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Norway Mountain Bike / Hiking Trips
A link back to the overview of all of our trips is here. |
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Norway is extraordinary. A friend likened it to Jupiter, if you’ve been there recently, but it’s a bit less crowded. If you grew up on Grieg, eat only Munch, or eyeball all Ibsen, you’ll find them well-remembered. Cultural identity is manifested in breakfast herring, a love of (and profound respect for) nature, and a regard turned resolutely north. You’d think that they were already there! You’ll be awed by a past filled with difficult labor, difficult wars, and difficult geography, all in a difficult climate. As you sip coffee in the cosseted luxury of an 80 mph train to the mountains, it’s tough to imagine that the trim fields and towns out your window are on the same latitude as Fairbanks, Alaska! But most come here for scenery that humans have not touched, and there is plenty of it. Fjords, glaciers, wild flowers, the craggy coastline of the North Atlantic... Norway is stunningly beautiful! Superlatives quickly give out in written description of scenes which are hard to grasp even as you see them. There aren’t many roads (Norway’s biggest cities were only linked by asphalt in the 1980’s), so we do as the Norwegians do: mountain bike when there are tracks, and hike when the best we can find is a path. As this is not a road-bike trip, other equipment and clothing is recommended. Please see the “Norway Packing List” for Norway-specific stuff to bring. Additional services, beyond those we usually offer, are included in the price of all trips travelling in Norway: • “Daily” Baggage Transfer. Carrying luggage with you on a mountain bike, much less on a hike, is not an option. Thus our “Daily” Baggage Transfer service is included for the Norway portion of all trips visiting Norway. Special conditions apply: please see the discussion of “Norway Particularities” for details. • Lunch. You will find Taco Bell notably absent at midday. Buffet picnics, where you can manufacture your own lunch before you set out, are thus supplied on 3 days at no additional charge. |
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The following trips visit Norway: Northern Transcon (3 or 4 weeks) Scandinavian Sampler (2 weeks) Norway Fjords & Glaciers follows this itinerary exclusively. |
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Day of the Week
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Description (baggage available all days)
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Typical distances, in km
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Monday
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OSLO - FINSE. Pre-trip Access Package You may either ride an early train to Finse with your trip coordinator (meet in the morning at Central Station), or ride on your own later in the day (or from Bergen). A pleasant ride, and we never cease to be amazed at the number of people who get on and off the train in Finse, despite the fact that there is no actual town there, nor for 50 miles around. The Trip We meet in the mountain village of Finse. Let the hiking in the beautiful Norwegian fjord country begin! Keep an eye peeled for shifting glaciers, and for polar bears. And remember, if you are attacked, do not harm the bear. They are an endangered species… |
0 - 15 k
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Tuesday
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MOUNTAIN BIKING... as in, “biking in the mountains.” With newly acquired trail bikes (gearing designed to outrun polar bears), we set off on our trip towards Flåm. Today’s ride follows the original railroad’s construction trail, a dirt road built at the beginning of the century to allow supplies to reach the track-laying sites. The railroad itself is generally nowhere to be seen, since over the years cut-offs and tunnels have gradually weatherproofed the line. Blue Marble’s coordinators, with ample material for comparison, are unanimous in singing the praises of this wild and beautiful landscape, which we find one of Europe’s most extraordinary. Mountains, lakes, waterfalls and glaciers vie for your attention. Our destination is a cozy hotel near Myrdal, at the head of the fjord leading down to Flåm. |
40 k
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Wednesday
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DOWN the MOUNTAIN & BACK We start out this morning with a train ride through a huge tunnel. You could try biking through, but you’d never be seen again. When you exit the tunnely, you are in the mountain village of Upsete (they’re upsete because they’re tired of riff-raff like us spitting out of their tunnel). We now have a lovely ride down the mountain to Voss, virtually at sea level. Part way along the track becomes a road, then houses start to appear.... Voss will amaze. Gawk at modern conveniences like stores (it's a couple of days since you've seen one). And don't miss the folk museum. An interesting display of Norwegian farmhouse rooms from the 12th through the 19th century clearly illustrates that Norway spent this time trying to stay warm, then invented central heating, and suddenly became the most advanced nation on the planet. Train back up the mountain to Myrdal at your leisure. |
50 k
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Thursday
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MYRDAL - FLÅM - ØSTERBØ Today’s trip is one that attracts tourists from all over the world. But most of them do it by train. A crazy mountain railway descends the gorge to Flåm, at the head of the spectacular Sognefjord, Norway’s longest. The gorge is so deep that climate changes from top to bottom, as you will discover when you cycle down. Gingerly walk your bike to the head of the Flåm valley, and start down to the fjord. If the track is snowbound (it can be - this is not a joke), we replace the first third of the ride with some biking down in the valley, along the water. When we reach Flåm, it is time to bid farewell to the bikes. A country bus takes us away from the water, and to a peaceful dale in the mountains, which we will use as our base camp for the hiking portion of our trip. |
30 k
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Friday
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AURLANDSDALEN HIKING As much or as little hiking as you please today, over interesting and varied terrain. Peat bogs, fir forests, paths along rocky streams, and mountain vistas wherever you look… There is a road in the bottom of the dale, and a country bus that bumbles along it a few times a day. So bus out and hike back. Or hike out and bus back. Or bus out, hike back until you get tired, and then hop the bus. Or just ride around on the bus all day. But you could have done that back in Oslo. |
Variable k
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Saturday
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More AURLANDSDALEN HIKING Today is a bit more challenging. The route we choose enters the deepest part of the ravine, and the road is nowhere near, preferring to burrow tunnels into the rock. Follow the gorge downstream, past waterfalls and below dramatic cliffs. An athletic trek, but the path is well marked, and in time you will reach the broader valley that becomes the fjord. Whoever finds the most picturesque picnic spot gets 5 happiness points. |
Variable k
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Sunday
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AURLAND - VOSS An early morning, but the pain will be well-rewarded. A ferryboat takes us down the Sognefjord and then up the Næroyfjord, Norway’s narrowest, and one of her most spectacular. Kick back and watch the scenic splendor unfold around you. And best of all, you’re sitting, and not putting unnatural stresses on your ankles. From Gudvangen, home to the world's biggest sweater shop relative to populaton, we catch a bus to Voss. The bus ride, though brief, still manages to be a hair-raising affair, in which a vehicle the size of the New Zealand fits onto a road you would have trouble navigating on your bike. Our trip disbands upon arrival at the Voss station. We offer a quick visit of Bergen for those interested, or a return to Oslo on a variety of schedules. Read on.... Post-Trip Access Package: Afternoon in BERGEN, Sleeper Train to OSLO Train to Bergen. Spend the afternoon making hurried acquaintance with this ancient center of commerce, link between Europe and her far north. Tour the Bryggen, the old city which celebrates its history by burning down every few years (well, it used to). Or go up the funicular for a spectacular view of the harbor, the islands, and the ocean. At night we return to the railway station, where the overnight express to Oslo awaits. Back over the mountains, through Voss, Upsete, Myrdal, Finse…. But you’ll be oblivious to it all, rocking in your sleeper berth, lost in the arms of Morpheus (tell him to get his own duvet). |
Fjord boat,
bus |
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Monday
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OSLO (post-trip Access Package only) Arrive in time for a flight. Those headed south by train connect immediately to the Copenhagen express. Otherwise, you may prefer to spend the day in Oslo, or head on to Stockholm, or elsewhere… |
Lots, by train/boat
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departure dates