South Dartmoor CTC Album

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Page 54 of 408 (4072 items)
Friday 18 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 3 Bergen to Voss
Variable
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
Next morning, after a little shopping, we took the train to Voss, the location of our next hostel. We had planned to go only as far as Dale and cycle the rest of the way, but plans changed as the rain fell! Norwegian trains are certainly good fun. They are electric, of course, and seem to travel at a respectable speed. Bikes are paid for in advance and loaded on for you by the staff, rather like Red Star parcels in Britain. The route included some rather lengthy tunnels but also gave us our first glimpses of the magnificence of Norway's scenery ‑fast flowing rivers, towering mountains, picturesque fjords ‑ a natural wonderland. With an hour to spare at Voss we took a cable car up the towering Hangur mountain side, giving us fabulous views of Vangs lake from the restaurant at the summit.

The hostel was purpose built in a delightful location on the edge of Voss lake - no wonder Voss is such a popular tourist location!
Saturday 19 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 4 Voss to Vangsnes
Variable
50 miles (▲ 1435m ▼ 1495m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
There was more rain for our first day of cycling - not at all what we had hoped for. Our route took us north from Voss, flat for most of the way. We stopped at a shop to stock up with Norwegian yoghurts, made by the official Norwegian dairy company and especially delicious with their separate compartment containing the dry ingredients. We pressed on up a steep 1000m climb with many hairpins. On the way we saw several herds of goats and some farms advertising geitost - goat's cheese - very popular in Norway. It's a dark brown in colour, and sweeter than most cheeses - most of us thought it excellent! As we neared the top we found snow next to the road - an amazing sight in mid-August! We passed several houses with grassed rooves before enjoying the exhilarating descent to Vik. This is located on the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. We rode around the edge for a few more miles to Vangsnes and our youth hostel.
Sunday 20 August 1989
Day ride: Bridford Wood
Sunny
16 Participants: Michael Banks, Hazel Brown, Richard Burge, Michael Giles, Martin Hills, Marcus Kudliskis, Simon Paull, Unknown Rider 1, Unknown Rider 2, Unknown Rider 3, Unknown Rider 4, Andrew Simmons, John Stuart, Ken Twydell, Julie Twydell-Hobday, Martyn Williams
All parties met more or less on time at the Bovey Tracey pick up and Richard Burge, in his temporary position as leader, exercised his authority by changing the final destination to Blackingstone Rock. Nobody disagreed and so all set off for the first stop, inevitably the Primrose Cafe at Lustleigh. There was some uncertainty when the choice of road and railway track was faced and several bikes passed over the fence more than once. The majority though settled for the road.

Who was going to ask for the discount at the Primrose? There was no problem though as the customary concession was granted without a word. Talk and thoughts were about the distant pioneers threading their way amongst the fjords.

The long climb up to the Rock took its toll and after lunch taken on the summit, the Paignton contingent decided to head directly home as Julie had developed a leg problem. In Moretonhampstead a moment of confusion reigned where everyone took off on their own but reassembled to take the road to North Bovey and beyond. There were lots of steep hills to climb and a stop at an ice cream van came just in time for some. The reward came in the downhill towards Ashburton and a speed of 42mph was clocked at one point.

All agreed it had been a stretching day but felt it had been rewarding and that Richard had made a fine job of leading such a varied bunch - and, everyone was back home at a reasonable hour!

Editor's note: All junior members and less-experienced adults are strongly advised to keep their speed down below 25mph on all descents. Experienced riders should also restrict their speed if they are being followed by juniors or less experienced adults.
Sunday 20 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 5 Vangsnes to Sogndal
Variable
26 miles (▲ 790m ▼ 765m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
Vangsnes is really only important for its ferry links across the Sognefjord, but the hostel was comfortable enough. Just for a change it was raining as we left. The ferry to Hella was cleverly designed with two decks and a ramp that could be lowered to allow access to the upper deck. Norway has so many ferries that it's not surprising they have some impressive designs.

Next stop was Sogndal, involving a pleasantly flat ride along the north bank of the fjord. Sogndal itself was a busy town nestling in the shelter of the Sogndalsfjord. The warmer climate and fertile soil was the reason for the presence of many fruit trees, particularly apples, perhaps the first real cultivation we had seen in Norway.
Monday 21 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 6 Sogndal to Skjolden
Variable
33 miles (▲ 955m ▼ 995m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
The main hostel looked a bit like Voss hostel, purpose built, but we slept in the annexe which seemed to be used as school boarding rooms during termtime. There were some brighter spells in the weather this morning, so everything looked much more attractive than it had last night.

Today's journey was relatively flat, following the banks of Lustrafjorden for much of the way and then taking us deeper into the mountains. We saw numerous enormous waterfalls running off the mountains and plunging into the fjord. The hostel at Skjolden was situated next to the rapids of a huge river ‑some members of the tour revelled in the overpowering noise, but others couldn't sleep even with the window closed!
Tuesday 22 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 7 Skjolden to Bøverdalen
Variable
39 miles (▲ 1685m ▼ 1112m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
The ride to Boverdalen on Tuesday was the toughest of all. The road climbed to a height of 1434m, higher than Ben Nevis, and we took all morning and half of the afternoon to reach the Sognefjell summit. We stopped frequently to admire the ever-improving views.

When we got to the top we were rewarded with scenes which would not have looked out of place in Greenland ‑ huge glaciers hugging the snow‑covered mountain sides, vast lakes with icebergs floating around in them, and subzero temperatures. It was all very impressive, but once the rain began we decided to get on with the descent towards warmer temperatures and hot showers at the hostel. Boverdalen youth hostel was nothing special, but it was adequate.
Wednesday 23 August 1989
Evening ride (Paignton): Sharpham
Dry
2 Participants: Dave Humphreys, David Thomas
The attendance just about made this an official ride. It turned out to be one of the hardest, taking the two riders through Totnes and along the delightful track to Sharpham. The Dart may be viewed at many points along the route. Whilst David was tired when he finally got back to Marldon he had thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Wednesday 23 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 8 Bøverdalen to Skjak
Variable
23 miles (▲ 180m ▼ 355m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
Finally we had sunshine as we set off from Boverdalen. There was plenty more downhill riding, following the river all the way to the delightful tourist village of Lom. We sampled the modern luxurious cafe above the shopping centre and explored the stave church, made entirely of wood.

This was the most easterly point on our tour, so we headed west along the wide-bottomed river valley, where all the flat ground between the mountains was cultivated by numerous small farms, each with their own tractor. Unfortunately we had a tough headwind all the way, which made the afternoon ride a real battle. Skjak hostel was a mix of 4-bedded chalets that offered a comfortable night.
Thursday 24 August 1989
Tour: Norway
Day 9 Skjak to Hellesylt
Variable
50 miles (▲ 835m ▼ 1230m)
7 Participants: Mark Burnard, Michael Jones, Ian Luke, Mark Moxham, Shane Powell, Peter Rushworth, Mark Sloman
This was our longest day, covering more than 50 miles to Geiranger, and it started with some bright weather. None of the hills in Norway are ever as steep as they are in Britain, as they have to be navigable in winter when covered with snow. We climbed gradually for 44 miles, passing what looked like a deserted ranch near Grotli and a Lap trading post where the Laplanders were selling anything and everything to do with dead animals. The lakes near the top of the climb were crystal clear with the purest water, and all around were white tufts of cotton grass blowing in the wind.

Showers were coming in again as we reached the top, and there before us was the most amazing downhill we had ever seen. It descended more than 1000m in 6 miles along a road which could be likened to a helter skelter. It twisted and turned its way in seemingly endless hairpin bends right down to Geiranger. The view down to Geirangerfjord opened up as we descended through the stages. This is reputed to be the most scenic fjord in all of Norway, and we couldn't really dispute that. The final descent had more hairpins, and it was here that a number of goats by the roadside left us no choice but to stop and make friends.

We took a boat trip right the way along the fjord, with a guide telling us about all the sights as we looked up at the sheer sides of the narrow fjord. The rain didn't make it quite as enjoyable as it should have been, but we were pleased to have seen it. Shane was fortunate enough to be allowed to steer the huge ferry for a while, with a little supervision from the captain of course.

Our hostel was at Hellesylt, just near the end of our ferry journey.
Friday 25 August 1989
Evening ride (Buckfastleigh): Staverton
Dry
13 Participants: Nathan Arecco, Richard Burge, Andrew Caunter, Gary Duquemin, Martin Hills, Toby Hopper, Luke Kudliskis, Chris Platt, David Platt, Dave Platt Snr, Martin Rushworth, Andrew Simmons, John Stuart
Staverton was chosen as the evening's destination. Thus the route involved Colston Road, a short sprint along the main Totnes road and then down to Staverton Bridge. The group went along the Riverside path, with a return route via Bumpston Cross and the steep Caddaford hill.
Page 54 of 408 (4072 items)
Events Index Gallery Participants