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A new adventure awaits. Third trip to 🇳🇴 this year 😎
It was a spontaneous decision to do this trip; only two days before the start. But thanks to the “Routes” section I managed to create a route for a one-week trip: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/332106084
It follows the North Sea Cycle Route along the coast, than I plan to take the ferry boat to Lysebotn, ride east on Lysevegen and follow National Cycle Route 2 to Larvik. 700 km but 10.000 m elevation gain 😬
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Matthew Norway8 Comments-
Day 0: A long train journey to Northern Denmark, a short and fast ferry ride to Kristiansand. Now, I was completely in vacation mode, enjoying the first kilometers on gravel 😊
Found a really nice spot at a lake, took a refreshing swim, enjoyed the lovely late summer evening and didn’t miss the mosquitoes 😁 -
Day 1: I should have paid some attention during planning, when Komoot showed a 5 digit elevation gain on a 700 km trip 🤦♀️
Weather was great, and the scenery fantastic, but my legs send me a reminder about missed training rides this summer. So many ups and downs along the coastline 🥵
I mostly followed EuroVelo 1 today, where a farmer offered free ice cream and eggs to “biker tourists” (cyclists?) Nice offer, but the fridge was empty.
Three month ago I’ve been to Slettnes fyr, the northernmost lighthouse on mainland Norway which means I had no excuse not to visit Lindesnes fyr, its southernmost counterpart, just 2814 km away 😯
It’s a nice lighthouse in beautiful surroundings. And the detour is a joke compared to the long and winding road to Slettnes fyr 😊 -
Day 2: Never forget to check a route created with Komoot in detail! I forgot this important rule, so I can only blame myself for ending up on a hike-a-bike through a swamp 🙃
But at least I found some blueberries and enjoyed the silence, far away from any road.
The ups and downs were quite exhausting but the scenery in the mountains fantastic. I didn’t expect such an impressive landscape in this area. -
Day 3: I tried to wait until the rain stops. It didn’t, so I put all my rain gear on and hit the road: Very small and winding roads through picturesque fishing villages 😊
From Egersund, the route follows an old train line to Hellevik. Many ups and downs but quiet and with great views. After that, I entered the old main road which is a 6,5 km gravel road in a moon-like landscape. Actually, the stones are the same 😁
Found a fantastic cottage with a view.
Rode along the coastline: Blue skies 😎
But dark clouds gathered over inland 😬
Got some rain when I left the coast but it stopped before I pitched my tent in the woods. -
Day 4: The 40 km ride to the Lysefjord ferry went through varying and fascinating landscapes. Flat farmland with some single mountains scattered across the landscape.
The 2,5 hour ferry ride to Lysebotn (about 5 € for the whole trip, bicycle is free!) is highly recommended!
When I started the climb on Lysevegen, heavy rain started. I’m sure this ride is more fun in the sun 😁
At the top, a memorial lists best times for the climb on roller skies: about 30 minutes. Well, it took me more than twice as long 🥵
The landscape up there is truly stunning. But I was soaking wet and cold, so I pitched my tent early. And it’s still raining … -
Day 5: A day in the mountains. I used the sunny but windy morning to dry all wet equipment. Took an early break at the supermarket/ café in the middle of the mountains in Sirdal.
The next climb brought me up to 1050 m and offered lots of great views. If you are lucky, you may even spot some reindeer in the nature reserve Setesdal Vesthei. I took a small hike on a mountain but the reindeer up there was not the real deal 🤔
Skuleskardvegen led me down to Setesdal valley where I took a short coffee break after the rapid descent. After Valle, road 450 leaves the main road eastward, and it starts with a slow climb of 400 m, accompanied by impressive waterfalls and scenic views.
Eventually, I pitched my tent by a lake on 800 m. I took a really refreshing bath 😬 -
Day 6: The rain stopped when I started packing this morning. A steep downhill ride brought me below the clouds to Dalen.
I had expected an easy ride along Telemarkskanalen but it was a constant up and down 🙃
Had to ride some extra kilometers for a coffee break in Kviteseid because the café in Vrådal was closed. I just needed a sweet treat 😊
The roads along the fjord-like lakes had very little traffic – much appreciated 😁Just a few hundred meters before today’s camp spot, the rain started again, and all my rain gear got wet again within minutes 😬
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Day 7: I expected all kinds of wet weather, but the final leg of this trip started with sunshine. It didn’t last long until clouds took control, but who cares 😁
I rode a short stretch on what I had in mind when I read about a canal route.
Since national cycle route 2 has no link to the South coast, I left the route for some gravel along some lakes. It was a real rollercoaster but a funny final 🙃
Things changed when I arrived in Porsgrunn: Heavy traffic, noise, industry … 😢
Heavy rain accompanied me on the final kilometers until I found a nice place just around the city center of Larvik.It’s been a surprisingly varying trip. I have seen so many different landscapes in just one week – wow 😊
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