Cycling in Norway
Including the North Sea Cycle Route and the Rallarvegen
There is some amazing adventurous riding in Norway, particularly the Bergen to (nearly) Oslo route including the astonishing Rallarvegen; plus, there is the Norwegian section of the North Sea Cycle Route.
There are some really excellent map sets for cycling these long-distance routes in Norway published by Castor Forlag. The only thing is, they can be a bit hard to get hold of!
The Rallarvegen
Read Visit Norway’s description of the Rallarvegen:
“Following the outskirts of the Hardangervidda mountain plateau, Rallarvegen (the navvie’s road) leads you along the Bergen Railway Line from Haugastøl via Finse, Hallingskeid, Myrdal and all the way down to Flåm by the Sognefjord, or to Voss, located in-between the Sognefjord and the Hardangerfjord.
The route was first opened for cycling in 1974, and the last few years about 25,000 cyclists from Norway and abroad find their way here each year. You can cycle the whole distance in one day, or you can spend a few days and really see the sights along the road.
There is always an option to cycle only parts of the distance according to your own desires.”
The Rallarvegen is just part of a route linking Bergen and (nearly) Oslo.
As it stands today (3rd February 2020) I have in stock the Castor Forlag map set including the Rallarvegen. Altogether the route is 539Km. (As I said, this can be hard to get hold of , so get it while it’s hot is a good tip.)
The North Sea Cycle Route
Of course there is also the North Sea Cycle Route from the border with Sweden via Oslo, Kristiansand and Stavanger to Bergen.
Take in the fjords and beautiful coastline of Norway on another really adventurous ride.
The North Sea Cycle Route maps are divided in to East and West. The Eastern set is available in English. The Western set is out of print in English but available (and perfectly usable) in Norwegian.
The maps are printed on separate cards so that you only need to keep one or two out for the day. Each card has useful phone numbers and addresses on the reverse for accommodation and the like. They come in a tough, plastic box that will keep them safe on your way.
There is an excellent website, Cycletourer.co.uk, which has a very comprehensive web page on cycling in Norway: https://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/norway.shtml
Click below to order a set of maps – or email me if it says “Read More” – which generally means it is out of stock – and I can tell you if I know when they will become available.
