We were going to Norway, not to the North Cape, but to Norway. So without further ado, we rented a cozy vacation home not far from Lillehammer and off we went. Together with our friends Tina and Oli, we wanted to make the area unsafe on motorcycles from here. In addition to many day trips, a four-day round trip was to take us to fjords and fells and give us unforgettable impressions of Norway’s breathtaking nature. But read for yourself….
Let’s go – fjords and fjellets await
The moped-free day, which we had really enjoyed after the long journey, was finally over. At the crack of dawn, we finally set off for the fjords, fells and trolls. In bright sunshine, but initially only 5 degrees outside, we first headed north through the Gudbrandsdal valley. At Dombas we turned off into Ronsdal and got a first impression of Norway‘s abundance of water. Countless waterfalls and the wild course of the Rauma were an impressive sight. Also impressive was the Norwegian engineering skill with which a railroad line was built in a valley that was actually completely unsuitable for it. In any case, the route was absolutely adventurous. After driving through this water-rich, but also wildly romantic valley, we reached Andalsnes on the Romsdalfjord.




Trollstigen – The ladder of the trolls
After a short coffee and refueling break, we continued on to Trollstigen. Here, the Statoil coffee cups we had bought once again proved to be the perfect investment. The road seems to be literally stuck to the rock and is really impressive. With alpine experience, the whole thing is half as wild, but there are trucks and buses driving here as well as motorhomes. In view of the road boundaries, some of which consist of just a few boulders, the whole thing is a bit of an adventure. I wouldn’t get on a bus like that.
Halfway along, the road crosses the Stigfossen, a waterfall that plunges 180 meters into the depths. Definitely worth a short stop for a souvenir photo. Once at the top, we were greeted by a magnificent view in glorious sunshine, which encouraged us to linger for a while. Of course, a small stone tower was built here to appease the trolls living here.





Hytta – The first night at the campsite
The route took us via Trollvegen and the high alpine Maiadalen valley into the Mediterranean-looking Valldalen valley and ended at Norddalsfjord. Here, near Sylte, we waited for a while for the ferry and the crossing. On the other side of the fjord was the campsite I had in mind, where we rented two simple cottages, called hytta, for the night.
After a little shopping and a snack in front of the hut, the first day of the tour came to an end with an expensive can of beer. The price of alcohol in Norway can really spoil your appetite for an evening tour beer.






Geirangerfjord – destination of the cruise ships
After the first night in a cottage, we had breakfast and thanks to the new coffee machine in our cottage, the coffee tasted really good. The luggage was quickly stowed away and we were off again on the ferry across the fjord…… Heading for Hellesylt.
We used the waiting time to replenish our provisions and the motorcycles rolled onto the Geirangerfjord ferry. The journey through the 15 km long Geirangerfjord takes about an hour and is truly spectacular. The fjord, whose rock faces rise up to 1,000 meters vertically out of the water, is located around 100 km from the Norwegian coastline and is a popular destination for cruise ships from all over the world.
After docking in Geiranger, there was no stopping us, so we turned left and drove at a brisk pace up the Eagle Road. Here you climb 500 meters over a length of 5 km and 11 hairpin bends and then have a great view over the fjord. After an extensive photo session, surrounded by a Japanese tour group, we headed back down the road to tackle the ascent to Dalsnibba after the village.






Dalsnibba – So close to the glaciers
On a narrow, winding road, we headed briskly uphill towards the tree line. Unlike in the Alps, this is already reached at an altitude of 800 meters.
Suddenly you’re in a high mountain landscape and the whole thing is just 1000 m above sea level. I knew that there was supposed to be a great view of the Geirangerfjord from up here, now 20 km away, but I couldn’t see it at first. So I stopped, took photos and waited for Tina and Oli. Suddenly, my world sociology drew my attention to a tiny vehicle driving on the opposite mountainside. When I spotted the coach, which was barely recognizable as such to the naked eye, I suddenly realized where the viewpoint was. Knowing that one of my fellow travelers was afraid of heights, I decided to keep this information to myself for the time being and just keep driving. After a short stretch, we reached the Djupvass glacier lake at 1038 m, from where a toll gravel road led up steep ramps to the Dalsnibba at a lively 1500 m above sea level.
Up here, at eye level with the glaciers, we had the expected view of the now tiny Geirgangerfjord: incredibly beautiful! After the obligatory photos, we headed back down the steep gravel road and continued along the route, past glacial lakes and through miserably long, wet and dark tunnels, one of which even runs under a lake. As we were behind schedule due to the many photo stops and the ferry ride on the Geiranger, we decided not to reach our destination for the day and to head for the next campsite.




Gravel roads and compulsory tolls?
We wondered why we had to pay a toll for gravel roads, while the asphalt roads were free to use. A friendly Norwegian explained this to us. In Norway, tolls are only charged until the money is raised for asphalting, after which the roads are free to use. Somehow logical, too.
Cycle paths also have their charm
The sky was very cloudy after the night’s rain, but it remained dry. We still had some catching up to do today after the previous day’s dawdling. First along the fjord where we had spent the night, then after a short drive it was back uphill again. One last look at the Innvikfjord and we were already in the realm of fells and ski resorts. As always, I could rely on the sat nav, as it automatically takes into account my preference for narrow roads. So we quickly got to know a Norwegian cycle and footpath, which thankfully had no barriers or anything similar. Turning would not have been possible.
The route continued on narrow roads along countless fjords and lakes, known as Vetnet in Norwegian.



Tunnels – the special challenge
In order to speed up traffic in Norway, many roads have been equipped with tunnels in recent years. The aim is to create more direct and therefore faster connections. Unfortunately, it was impossible to avoid one or two tunnels on this stage. So we had the “pleasure” of having to drive through pitch-black, wet and icy tunnels up to 6 km long. As these are usually simply blasted into the rock, with water dripping from every crack, and the tunnels are mostly unlit, the fun here is limited. Interestingly, the Norwegians see driving in tunnels as a special kind of fun. In any case, one or two fellow travelers were overtaken by cars in the tunnel.
Ferries – an everyday means of transportation
We made good progress and the cloudy sky meant that we only made a few photo stops. Driving along a fjord can sometimes be a long pleasure. The roads usually follow the course of the coast and so you usually have the ferry landing stage in sight for hours. Without really getting any closer. After an equally long drive along the Sognefjord, we reached the planned ferry in Dragsvik in the afternoon. With a length of 204 km and a depth of up to 1,308 m, the Sognefjord is both the longest and deepest fjord in Europe. The ferry, or rather several ferries, serve the towns of Dragsvik, Hella and Vangsens in a triangular route. A challenge if you want to catch the right ferry first time. When locals turned their cars around on the ferry, the question marks in our heads were complete.

Luxushytta – Just the right thing
After the crossing, we headed for the nearest supermarket to buy food for dinner. While we were shopping, the cloud cover increased rapidly and so we spent the last driving lesson of the day in the rain. We finally reached the planned campsite in Sandvig at around 19:00. The friendly owner of the campsite, who spoke good German, offered us a good price for a luxury cabin. After a few minutes, we were settled in, equipped with a shower, kitchen, two bedrooms and a living room. Despite the rain, dinner tasted delicious in the cozy atmosphere of the hut. The cozy beds soon let us slumber peacefully.
Norwegians – speak excellent English and German
In Norway, Germans are usually addressed in proper German, or at least good English. Strange, where does this linguistic talent come from? A look at Norwegian television helps answer this question. With its 5.4 million inhabitants, Norway is not exactly one of the most populous countries in Europe. It is probably not worth dubbing films and series from foreign productions. That’s why they are simply subtitled in Norwegian.
So you shouldn’t be surprised if you hear the famous phrase: “Harry, get the car” when watching a very popular crime series here.
Norway’s glaciers – simply fascinating
The rain of the night had cleared and after a cup of coffee the bikes were quickly packed.
I had made a detour to Jostedal in my head, where it should be possible to drive right up to the mighty glacier tongue of the Nigardsbreen. The Nigardsbreen is an offshoot of the Jostedalsbreen, which at 100 km long, 15 km wide and up to 500 m thick is the largest glacier on the European mainland. The imposing appearance accompanies you for a long stretch of the journey. You often get the impression that the road and the glacier are one and indistinguishable from each other.
On site, you can cross the glacial lake by boat and take part in guided hikes. Which we decided not to do in view of our motorcycle clothing. The sun was shining and the perfect view of the deep blue glacier captivated us for a long time. One member of the Japanese tour groups present everywhere was very taken with our motorcycles. Oli’s orange Honda Varadero in particular had to be used for a few souvenir photos. He probably worked for Honda.




Sognefjell – The barren beauty
As the Jostedal valley is a dead end, we had to take the route back to the Sognefjord and continue through the romantic Fortundalen valley. At the end of the valley, the ascent to Sognefjell began. The road winds its way through the impressive high mountain and glacier landscape of Sognefjell. Despite the comparatively low altitude of 1450 m, which corresponds to around 4000 alpine meters, you are once again at eye level with the glaciers and can enjoy magnificent views of the Jotunheimen. Jotunheimen is the highest mountain range in Norway and means “home of the giants”. Proof of the omnipresent Nordic mythology in this wild landscape. The views repeatedly encouraged us to park the motorcycles and soak up this impressive landscape and nature and preserve it with the camera.





Back to the vacation home
As we didn’t want to be back in the dark, we followed the road downhill again and headed for our next stop in Lom. The local petrol station not only provided us with fuel but also filled our Statoil coffee cups again.
After the coffee break, the famous stave church of Lom aroused our curiosity. It is one of the largest preserved stave churches and knows how to impress. The rest of the journey took us back to Gutbrandsdal and our vacation home in Gäla.
This marked the end of the four-day round trip and was followed by a rest day with a cleaning and mending session. Man, machine and material needed to be looked after. This was followed by day trips to the national parks of Jotunheimen and Rondane.



Tips
Planning
In addition to planning with Kurviger, the following literature and maps have proven to be helpful for planning:
Baedeker travel guide “Norway”
Manual for individual discovery “Norway”
Maps Norway Central / Norway South Freytag & Berndt 1:250 000A
Arrival
Of course, there are countless options here. As we were transporting the motorcycles on the trailer at the time, the Kiel – Oslo ferry was the most relaxed solution for us. The crossing took 20 hours. If you want to mitigate the horrendous restaurant prices on board, it is advisable to take a snack with you. In any case, we were able to spend a large part of the day on deck and preferred to invest the money we saved in a few cans of beer. Attention: The vehicle deck is no longer accessible after casting off!
Overnight stay
Staying in hotels in Norway is just as expensive as eating in a restaurant or going out for a beer. Camping sites are therefore the obvious choice in Norway. These are available every few kilometers and are often located in the most beautiful places. We even had cabins right by the fjord. Here you can either pitch your tent or rent a cabin for a small fee. If you are traveling as a camper, it is a good idea to make use of the Allemanretten. This legal right allows anyone to camp anywhere for up to three days and even make a fire. Even on private land, provided it is not explicitly prohibited. A great thing!
Coffee
Those who like to drink a lot of coffee are in good company in Norway. Norwegians drink vast quantities of it. In order to save some money, we recommend buying a thermo mug for the equivalent of € 29 at a filling station in the Circle K (formerly Statoil) chain. With this cup you can have coffee for free at all stations in the chain until the end of the current year. Simply stop, go in and fill the cup. That’s it!