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Norway 2007: The North |
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Wednesday 6th June: Nordkjosbotn - Andenes (163 km) |
Not everywhere in Norway is constantly wet.
The East and the North of the country are drier than the Western fjords where most tourists go.
You may think that Norway is cold but if it were not for the warming effect of the Gulf Stream it would be even colder.
The warm water of the Gulf Stream keeps all of the coastal ports free of ice throughout the year.
Norway has a lot of coastline but the protected fjords often seem more like lakes than the sea, perhaps because there are not many beaches. On the west coast of the island of Senja we were on an unprotected coastline, for the first time on this trip, despite having cycled along the coast every day.
Near Hamn, on the island of Senja
Waiting for the ferry at Gryllefjord
Leaving Gryllefjord, on the ferry to Andenes
Leaving Gryllefjord, on the ferry to Andenes
Karen's diary:
We had the usual early morning start into a biting cold headwind. Nordkjosbotn is on the junction with the road to Tromsø (a major town) so the E6 gets busy from here onwards. There are plenty of big trucks but they give us a lot of room, so it's not too scary. The road shoulder has been chopped up by snow-ploughs and is quite bumpy.
After about 50kms we reached our turnoff (Route 855) and were surprised to find it as busy as the main road. We were amongst low, rolling mountains and there was only a little snow. The approach to the town of Finnsnes was a rude shock - a narrow dirt shoulder (no bike lane) and a steady stream of traffic a bit too close. It's a good thing I'm not the nervous type. Finnsnes itself is large and busy, with factories and shopping malls - not the place for us.
So we crossed the bridge (long, high, steep and impressive) to the island of Senja to look for a camp. There was nothing convenient. Rather than going all the way back to the campground
(5km to the other side of Finnsnes), we decided to buy an extra loaf of bread and ride like the devil all the way to the other side of the island - an extra 64kms. If we managed it we could catch the 7.00pm ferry to the next island. With no time to spare, we flogged ourselves the whole way. The east side of Senja is rolling, hilly, grassland and small, scrubby birches. Gradually, you climb up into the hills and the houses thin out and disappear. There are rounded, stony peaks, lakes and streams, a bit of grass and not many trees. It's lovely, rugged country. We descended, fast and cold, to the west coast and found the country very different - round, bouldery headlands and myriad little islands shrouded in mist. Our tiny road twisted in and out, up and down. We hurried past the biggest troll in Norway. Round another headland to the south and the terrain changed yet again, to big, glaciated peaks and valleys. The road swept across a wide bay, ringed by mountains, and zig-zagged steeply up to a saddle between two peaks. My legs were getting very tired. We stopped in the saddle to click some hasty photos and then plunged down the other side into the Gryllefjord, a breathtaking glacial valley. It was a fantastic descent, steep, fast and fun, with great views. Round the head of the valley and into the final sprint, and we came screaming into the ferry terminal at 6.00pm, exhausted but happy. At the ferry landing were two British cyclists (who had begun their journey in South Africa) and two German cyclists (who kept to themselves).
After almost two hours of pitching and rolling across the sea, we arrived in Andenes, the northernmost town on the island of Andøya. Andenes is a charming, picturesque old fishing port. We started riding, well rugged up, to find Andenes Camping about 3km down the road. It is a windswept patch of grass with a lovely, warm kitchen hut. We pitched our tent in a little hollow, slightly sheltered from the constant wind. Home sweet home at last. And what a fantastic afternoon's ride.