Touring - Are your dream to go cycling in Norway?

And by that I mean all of Norway, from north to south for about 21 days,
covering aprox 2000 miles, along the coast, over mountains, experiencing most of Norways beautiful nature.

I have dreamt about doing this tour for 6 years, since I went on my first long tour. Now I'm planning to make this trip
in June 2013, and I'm looking for tour mates.

Unfortunately, this doesn't come for free, and you have to pay your own way. I'm planning to try to arrange some
sponsorship for the trip, to get free lodging, some gear and other support, but nothing guaranteed.
if nothing else, I will use tent and camp most nights.

It will be a challenging trip. Steep and long uphills, rain, cold and windy. But it will also be the most scenic trip you can imagine.
You'll meet interesting people. experience the midnight sun. Mountains, sea, fjords. Starting at North cape,
we'll cycle over Lofoten, further south over Jotunheimen, ending at Norway's most suthern point, Lindesnes.

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If this sounds interesting, and you feel your heart go Yes! Leave me a message here, and I'll get in touch with you :)

That sounds like an incredible ride. I've ridden a little in the Nordkapp area though not as a tour, just a day's outing when we vacationed there. A lot of work, but worth it for the stunning scenery. Maybe one day I'll go back to ride that far northern leg of the Sverigeleden.

I hope when you're finished with your adventure you'll share photos here! :)

Norway is a fantastic destination.
I've ridden the South from Oslo to Bergen. It was surprisingly gentle country until I got around to the west coast.
Wild camping is free but hard to find in the heavily farmed south. Unfarmed land is steep, rocky or wooded and hard to camp on. I often managed to find small areas of flat land hidden away. Locals are always helpful in advising good places to camp. Commercial campsites are pretty good and not too expensive.
Food and drink are expensive, so develop a taste for smoked mackerel.
Thursday is food-tasting day at many of the better supermarkets so make sure you take advantage to widen your diet.

I'm curious - do StVZO regulations for bicycles apply to tourists bringing their own bicycles as well?

I'm curious - do StVZO regulations for bicycles apply to tourists bringing their own bicycles as well?

You must have lights on your bike, head and tail, but as far as I know, it's not as strict as the stvzo. There's also a lot of tunnels, so even if it seems unnecessary to have lights in the land of the midnight sun, it does come in handy in the very dark tunnels :)

That sounds like an incredible ride. I've ridden a little in the Nordkapp area though not as a tour, just a day's outing when we vacationed there. A lot of work, but worth it for the stunning scenery. Maybe one day I'll go back to ride that far northern leg of the Sverigeleden.

I hope when you're finished with your adventure you'll share photos here! :)

It is a lot of work, but as you say, well worth it :) I will be sharing photos and keep a blog on the tour :)

Norway is a fantastic destination.
I've ridden the South from Oslo to Bergen. It was surprisingly gentle country until I got around to the west coast.
Wild camping is free but hard to find in the heavily farmed south. Unfarmed land is steep, rocky or wooded and hard to camp on. I often managed to find small areas of flat land hidden away. Locals are always helpful in advising good places to camp. Commercial campsites are pretty good and not too expensive.
Food and drink are expensive, so develop a taste for smoked mackerel.
Thursday is food-tasting day at many of the better supermarkets so make sure you take advantage to widen your diet.

I've never ridden in the south of Norway, only north, where camping possibilities seems endless :) from Trondheim and south, I'll ride trough the mountains, so not too much settlements there, but enough to have decent camping sites and stores.

Going to shopping on food tasting days is a really good idea, and also to go shopping just before closing time, you can get bread, fresh food and stuff that expires on the day for free, which comes in handy, since food is going to be the greatest expense :) a fishing rod will also find its way to my bike :)

from north to south for about 21 days,
covering aprox 2000 miles

I've never toured.. but around a 100 miles a day sounds like too much.. for that time duration. [?].

What are the starting and ending airports?
Have you checked how much the airfare from US would be?

You're already in Norway so is it safe to assume you you've done at least part of this trip previously? It would also help if you posted your own anticipated daily expenditures and goals for the trip. Different people have different comfort levels they are interested in travelling to and it all impacts required gear, level of effort and overall cost.

Not interested myself, but only because I'd much rather spend a couple months on a trip like that then a couple weeks. I'd get to see a lot more.

I've never toured.. but around a 100 miles a day sounds like too much.. for that time duration. [?].

The longest day trip is the last one, 128 miles, the shortest 33, but on that day going from 1100 to 3300 feet.
average distance a day will be 90 miles. Planning on keeping an average speed of 12 mph, riding aprox 8 hours a day.
Some days will be longer, because it will be impossible to keep that pace if the weather turns wild :) but hey, that's just the way it is :)

What are the starting and ending airports?
Have you checked how much the airfare from US would be?

In and out from Norway will be Oslo. Then plane to Kirkenes and boat to Noth cape.

fares from the US depends of course on where you are, but from New York it's about 800$ and then what ever the airline charges for your gear. The traveling in Norway I'll try to get sponsored :)

I have done 700 miles of the trip. I didn't put too much details here, thought it would be better to answer questions as they come :) I will calculate daily cost, haven't looked into that too much yet, but on previous tours I've spent about 1000$ for two weeks.

as mentioned I'll try to get sponsors, and that will of course reduce the cost :)

It would be great to spend a couple of months on a trip like this, but works make that impossible. But there will be time for some adventures, like whale watching, kayaking in Lofoten, hiking besseggen, and a few other things a long the way :)

Just to mention. If anybody is seriously interested, but feel the daily trips are too long, I can lengthen the trip with aprox 10 days. Nothing is written in stone yet, and everything is flexible, at this point :)

Wow! Did this thread die that soon? If I wasn't arleady booked for the summer - I would've looked atvthat myself! Course I probably would've spent an extra month or so too - buy hey - once you're there - no rush going home!

Wow! Did this thread die that soon? If I wasn't arleady booked for the summer - I would've looked atvthat myself! Course I probably would've spent an extra month or so too - buy hey - once you're there - no rush going home!
Lol, yeah, seems like it did. Of course, if Yuo take the trip, why go home, and there's lots of other places to go biking and hiking, or, if we're blessed with the weather, just lay on the beach XD

22 years ago, I just rode the southern most coast , a few days . Stavanger to Krisitansand
the Ferry Fares to cross the fjords needed me to have had a fat Trust Fund to afford that..
so I went across to Denmark.

90 miles a day? WITH camping gear? :(

90 miles a day? WITH camping gear? :(

I know....too much for these legs.

I wouldn't do 90 miles a day on a stationary bike in my living room. :D

90 miles isn't that far, will be aprox 10 hours on the road a day, and yes, with camping gear XD

yea .. but it's mountainous between Fjords you done a lot of mountain road ascents
with the gear you propose to haul?

what was the rate of ground covered spinning the sub 1:1 gear ratios up those Mountains?

yes i have. I wouldn't plan on such long days if I hadn't done it before. previous tours I have kept average speed of 9 mph in montainous terrain, with hills up to 13% and between 5 and 15 miles long. I've carried about 45 lbs of gear. I'm also much fitter now, so i think its very doable. I know the road, and the hardest part is jotunheimen, and i taken that into consideration, and have shorter days there :)

Well have fun , warn your tour mate prospects you may drop them off the back quickly..

Realistically, If you want to ride fast, might as well make plans for a solo tour..

I averaged about 8 mph , on my Irish, Scottish west coast tour.. :50: but I was 50 at the time,

15 years ago..

Absolutely. Those aren't touring speeds, those are racing speeds.



Well have fun , warn your tour mate prospects you may drop them off the back quickly.. Realistically, If you want to ride fast, might as well make plans for a solo.

Hmmm, you really think that's fast? When I went biking in Jotunheimen, with a lot of mountains, I weighed close to 270 lbs, and still kept and average speed of 9 mph, so I don't see how that can be fast...
I've since dropped about 100 lbs, am quite fit, I view 9 mph as slow riding with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery :) but maybe that's just me

Hmmm, you really think that's fast? When I went biking in Jotunheimen, with a lot of mountains, I weighed close to 270 lbs, and still kept and average speed of 9 mph, so I don't see how that can be fast...
I've since dropped about 100 lbs, am quite fit, I view 9 mph as slow riding with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery :) but maybe that's just me

I suspect the issue isn't just the average speed, but the implications. That translates to about 15kph which is pretty slow on flat terrain, but can be an achievement in the mountains depending on the load.

But the 90 miles at 9mph still translates into uninterrupted 10 hour days in the saddle. I understand that the fjord-indented coastline mountains are some of Norway's biggest attractions, but suspect I'd get distracted by some of the waterfalls, bistros, beaches, pastry shops, and cafes. :(

I tend to use a bike to pedal from one point of interest to the next rather than to try to see how many kilometers I can cover in a day. Long days in the saddle don't bother me, but a refusal to stop someplace really interesting cause there's a schedule? :notamused:

And shiold I mention I find lots of things really interesting? :lol: My initial trips were only day trips, quickly lengthened to several weeks, and at this point I usually stay in any given country till my tourist visa runs out - usually about 3 months!!

Will, i think i can guarantee that there ain't no coffee shops, bistros, pastry shops to distract you, most of the way XD I guess you can get a cup of coffee on the ferries lol. No, seriously, there will be miles and miles and miles without any people, but the scenery will be stunning. The good thing with cycling in the north is 24 hours daylight, so stopping an hour or two on some stunning places won't be a problem :)
I would be very happy to spend two months on this trip, but work comes in the way, so even if there is places I would like to stay a day or two, I can't, work calling, but I do have about ten days I can use if necessary. So if there's is blue sky and awesome midnight sun, I might stop for longer like at this place

Enjoy your trip, you don't need to have a companion to go.

.. though sharing sleeping bags with a girlfriend is Nice.

So I might be misinterpreting things bit so lets check. I had a look at the map and have the impression that this might be one if those 'I done it!' trips based more on quantity than quality.

This is a link to what are described as the top 10 bicycle rides in Norway. How many of those are included in your intenary? http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/Active-holiday/Routes/Top-ten-bicycling-routes/

I can see a lot of interesting things to do - and lots of reasons to run out of time. The next question is - looks like LOTS of ferry crossings! How many exactly and whats the total expected expenditure for that? An airplane ticket is one thing - its only fair to give people some idea of what else they'll have to budget for. So far we're looking at 21 days, and an average of 90 miles per day. Whats the minimum and maximum anticipated cost per day on this little venture?

I will enjoy it, and I'm going wether I have company or not. I've always gone alone earlier, I just thought it would be cool to see if anybody would be interested to join, since I know the route, the country etc. and I have other plans for trips in the future that can't be done solo, and it would be cool to maybe get to know some adventures people :)

My route includes trip 2, part of 3 and part of 4. I'll follow the coast from Northcape to Trondheim, and there's 11 ferries, each cost about 3$

From Trondheim to lindesnes I'll ride across the mountains in the middle of the country, so no ferries :)

The daily cost will vary, some places you don't have the option to stay at a camping site, but sometimes it's nice to have a shower, so something like every 3 night I'll stay at one, There's also one place I want to rent a cabine and have a rest day, so that's gonna cost about 100$. I'm going to take 2000$ with me, but aiming to spend about 20$ a day when not staying at a camping site, 35$ when I do. So that would add up to about 5-600$ and then counting in some extra, like a cup of coffee by the ocean watching the midnight sun :)

I also want to go whale watching on Andoya, I have a friend with a house there, so lodging will be free, but the whale watching costs 900 nok, or about 170$

So I might be misinterpreting things bit so lets check. I had a look at the map and have the impression that this might be one if those 'I done it!' trips based more on quantity than quality.

This is a link to what are described as the top 10 bicycle rides in Norway. How many of those are included in your intenary? http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/Active-holiday/Routes/Top-ten-bicycling-routes/



it's not an "I done it" trip. If it was, I wouldn't take the route I do, I would take the shortest :) and I already done 1000km of the trip 3 times before. Of course there's an "I done it" aspect in cycling the length of Norway, but I won't be the fastest, or the slowest. The first or the last. I just think its an awesome trip, with a bit of momentum, since I don't have the luxury to spend 2-3 months on the trip.

Most people use about the same time on this trip, between 18 and 25 days, so it's not like I'm racing. (The record is 4 days, 22 hours, 18 min)

I'd consider going if we could stop by Magnus Carlsen's house so I could have the privilege of being destroyed by the best chess player that ever lived. :)

Your trip sounds fun and ambitious, but I already live in cold weather. Any overseas trip in my future is more likely going to be closer to the equator. Enjoy yourself!

I'd consider going if we could stop by Magnus Carlsen's house so I could have the privilege of being destroyed by the best chess player that ever lived. :)

Your trip sounds fun and ambitious, but I already live in cold weather. Any overseas trip in my future is more likely going to be closer to the equator. Enjoy yourself!

LOL Hey - don't say that! The further north you go the longer and hotter the days get in the summer! All those birds that migrate north every summer are really just slumming it in the south during the winter!

I will enjoy it, and I'm going wether I have company or not. I've always gone alone earlier, I just thought it would be cool to see if anybody would be interested to join, since I know the route, the country etc. and I have other plans for trips in the future that can't be done solo, and it would be cool to maybe get to know some adventures people :)

My route includes trip 2, part of 3 and part of 4. I'll follow the coast from Northcape to Trondheim, and there's 11 ferries, each cost about 3$

From Trondheim to lindesnes I'll ride across the mountains in the middle of the country, so no ferries :)

The daily cost will vary, some places you don't have the option to stay at a camping site, but sometimes it's nice to have a shower, so something like every 3 night I'll stay at one, There's also one place I want to rent a cabine and have a rest day, so that's gonna cost about 100$. I'm going to take 2000$ with me, but aiming to spend about 20$ a day when not staying at a camping site, 35$ when I do. So that would add up to about 5-600$ and then counting in some extra, like a cup of coffee by the ocean watching the midnight sun :)

I also want to go whale watching on Andoya, I have a friend with a house there, so lodging will be free, but the whale watching costs 900 nok, or about 170$

Thanks for the details - puts more perspective on things! :thumb:

Ferry costs are less than I expected and your budgeted costs and strategy for accomodations are pretty reasonable. The miles per day still surprises me a bit for loaded touring - is this a mostly downhill route?

Whale watching can be a fun - what kind are we talking about and what kind of camera equipment do you pack? You're absolutely correct - its ALWAYS a big plus having someone on a tour that knows the area well! :)

I'm already booked for this year but you might want to do something similar next year or the year after I'm guessing.

Unfortunately, I don't know Magnus Karlsen, so can't help you there'll :roflmao2:


When you don't have a car, ferries are cheap, some you get to go on for free, but that's not a given, but some think its cool that you go cycling and let you on for free.

its not downhill, (except the curvature of the earth lol) and there are some serious mountains to climb, and there are two undersea tunnels that's going to be a b****
theres only 5 days without one or more climbs, and theres 4 days with climbing up and down from aprox 650 feet to 4000 feet, but those days will only be about 30 - 50 miles long

I'll carry about 45 lbs, I'll pack a Sony a850, 50 mm, 18mm and a 75-200 mm lenses.

Going whale watching we'll see sperm whales, if lucky you can also encounter minke, pilot and hump back.

Next year I want to go cycling around Iceland, following "ringvei" 1, a road that circles the island, but that's something I don't feel comfortable doing alone due to the unpredictable weather and lack of people population.