, im now trying to work out which part Im going to do, starting at Trondheim looking appealing.

Bruce, did you start at Trondheim ?

Hi mate

If you’re planning a trip along the fjords on the west coast of Norway, make sure that you include an ascent of the Trollstigen (from the Åndalsnes side ie riding westwards) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trollstigen, the hairpin bends and waterfalls, plus the view, are quite breathtaking.

There are many small ferries that will take you across fjords, can recommend the one up the Geirangerfjord (the one that all the cruise ships go up), plus you can camp right on the side of the fjord in Geiranger.

I’ve not done any off-road riding in the west cost area, but did some road riding when I lived over there back in the late 90’s. Riding conditions were generally good, many roads had very low traffic density and were reasonably well paved. Tunnels are a bit of a problem. As per M Wyer’s post above, many tunnels have diversions for cyclists (typically the “old” road), but some don’t. Riding for 20 mins in a pitch black tunnel (they may have improved in the past 15 years, but most were unlit when I rode them) is not much fun at all, so try to plan your route to avoid.

The website http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/maps/tunnelmap.shtml gives a map of which tunnels can be ridden through, and which cyclists are not permitted in.

The Turistforeningen site in BruceWee’s post is a good start, these are a series of manned and unmanned huts (sim to youth hostels / bothies) that you can use during a tour. The website http://www.cyclingnorway.no/en/ may also give you some ideas, both on and off road.

Finally, it is quite expensive in Norway at the moment. Expect to wince when you get to the checkout at supermarkets.

Enjoy!

Not sure what type of cycling your going to be doing but I and another english guy run a blog/community about Mtb in Tromsø: http://www.ridetromso.com.

You should also have a look at Terrengsykkel.no

This is on Tromsøya, the island.
[video]http://vimeo.com/44985133[/video]

But the best riding is either on the mainland or out on Kvaløya.

This is a bit of a mixture of stuff from the north. Tromsø and Narvik, ignore the bikepark stuff from Hafjell.

[video]http://vimeo.com/42497677[/video]

And this is friends video from a trail out on Kvaløya.

[video]http://vimeo.com/51403515[/video]

Send me a message nearer the time if you want.

Just re-read and realized you mentioned you are going touring. Sorry 🙂

I’ve done two tours of Norway – I enjoyed the first one so much I repeated it!

Hopefully the following will give you some ideas.

The coastal steamer can get you up and down the coast. We caught the ferry to Bergen and then jumped off early-doors (6am!) to cycle to Hellesylt. This acts as a good base to do loops taking in Geiranger ford using the ferries. We stayed at a youth hostels – and they catered for us.
As mentioned in posts above, some tunnels are off-limits to cyclists – due to fumes more than anything. Some are easily bypassed on rough tracks, others aren’t. They are very dark! There’s plenty of camper vans in summer so hitching a lift through a tunnel wouldn’t be impossible – one lass in our group regularly hitched a lift with her bike up the climbs!
Norwegian trains take bikes with no fuss – and give you an easy way of getting from Bergen to, say, Voss (so-called outdoor capital of Norway). This is where the Cameron Mcneish programme was based.
To whet your appetite an account of my first trip is here:
http://www.crispinbennett.freedomnames.co.uk/Norway.htm
Photies of second trip here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/112339208260728332643/Norway2004
Notice the difference in snow-cover during these trips- both done in mid-June.

If you’re looking at starting in Trondheim and being in that sort of area I’d try and make sure your route includes the Atlantic Road, you could get the Hurtigruten to Kristiansund and work from there.

http://trailblazer-guides.com/book/norway-arctic-highway/introduction

Try and find this book 😀

How did folks get to Norway from the uk with bikes?

Ferry from newcastle. Doesnt run anymore.

SAS airlines take bikes if you pre-book. Fly into Oslo from London, Manchester or Aberdeen

Norwegian airlines fly a few routes as well and soon Manchester to Stavanger