[Michel]

Hi Natalia,

you chose a very beautiful area for your first bike trip in Norway ????

Generally speaking, traffic in Finnmark is very light. Even on E6 you might have the road for yourself for a minute or two – depending on day and time of day. Until mid August, you’ll meet many campervans in addition to local traffic and supply trucks. At night, roads will be very quiet, and it can be a great experience to cycle under the midnight sun.

Eurovelo 1 between Tromsø and Alta offers plenty of scenic views and variation. Visit rock arts at Hjemmeluft museum in Alta!

From Alta, you could do the Arctic Post Road (gravel) to Kautokeino. No cars, just gravel ???? Or cycle via Sennalandet mountain plateau to Olderfjord, then South along beautiful Porsangerfjord via Lakselv to Karasjok. There you can take road 92 west towards Kautokeino (part of national cycle route 8).

If you have lots of time, I warmly recommend cycling along the northern coastline between Lakselv and Tana mouth – or even further on Varanger peninsula towards Berlevåg (daily connections with Hurtigruten and Havila boats).

You may find more inspiration for your route on the route page: https://cyclenorway.com/en/route-area-north/

Bus operator in Finnmark is Snelandia: https://snelandia.no/?sprak=3

pictures: Sennalandet at night, Lyngen alps seen from E6, Porsangerfjord, on road 92 west of Karasjok

• This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by  Michel Alexander.

cyclenorway.com

Cycle Northern Norway - The Arctic and the Midnight Sun Awaits!

Popular Routes and essential information to enjoy the wonders of cycling about the Arctic circle in Lofoten, Senja, and the Tromsø region.

[Michel]

I assume you’ll take Fv 705 between Røros and Stjørdal? That’s a very beautiful ride (although you’ll end up in “Hell” ????).
If you want to take a “detour” via Sweden, I won’t recommend E14 towards Storlien. Yes, you can ride long stretches on smaller roads/ gravel/ mud but also long stretches on the main road with many trucks on a narrow road. About 40 km north of it, you could take Fv 72 to Sweden. A cyclist I met in Sweden told me it was quite okay to ride.

But my favorite alternative (see screenshot) is Fv 31 east of Rørøs, via Funäsdalen, Flatruetvägen (Sweden’s highest road with a gread view), lots of gravel to Östersund where you have plenty of options to continue your tour. If you stay in Sweden, you could cycle through endless forests, maybe some parts of the “European Divide”. Might be boring but it will get much better the closer you get to the arctic circle.

You’ll find quit roads along the Swedish-Finnish border, the very beautiful national park Pallas-Yllästunturi, where you could join the “Old Arctic Post Road” via Kautokeino and Alta – or turn right north of Kautokeino and ride through the heart of Finnmark, via Karasjok, along Tana river to Varangerbotn, where you’ll enter the scenice road towards Vardø (give the detour to Hamningberg a chance) where you could enter Hurtigruten or Havila boat to Båtsfjord or Berlevåg on the Northern end of the peninsula. From there, you could cycle west along the coastline. Or give Nordkynhalvøya a chance. Very rough landscapes on the mountain plateaus and along the coast – and a cozy café at the norternmost mainland lighthouse (photo)????.

So many options ????

• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  Michel Alexander.
• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  Michel Alexander.

[Michel]

Thank you both for sharing your experiences; much appreciated ????

So, in the end it’s a question of priorities ????

I don’t really consider a hip bag or rucksack an option for me.

My camera (a Canon EOS R50) is not as bulky and heavy as a Nikon P950 but I’m still unsure if it’s worth the “suffering” because I’m not that much of a photographer (yet) ????

[Michel]

I would definitely recommend riding road 815! It’s a very nice road that follows the coastline most of the time, and it is indeed not easy to find a camp spot in that area. Additionally, it’s forbidden to wild camp in many areas on Lofoton, see this official map: https://nordlandskart.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c8c9eca7cf294d1791feb9bc6b1012eb

But there is a perfect spot: https://maps.app.goo.gl/26KSuMuoRKmEX7Sp6
(It’s an inside tip; don’t tell anyone ????)

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Michel Alexander.

nordlandskart.maps.arcgis.com

ArcGIS Web Application

ArcGIS Web Application

[Michel]

Sounds like a great trip ????

I guess you’ll be at Tusenmetern in early June? Usually, it is not open before July or maybe Mid June but like Matthew said: “The roads are opening at a remarkable pace this year.”

If you ride Tusenmeteren West to East, you could go via Lærdalsøyri and Aurlandsvegen to Flåm (on National Cycle Route 4: https://cyclenorway.com/en/routes/national-cycle-routes/route-4/) to start your Rallarvegen trip.

cyclenorway.com

National Cycle Route 4 - Explore Norway's Majestic Fjords and Mountains

Experience the ultimate cycling adventure in Norway's scenic wonders. Explore glaciers, fjords, epic climbs, and picturesque valleys from Asker to Ål

[Michel]

If you want to avoid riding the main road 51 (200 m uphill Skammestein – Beitostølen) and want to add some (good) gravel, you could try this scenic route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50583570

ridewithgps.com

(unnamed)

29.1 km, +930 m. Bike ride in Vang, Innlandet

[Michel]

I will try to start at Finnish-Norwegian-Russian border triangle near Øvre Pasvik national park, ride north to Slettnes fyr (northernmost lighthouse), take the boat from Mehamn to Havøysund, ride the scenic road towards Olderfjord, via Sennalandet to Alta, and then ride the Arctic Post Road all the way down to Finland.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Michel Alexander.

[Michel]

Usually, midges and mosquitoes shouldn’t be much of a problem end of May or early June. But spring came early to Norway this year: https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/vestland/arstida-som-forsvann_-1.17392408?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
In areas with many midges and mosquitos, I use just a regular bug spray and a mosquito net for my head.

See also https://cyclenorway.com/en/faq/

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Michel Alexander.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Michel Alexander.

www-nrk-no.translate.goog

Google Translate

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[Michel]

I would say you don’t need to book a seat. Main season starts a few weeks later (although the ferry goes much more frequent already by end of May). And I assume that most people would prefer the departure 5.15 p.m. ????
I took the ferry in early June last year at 6 p.m. which went perfectly fine.

Enjoy your trip ????

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Michel Alexander.

[Michel]

You can find information about the main roads (opening times, construction works etc.) on https://www.vegvesen.no/trafikk/hvaskjer?layers=all&fosort=pop&tmsort=priorityScore&tusort=pop&brsort=pop

For information about Tusenmeteren, get in contact with the local tourist office: https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/%c3%85rdal-tourist-information/245047/ It only opens Mid June but according to their Norwegian website, you can also call them in “winter”: +47 57661177 (https://www.visitardal.no/turistkontoret)

Good luck, and have a great trip ????

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Michel Alexander.
• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Michel Alexander.

vegvesen.no

Vegvesen trafikk | Trafikkmeldinger, webkamera og ruteplanlegger

Se trafikkmeldinger og hva som skjer på veien eller nær deg. Se status på fjelloverganger, broer og tunneler, finn stengte veier og bruk webkamera for å se trafikk og kjøreforhold.

[Michel]

Thanks for this recommendation. Bags like this would for sure be the best way to carry a camera. But I really don’t want to cycle with a hip bag every day for weeks ????

It’s such a first world problem …

[Michel]

If you really want to save some weight: Drop the lock (lås) and get something like the Hiplok Z Lok Combo (68 g). It will prevent people from just riding away with your bike while you’re in a supermarket, and you won’t need any lock at all in the countryside (similar to Sweden, isn’t it?).

[Michel]

I understand. I meant that the ferry that goes in the middle of the night probably won’t be fully booked because most people will try to catch the afternoon ferry.

25 € for a burger ????
For the same money you could get 5 tasty cinnamon rolls at the bakery in Å i Lofoten (but it opens not until June) ????

[Michel]

In 2023, I cycled Tusenmeteren in Mid June already but Slettefjellet was still closed.

Maybe you could check with the local tourist info: https://www.valdres.com/things-to-do/slettefjellrunden-cycling-tour-p611443

valdres.com

Slettefjellrunden cycling tour

57,5 km - Slettefjellrunden is a spectacular but demanding cycling tour. It contains a tough climb from the toll station at Slettefjellvegen up to…

[Michel]

Thanks for this quote as well. Actually, the border zone in this area is not that extensive; the trail I’m aiming for now runs along the border zone; see https://excursionmap.fi/?mapId=42484

excursionmap.fi

Retkikartta - Metsähallitus

Retkikartta - Metsähallitus