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Norway 2007: The Fjords - south of Sognefjord |
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Saturday 23rd June: Røldal - Flateland (132 km) |
Which way to go?
In Norway the tourist is spoilt for choice.
From Røldal we could have headed down Route 13 to the Lysefjord with its dramatic lookouts at Preikestolen and Kjerag.
But we also wanted to go over Haukelifjellet.
Eventually we chose Haukelifjellet, because we wanted to compare it with the three routes north of here that we cycled over in 2005: Hardangervidda, Route 50 (between Hol and Aurland) and Hemsedalfjellet.
A cyclist who has experience of the high roads of the European Alps might think that the Norwegian passes will be easy because they are relatively low.
Sognefjellet (1434 metres) is only half the height of Cime de la Bonette (2802 metres), the highest tarmac road in Europe.
Most Norwegian passes are hard, particularly on western slopes.
For a start, the roads are usually steep - 10% gradients are normal.
Also, you will be carrying extra weight: all of your food plus clothing for bad weather.
In the European Alps most roads go up to the top of a pass then immediately down the other side. Norwegian roads tend to stay high for a long time.
This means that a cyclist can become cold, even in fine weather.
The highest point (1148 metres) on the old road over Dyrskar (Haukelifjellet)
A high snowbank on the old road over Dyrskar (Haukelifjellet)
A cold day at Ståvatnet on the descent of Haukelifjellet
Karen's diary:
Luckily it didn't rain the whole night. The sky was grey and watery but the road was dry as we set off for the next pass... Haukelifjellet. This road has two banned tunnels, one of them right through the summit, and cyclists must use the old road over the pass. I had visions of the two of us battling sleet and snow on 12% gradients in the middle of some alpine wasteland but I needn't have worried. We had only a light drizzle and most of the climb is over before the tunnel.
In any case, the tunnel was closed for maintenance and all traffic was diverted in convoys onto the old road - so of course it was completely clear of snow. It was an easier ride than Røldalsfjellet, not too steep or rough and not much traffic. The far side was much snowier and very scenic. We had a long, easy descent to the junction village of Haukeli, past a series of hydro lakes. There seem to be countless holiday cabins along this road but there are no services at all. We found a small supermarket at Haukeli so we bought food for today and tomorrow.
We turned south on Route 9 - a killer climb straight up the steep side of the valley had us cooking in no time so we removed our raincoats despite the damp weather. We gained a lot of altitude and soon we were up on top of another big, rolling plateau. It was dotted with tiny lakes and little pine trees and looked almost like a Japanese rock garden. The sky was black and threatening to the east, but clearing slightly to the west and soon the drizzle stopped and the road dried. Again we saw lots of holiday cabins but there are still no services - it feels remote and a bit bleak. 28km past Haukeli we reached the ski village of Hovden and were surprised at its size. It boasted several hotels and lodges, tourist shops and a large supermarket so we seized on the opportunity to purchase more food and eat a second lunch.
We continued south. The countryside is rugged and stony but we are definitely out of the fjords. The river links a series of hydro lakes; as we descended we left the bad weather behind and the temperature increased. At Bykle the 'cyclists route' diverted us away from the main road to avoid a couple of tunnels and we found ourselves following a tiny road along an amphitheatre of huge cliffs; it looked like rock-climbers' paradise. From Bykle it was a fast, easy descent to Flateland, a small village with a campground. It is very peaceful and quite nice - the cabins are full of fishermen. The weather still feels a bit dubious so we are renting a cabin.