It was 7.30 on Friday 4 July 2003, the first day of South Dartmoor's adventurous tour to a new area of Norway. This year we were travelling by plane from Stansted, so it was critical that everyone met at Exeter St Davids in time to catch the 0812 train to London. Tao, however, was still at his home in Kingsteignton. And he was getting very worried.

His stepdad had agreed to drive him to Exeter St Davids as he didn’t want to pay a huge bill for parking his car there for two weeks. Everything was ready to go, but his stepdad, who seemed unaware of the urgency, had left a few minutes earlier to perform his usual morning routine of taking the dog for a walk – using the car! The seconds ticked by and still he didn’t return. Tao couldn’t even pack his bike and luggage into the car to speed things up when he got back. His mind worked through all the options: should he drive his own car and hope he could find somewhere cheap to park?

Just when he thought he would have to drive himself, his stepdad returned. Everything was thrown into the car as quickly as possible and they set off at 7.42, leaving just 30 minutes to get to the station. Somehow, however, his stepdad still didn’t seem to grasp the urgency of the situation, driving at an unhurried pace and seemingly unconcerned that every traffic light seemed to be turning red for them. Tao’s patience was running out and panic was beginning to set in – he genuinely believed he might miss the train, and consequently the entire holiday!

They pulled up at the station at around 8.08. Tao dragged everything out of the boot as quickly as he could, slung the panniers quickly on the rack and then ran through the station, up the stairs, over the bridge and down to the platform with his heavy bike. He arrived at 8.10, mere seconds before the train pulled into the station. He’d never been in such a panic, and he spent the first hour of the train journey recovering, cringing at how close that had been. As for why Oliver was fixing a puncture at the station before he'd ridden anywhere at all, that remains a mystery.

All the trains were on time and we reached Liverpool Street station with enough time in hand to dismantle the bikes on the station concourse and pack them into the bike bags that we had brought with us. With a huge effort we dragged everything onto the Stansted Express for the final journey to the airport, arriving well over an hour before the scheduled departure time.

On our two previous tours to Norway we travelled by ferry from Newcastle, but with the advent of Ryanair we could now fly to Norway in just 2 hours for a ticket price that was a fraction of the ferry fare. Perhaps the government should tax flights to more accurately reflect the damage to the environment, but for this tour it made no sense to even consider the ferry. The necessity for bike bags was a distinct downside to the arrangement, but all in all the experience was highly enjoyable - and we got an extra two days in Norway as a result.

Michael was perhaps a little apprehensive about his first ever flight, but as the cloud in London gave way to bright sunshine over the North Sea he settled down to enjoy the ride along with the rest of the group. The mountains of Norway came into view remarkably quickly and it wasn't long before we were touching down on the relatively short runway at Haugesund - we all felt sure the plane would overshoot the end of the runway, but the brakes cut in just in time!

We reassembled our bikes outside the quiet airport in brilliant sunshine. Gavin, as usual, took ages and needed everyone else to lend a hand. We only had a few miles to cover to the self-catering flat we had booked for the night, and the first part of the journey involved following the North Sea cycle route that passed close to the airport. We quickly found the route and followed it northwards across the island of Karmøy, stopping at a local store to buy our first Norwegian food. Continuing onwards along the well-signed network of paths and rural roads we soon reached the 60m high bridge across the Karmsund sound at Norheim. We'd noticed the breeze when we arrived, but as we climbed the bridge it got so strong that we had to dismount our bikes and almost cling to the railing for safety! We were all relieved when we finally reached the shelter of the mainland.

A little more navigation took us through the village of Vormedal to Røyksund guest house, where our welcome was as warm as we could possibly have hoped. We each received a handshake from the kind lady and were shown to our ground floor apartment with amazing views across the Karmsund sound. This was the cheapest accommodation of the tour at around £9 per person, so we didn't complain about two of us sleeping on settees with no duvets. Nevertheless it was very private and comfortable. As we settled down for our first night in Norway we were startled by the effect of our northern latitude: there was no real night until well after midnight, and even then it was quite light compared with the UK.

It was so warm that we didn't really need duvets anyway!

(Previous recorded mileage for today's ride was 13 miles, taken from a speedo that was reading slightly too high)

On Saturday morning we really knew we were in Norway. Sunshine flooded into our lounge as we ate a hearty breakfast against a backdrop of Norwegian children's television and tranquil sea views. We had to retrace our steps to the big bridge where the wind made the crossing just as treacherous. It was during the descent that Michael realised he had left his expensive grapes and Norwegian goats cheese in the fridge at the guest house. There was no way he was going back for it now, so he hoped the owner might find it in time to enjoy it.

We were following the North Sea cycle route southwards for the next few days guided by a 1:100 000 map book with English descriptions. Our 33 mile route across the long island of Karmøy was quiet, interesting and well-signed on the whole, taking us along interesting cycle paths and unspoilt scenery. There were only two suitable ferries from the southern tip of the island, leaving Skudeneshavn at either 1350 or 1820, and a good few miles to do at the other end of the ferry, so we had to make good speed in order to catch the lunchtime departure. This meant we had to bypass Kopervik, although we did detour briefly to visit Ferkingstad harbour. As it turned out we would have done better to spend the extra time at Skudeneshavn which was alive and bustling with a busy market and live Norwegian music in the square. We ended up with 20 seconds to take it all in before we had to scoot off to the ferry terminal, arriving with just a minute to spare. Was the whole of the tour going to be characterised by such fine timing?

The crossing to the mainland at Mekjarvik took an hour and 20 minutes, calling briefly at the island of Kvitsøy on the way. Tao has never been excited about ferries but he found this one pleasantly stable and enjoyable. From Mekjarvik the cycle route took us along rough tracks and paths along the coast. On the coastland near Kvernevik we investigated a huge sculpture of a chain link that was big enough to climb, a memorial to the oil platform Alexander Kielland which capsized in 1980 drowning 123 people.

As we entered Stavanger our route took us past enormous lakes complete with wild birds, making it hard to believe we were in one of Norway's large settlements. The youth hostel was situated near one of the lakes in a quiet woodland setting. We had a dormitory to ourselves, and after visiting the nearby shop and cooking a good meal we rode down to the quayside to see the finish of the World Beach Volleyball championship finals. The entire length of one side of the quay had been converted to accommodate a large stadium and numerous smaller beach volleyball courts complete with sand. There were cheer leaders in the main stadium and the whole area was bustling with life. It really was a fun atmosphere that we were loath to leave.

(Previous recorded mileages was 49 miles, and previous recorded climb was 422m)

After a rather leisurely start we detoured back to the centre of Stavanger to look again at Stavanger cathedral. Nearby was the delightful main lake, Breiavatnet, complete with fountain and wild birds.

The North Sea cycle route continued southwards for 15 miles along the edge of the Gands fjord, passing through quiet residential areas and frequently crossing the railway line that it followed. By late morning we had arrived at Sandnes and were enjoying lunch in the sun on the upmarket wooden-planked harbour area. Nearby was the concert hall and library, designed in tasteful modern style. Sandnes has been promoting itself as Norway's cycling town since 1990 so we were not surprised to see cycle routes marked everywhere and bicycles available for hire complete with keys. But today was Sunday, and not even the tourist information office was open.

Forced to leave the North Sea cycle route we turned inland with nothing more to guide us than a 1:335000 Cappelens map. It was not easy to find route 13 that avoided the motorway, but once we were on the right road the traffic gradually became lighter. We were crossing a land mass from one fjord to another, and halfway across we found the most perfect bathing beach by the side of Lake Lutsi, washed with sunshine and immersed in tranquillity. There were several Norwegian families there making the most of their short summer season so we pressed on to a quieter spot overlooking another lake, Eikelivatnet, for our refreshment stop. Even here we were not totally alone, discovering a father and son enjoying some idyllic fishing beyond a high bank.

Continuing to Lauvik we arrived just in time to catch the earlier ferry across the beautiful Høgs fjord, bringing us to Oanes by late afternoon. We were in no particular hurry to start the big climb so we bought ice creams and looked in the Lysefjord centre, Norway's one and only fjord centre. The restaurant looked very inviting and the art gallery was fascinating, but we really needed to get on with the climb.

We were now climbing the side of the Lysefjord, probably one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. After a short climb we reached the recently completed Lysefjord suspension bridge, a masterpiece of Norwegian design providing a span of 446m and a lengthy tunnel through solid rock on the far side. After an enjoyable descent to Idsefjord we started on the final, hard climb of the day, to Preikestolen youth hostel. Michael ran out of energy in the excessive heat so we stopped for refreshments at the camp site half way up, making our final arrival at the hostel somewhat later than we had planned.

And we really should have arrived earlier. This was a magnificent building with a grass-covered roof set in idyllic surroundings overlooking a mountain lake. There was even a cafe on the ground floor. After a good shower and meal we explored the path down to the lake, but every paradise has its flaws and here the midges were so aggressive that we were forced to run for the hostel after just five minutes on the lakeside.

(Previous recorded mileage was 43 miles)

The main reason for visiting the Lysefjord area was to walk to the pulpit rock known as Preikestolen, one of the most famous places in all of Norway. The sun was bright as we parked our bikes near the hostel and set off through the woods on a walk that took around 1½ hours. The final approach to the rock took us along the edge of terrifying drops, but this was nothing to the danger of the rock itself. It was a flat table of rock around 25m square that dropped almost vertically for 604m to the Lysefjord far below. The views up and down the fjord were breath-taking, large boats appearing as tiny dots on the water. And of course there were some people sitting on the edge of the rock, dangling their feet over the edge and apparently quite relaxed. The problem was, could they really trust that none of the other hikers would get too close and accidentally nudge them off?

The descent took nearly as long as the climb so it was well past 1pm when we began our 40 mile ride to the next guest house. A flat coastal road brought us quickly to the town of Tau, where Tao felt very much at home. The supermarket provided food for lunch but we had to ride several more miles along the lakeside before we finally settled by a river beyond Tysdal to eat it.

Another couple of climbs and descents brought us eventually to Hjelmeland, a quiet ferry village situated on the Garsundfjord. Our accommodation for the night was in a small hotel where we had a choice of a room in the main house or a chalet in the grounds. We chose the inside room, mainly for the luxury of soft beds and fresh sheets (Oliver had substantial input here) but used one of the chalets to prepare our meal. Light drizzle fell as we walked to the edge of the silent fjord, but this turned to heavy rain overnight.

Oliver was despatched to purchase additional milk for breakfast as continuing heavy rain dampened our spirits at the beginning of our longest cycling day. Racing for the early ferry to Nesvik we were pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had stopped. We set a good pace along the Jøsenfjord then followed the road up and down a couple of climbs and through a tunnel to the long descent to the ferry town of Sand. A particularly heavy and prolonged shower on the final descent made British showers look like a sunny day - these Norwegians certainly know a thing or two about rain! A restaurant in the town centre provided shelter and food, although there was nothing vegetarian for Michael - even the pizza was meat!

Things were brighter when we left the restaurant. We spent a little time buying provisions in the supermarket and buying delicious fresh strawberries from the traders market by the quay, then boarded the early afternoon ferry to Ropeid across the majestic Sandsfjord. One tends to get used to fjords when in Norway, but in reality every fjord is a unique and beautiful creation.

For the next hour or two we followed another fjord - the Saudafjord - to the town of Sauda. We arrived just too late to find anything open except the supermarket, as most traders in Norway close mid-afternoon, so we made the best of chocolate milkshakes and then set off for the final big climb into the mountains.

In winter this road leads to skiing and snowboarding locations, but today there was no snow to be seen. The verge, however, was home to thousands of wild strawberry plants that were laden with fruit fatter and juicier than we had ever seen, so our climb was punctuated with frequent stops. Halfway through a gorge we were amazed to see a huge pipe crossing the road over our heads, coming out of one rock face and going into the other side. We discovered later that it was a gas pipeline, but it seemed large enough to take a car!

Hellandsbygd is a small hamlet high in the mountains, covered with snow for many months of the year but today open wide to anyone curious enough to venture so far from civilisation. Our cottage was easy to find, situated a short distance down the rough driveway of the main farmhouse. The owners, like many in Norway, are subsidised by the government to farm the land in the traditional manner, but many in the village need employment from Sauda to supplement their earnings.

Our room was cosily situated in the attic, with access only by a steep ladder - it really was quite a task to lug our panniers up the steps. We had a kitchen with large dining table and a shower with underfloor heating - in fact, we had the whole cottage to ourselves. We concluded one of our most enjoyable evenings of the tour with a short adventure game.

(Previous recorded mileage for today's ride was 56 miles)

We had a long climb ahead of us today, but we were in no particular hurry to get up from our extremely cosy beds in the loft room. We had a leisurely breakfast, and then took the opportunity to have a chat with our landlady. They run a small farm there in Hellandsbygd, but they do go travelling and recently visited Plymouth! The road that we are planning to traverse today rises to a height of 1200m, and for nine months of the year there is so much snow up there that the road has to be closed to all traffic. It really was very interesting, but it did mean it was gone 10.30 when we finally set off.

Some hairpin climbs within a mile of the Guest House gave us some good views back to the Hellandsbygd valley, and a little further up the road we came across a huge flock of goats that spilled out on the road to greet us, watched by a goat woman. This was an unusual sight and made for some good video footage and photos.

When we reached Svartevasselva the scenery was just magnificent – totally unspoiled and naturally beautiful, with snow now visible on the surrounding mountains. It seemed like the perfect place for some photos, and some conveniently-placed rocks helped us take the first timed photos of the tour that included all of us. Olly’s camera didn’t go off the first two times, but it did the third time, although perhaps his choice of camera rock was a little too distant, being on the other side of the road. Michael underestimated how long it would take him to run from his chosen camera rock to the group, but once again he got that right at the third attempt.

We soon reached the plateau of the mountain around Svartavatnet, a large lake formed by a dam that is used to supply water to Bergen. Soon after that we found the first snow near the road, which was Oliver’s cue to make a snowball, but it wasn’t long before we found a lot more snow, several banks of it in fact, which provided much entertainment as we took it in turns to slide down on our rear ends.

A little further up again and we found an icy pool near the road that actually had a mini-iceberg floating in the middle of it. Olly and Tao worked hard with various long sticks to coax the iceberg to the banks of the pool, and when they finally succeeded, Olly jumped on and manoeuvred himself to the middle with his long stick! Michael was surprised it took his weight, but as Olly said, he’s not as heavy as Gavin! Tao got a bit jealous, so when the iceberg returned to the short, he jumped on as well. Their combined weight, however, was just too much for the iceberg, which promptly began to submerge. It was quite amusing to see the two of them leap for dry land with a high sense of urgency!

We found two more banks of snow for sliding fun, then a huge descent opened out in front of us, with Røldal visible in the distance at the far end of Røldal Lake. The downhill was a lot of fun, but a small climb then brought us back to reality when we came across the first of two very long tunnels – Røldal tunnel, 4.7km long. Cyclists were not barred from using this tunnel, as there was a good wide cycling path on the side, but the air inside became a little stale to say the least, which was not particularly pleasant for the first half which was slightly uphill. We were very grateful when it started to descend after the first 2km, and coming out into the fresh air at the and was quite a relief. We had a short respite, but the second tunnel started almost immediately. This was not as long – 2.5km – and it was all downhill, so we really enjoyed it.

When we came out of the second tunnel the road just kept on going downhill for miles and miles. After checking out a huge waterfall at Lontjørn we stopped at the village of Skare for refreshments in bright sunshine, then pressed onwards. We stopped to look at three more impressive waterfalls, including a longer refreshment stop at Låtefossen, where there was a café. There was a huge volume of water in the waterfall, so it was a spectacular sight.

We finally reached Odda with the sun still shining brightly for us. Our Guest house was a red wooden building behind the Hardanger Hotel, so it wasn’t too difficult to find. We had a comfortable ground floor apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchen, although the bathroom was somewhat cramped. The host family lived on the floor above, as it was a large house. Tao and Oliver set about preparing their meal in the kitchen, but Gavin and Michael fancied a meal out tonight, so they went down to the harbour on a beautiful sunny evening and had a superb pizza at Peppe’s Pizza restaurant.

We had hoped to be able to arrange a glacier walk for tomorrow, but the timing and duration didn’t fit well with our plans so we had to abandon the idea.

(Previous recorded mileage was 39 miles. Total climbs and descents cannot be calculated from Google until summer 2022)


The following notes for the ride have been retained for a short time before deletion.

Long climb ahead, but still time for leisurely chat with the landlady. They run a small farm, and they recently visited Plymouth! For nine months of the year there is snow all around and the high road is closed. That was our route today, climbing to 1200m. Passed woman watching her goats. Snow more visible as we climbed. Group photo near the top. Soon reached the plateau, where generally up and down. First snow near the road was Oliver's cue to make a snowball, but we soon found more and more snow. Several banks of snow provided much entertainment as we took it in turns to slide down on our rear ends. Then there was the mini iceberg in a small pool - just right for Oliver and Tao to take a ride to the centre.

Then a huge descent opened out in front of us, with Roldal in the distance. Great fun, but another small climb to the entrance to the first of two long tunnels brought us back to reality. Cyclists were not barred from these tunnels as there was a good path on the side, but the air inside became a little stale to say the least and we were grateful when it started to descend after about 2km. Short break, then the next tunnel was all downhill, and the road after that was downhill for miles and miles. Stopped at Skare for refreshments as the sun shone, then again at Latefossen waterfall - highly spectacular. Soon reached Odda in bright sunshine.

Guest house was near the edge of the fjord - comfortable apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchen, although bathroom was somewhat cramped. Gavin and Michael enjoyed a meal at the Peppe's pizza restaurant while Tao and Oliver prepared their own meal. Beautiful sunny evening. Tried to arrange glacier walking for the next day, but the timing and duration didn't fit well with our plans.