Wednesday 29th July 2015
Any internet search, travel brochure, or motoring magazine that has an article about the Atlantic Road, recommends it as being an amazing driving or riding experience. Voted "Norwegian Construction of the Century" on September the 27th 2005, and ranked first on The Guardian's list of the world's best road trips, it is the second most popular scenic road in Norway.
Little did we know when we set of this morning, that today would be one of the most disappointing days riding of the whole trip.
It was the usual routine first thing. We rode back into Namsos to pick up the FV17 which would take us south towards Trondheim. As we passed the Co-Op, I gave the scene of yesterdays mishap a long hard stare. There was a fuel station just before the junction we needed, so we all pulled in to fuel up.
And, it was a Shell fuel station! Mark had been in to pay for his fuel, and gave me a knowing smile as I met him on my way into the shop.
There she was. With the opening chords of " I'm gonna love you, just a little bit more Baby" by Barry White playing in my head, I sauntered over to the counter. The stunning, tall, slim , brunette, future Mrs Crasher, smiled a smile that instantly removed my ability to both walk and speak! I turned and fumbled with the chocolate bar display to try and regain my composure. Descended back into a teenager by this raven haired goddess, I somehow summoned up enough control of my faculties to pay for my fuel and the random chocolate bar I was now holding.
She was lovely. Her name was Syra. She asked where I was from, and where we were all going. I somehow resisted saying " Anywhere she wanted to take me". She wished me well for the rest of my trip, and I floated back to my bike on a cloud of giddy happiness.
The ride from Namsos began by crossing and then following a large fjord and river inlet. The FV17 then turned inland across alpine-like valleys. The traffic was light and we were making good progress. Today was going to be quite a long day in the saddle, so we could do without any unnecessary hold ups.
We caught up with a group of Norwegian riders on Harleys, who were just cruising along behind a long line of traffic. We started picking our way past, waving at the bikers while doing so. A little further up the queue, A Danish rider on an old BMW K1100, took offence at Mark, and Stuart overtaking. He was making hand gestures as if they were crazy for doing so. Stuart told me later that he thought the guy was cleaning his visor. I decide to give this guy a wide berth as I pass him, giving him a biker wave as I did so. He repeatedly flashes his headlight at me as I pull back in front of him. I didn't see what his problem was. We were not cutting anyone up, and doing anything dangerous. Anyway, we left him behind and carried on our way.
After about an hour the road turned into a super highway. Fresh tarmac and brand new tunnels carved their way across the valleys and around the fjords. It was like they knew we were coming.
But, it didn't last for long. Large sections of road-works signified the end of the new road, and we were soon back on the older stuff. The road was still nice and flowing. There was also minimal traffic to spoil our fun.
At Steinkjer, the FV17 rejoined the E6 to Trondheim. This was not a fun piece of road, and our journey became very tedious. This section of the E6 was a toll road, controlled by average speed cameras. It was free for motorcycles. I would not of wanted to pay to ride this tortuous piece of highway. 80kph for an hour, stuck behind the other traffic due to a large concrete central barrier preventing overtaking.
Once we got to Trondheim at least the occasional nice looking bridge distracted me from the monotony. Trondheim looked like a nice city to visit. Unfortunately, our schedule didn't allow it.
Heading out of the city, the concrete barrier turned into a steel one. It was more of the same. The stretches of barrier were shorter though, and a few corners were thrown in as the road neared the coast of the fjord. I spotted lots of Tesla electric cars. A sure sign we were near a large city.
The road continued as toll road for another 10kms. At least tractors were banned, so as not to hold up the traffic. It flowed pretty well though, with most drivers sticking bang on to the 80kph limit.
But, when the barrier disappeared, we all made the most of our opportunity to make progress.
It was just after 11am by the time we got free from the city. As we approached Hell ( a small village just south of Trondheim visited by tourist purely because of its name ), we pulled over at a shopping complex for a coffee stop. We were all glad to get off the bikes for a while, after the morning we had experienced.
We sat and relaxed with a coffee and the disgusting cake of our choice in the central concourse of the shopping mall, and watched the world go by.
I noticed that there was a Biltema store upstairs from where we were sat. I went for a quick look around. Biltema stores are amazing. I had heard about them from Greg. The sell pretty much everything from car and motorcycle spares, household and decorating supplies, BBQ's and garden furniture, to horse tack. If you can't buy it in a Biltema store, you probably don't need it.
What I was looking for were tools. I had enough tools with me to get me out of trouble and carry out any repairs I might have on this trip. I noticed yesterday that my chain was feeling a little loose. Not that surprising seeing amount of miles I had ridden. So, when we stopped at Namsos, I attempted to tighten my chain ready for todays ride.
I took out my brand new extending ratchet to slacken off the rear spindle nut.......And it broke! Balls! Hopefully, Biltema would have something a bit more manly to do the job. I found the tool section of the store. There was everything from huge 68mm ring spanners, to tiny jewelers screwdriver sets. I spied a 1/2" drive, 16" long breaker bar for 160NOK. Sold!
We exited Hell, through a tunnel. A bright white light from the far side drew us towards the E39 to Kristiansund.
The E39 was a refreshing change from the E6 we had ridden this morning. It climbed for 10kms as it twisted its way up the side of a tree lined valley. It was a bit slow to start off with due to the speed limits. But, once free from the inhabited areas, the road became a ribbon of fast, flowing, traffic free, brand new tarmac.
I was now leading our little trio and was loving every minute of it. I frequently lost the view of the others headlights from my mirrors and had to slow down a little. The views across the valley began to open up, and eventually the road ended at Halsafjord. It was a short ferry ride across the fjord and on to Kristiansund. The sky was beginning to cloud over, so I put on my waterproof jacket just in case. It would be just our luck to get to the Atlantic road, and not be able to see anything due to rain.
There was quite a bit of traffic to clear in the town centre. It didn't bother us for long and we soon the 64 to Molde. The Atlantic Road.
The road began with a six kilometer long tunnel under the sea to Bremsnos. And, shortly after we came to a toll booth. Usually road tolls are free to motorcycles, but not this one. 61NOK each plus 15NOK for Alison to ride the 8kms of scenic road, and the 20kms of tedium leading to it!
Tedium because it was a only a 50kph speed limit dropping to 40kph in the villages along the way. The road was inundated with campervans and motorhomes, all heading in the same direction as us. The light misty rain which had begun just before Kristiansund, was easing off. This was perfect timing, as we were just about to start the scenic part of the road.
I rode the whole length of the scenic section before turning around and riding back to take photos. I met the others on my way back. They had stopped just after the Storseisundbrua, to take a few selfies. The Storseisundbrua is the main bridge you will see in all the tourist photos. It is an engineering marvel. A humpback bridge with a twist in it. It is a great piece of modern architecture.
I parked up at the visitors centre next to the bridge. A metal walkway has been built from there around one of the rocky escarpments, so that tourists can get a full view of the main bridges. I took a walk round to take some photographs. But, apart from the main bridge, the rest was a little disappointing.
I caught up with the others at a coffee shop at the other end of the scenic road. I needed a hot cup of coffee to warm up. The temperature had dropped in the last half on hour or so. We discussed how disappointed we were with this road. None of us would recommend it, unless it was something you had to tick off your bucket list.
Suitably refreshed, we get back on our way. We ride the rest of the 64, before picking up the E39 and the 62 to Eidsvag. Here we are hoping to stay at one of Greg's suggested campsites. We cannot find the site we are after. We do find a site there, but it is now larger holiday cottages. There is no answer from the reception either. We ride on a little further, but there is nothing.
Stuart is feeling a little anxious as we are travelling too far in the wrong direction. I spotted a small campsite with hyttes on the way in to Eidsvag, so we decide to head there.
The site is run by an old man in his seventies. He doesn't speak much English, but we communicate well enough by pointing and nodding. It is cash only, and he has two small hyttes available for 250NOK each. We are not expecting much as they were half the price we had been paying elsewhere. But they were fine for one night. They were tiny wooden huts with pointy roofs, and décor from the late 1970's. The whole site was a bit run down, but in a great location by the side of a fjord. You could see that it must of been very popular at one time though.
Before settling in for the evening, I used my new breaker bar, and adjusted my chain. I checked my oiler for level too. But, that was fine even after 2500mls.
Tomorrow should be another epic day, as we ride to the Trollstigen and Geiranger Fjord.
Little did we know when we set of this morning, that today would be one of the most disappointing days riding of the whole trip.
It was the usual routine first thing. We rode back into Namsos to pick up the FV17 which would take us south towards Trondheim. As we passed the Co-Op, I gave the scene of yesterdays mishap a long hard stare. There was a fuel station just before the junction we needed, so we all pulled in to fuel up.
And, it was a Shell fuel station! Mark had been in to pay for his fuel, and gave me a knowing smile as I met him on my way into the shop.
There she was. With the opening chords of " I'm gonna love you, just a little bit more Baby" by Barry White playing in my head, I sauntered over to the counter. The stunning, tall, slim , brunette, future Mrs Crasher, smiled a smile that instantly removed my ability to both walk and speak! I turned and fumbled with the chocolate bar display to try and regain my composure. Descended back into a teenager by this raven haired goddess, I somehow summoned up enough control of my faculties to pay for my fuel and the random chocolate bar I was now holding.
She was lovely. Her name was Syra. She asked where I was from, and where we were all going. I somehow resisted saying " Anywhere she wanted to take me". She wished me well for the rest of my trip, and I floated back to my bike on a cloud of giddy happiness.
The ride from Namsos began by crossing and then following a large fjord and river inlet. The FV17 then turned inland across alpine-like valleys. The traffic was light and we were making good progress. Today was going to be quite a long day in the saddle, so we could do without any unnecessary hold ups.
We caught up with a group of Norwegian riders on Harleys, who were just cruising along behind a long line of traffic. We started picking our way past, waving at the bikers while doing so. A little further up the queue, A Danish rider on an old BMW K1100, took offence at Mark, and Stuart overtaking. He was making hand gestures as if they were crazy for doing so. Stuart told me later that he thought the guy was cleaning his visor. I decide to give this guy a wide berth as I pass him, giving him a biker wave as I did so. He repeatedly flashes his headlight at me as I pull back in front of him. I didn't see what his problem was. We were not cutting anyone up, and doing anything dangerous. Anyway, we left him behind and carried on our way.
After about an hour the road turned into a super highway. Fresh tarmac and brand new tunnels carved their way across the valleys and around the fjords. It was like they knew we were coming.
But, it didn't last for long. Large sections of road-works signified the end of the new road, and we were soon back on the older stuff. The road was still nice and flowing. There was also minimal traffic to spoil our fun.
At Steinkjer, the FV17 rejoined the E6 to Trondheim. This was not a fun piece of road, and our journey became very tedious. This section of the E6 was a toll road, controlled by average speed cameras. It was free for motorcycles. I would not of wanted to pay to ride this tortuous piece of highway. 80kph for an hour, stuck behind the other traffic due to a large concrete central barrier preventing overtaking.
Once we got to Trondheim at least the occasional nice looking bridge distracted me from the monotony. Trondheim looked like a nice city to visit. Unfortunately, our schedule didn't allow it.
Heading out of the city, the concrete barrier turned into a steel one. It was more of the same. The stretches of barrier were shorter though, and a few corners were thrown in as the road neared the coast of the fjord. I spotted lots of Tesla electric cars. A sure sign we were near a large city.
The road continued as toll road for another 10kms. At least tractors were banned, so as not to hold up the traffic. It flowed pretty well though, with most drivers sticking bang on to the 80kph limit.
But, when the barrier disappeared, we all made the most of our opportunity to make progress.
It was just after 11am by the time we got free from the city. As we approached Hell ( a small village just south of Trondheim visited by tourist purely because of its name ), we pulled over at a shopping complex for a coffee stop. We were all glad to get off the bikes for a while, after the morning we had experienced.
We sat and relaxed with a coffee and the disgusting cake of our choice in the central concourse of the shopping mall, and watched the world go by.
I noticed that there was a Biltema store upstairs from where we were sat. I went for a quick look around. Biltema stores are amazing. I had heard about them from Greg. The sell pretty much everything from car and motorcycle spares, household and decorating supplies, BBQ's and garden furniture, to horse tack. If you can't buy it in a Biltema store, you probably don't need it.
What I was looking for were tools. I had enough tools with me to get me out of trouble and carry out any repairs I might have on this trip. I noticed yesterday that my chain was feeling a little loose. Not that surprising seeing amount of miles I had ridden. So, when we stopped at Namsos, I attempted to tighten my chain ready for todays ride.
I took out my brand new extending ratchet to slacken off the rear spindle nut.......And it broke! Balls! Hopefully, Biltema would have something a bit more manly to do the job. I found the tool section of the store. There was everything from huge 68mm ring spanners, to tiny jewelers screwdriver sets. I spied a 1/2" drive, 16" long breaker bar for 160NOK. Sold!
We exited Hell, through a tunnel. A bright white light from the far side drew us towards the E39 to Kristiansund.
The E39 was a refreshing change from the E6 we had ridden this morning. It climbed for 10kms as it twisted its way up the side of a tree lined valley. It was a bit slow to start off with due to the speed limits. But, once free from the inhabited areas, the road became a ribbon of fast, flowing, traffic free, brand new tarmac.
I was now leading our little trio and was loving every minute of it. I frequently lost the view of the others headlights from my mirrors and had to slow down a little. The views across the valley began to open up, and eventually the road ended at Halsafjord. It was a short ferry ride across the fjord and on to Kristiansund. The sky was beginning to cloud over, so I put on my waterproof jacket just in case. It would be just our luck to get to the Atlantic road, and not be able to see anything due to rain.
There was quite a bit of traffic to clear in the town centre. It didn't bother us for long and we soon the 64 to Molde. The Atlantic Road.
The road began with a six kilometer long tunnel under the sea to Bremsnos. And, shortly after we came to a toll booth. Usually road tolls are free to motorcycles, but not this one. 61NOK each plus 15NOK for Alison to ride the 8kms of scenic road, and the 20kms of tedium leading to it!
Tedium because it was a only a 50kph speed limit dropping to 40kph in the villages along the way. The road was inundated with campervans and motorhomes, all heading in the same direction as us. The light misty rain which had begun just before Kristiansund, was easing off. This was perfect timing, as we were just about to start the scenic part of the road.
I rode the whole length of the scenic section before turning around and riding back to take photos. I met the others on my way back. They had stopped just after the Storseisundbrua, to take a few selfies. The Storseisundbrua is the main bridge you will see in all the tourist photos. It is an engineering marvel. A humpback bridge with a twist in it. It is a great piece of modern architecture.
I parked up at the visitors centre next to the bridge. A metal walkway has been built from there around one of the rocky escarpments, so that tourists can get a full view of the main bridges. I took a walk round to take some photographs. But, apart from the main bridge, the rest was a little disappointing.
I caught up with the others at a coffee shop at the other end of the scenic road. I needed a hot cup of coffee to warm up. The temperature had dropped in the last half on hour or so. We discussed how disappointed we were with this road. None of us would recommend it, unless it was something you had to tick off your bucket list.
Suitably refreshed, we get back on our way. We ride the rest of the 64, before picking up the E39 and the 62 to Eidsvag. Here we are hoping to stay at one of Greg's suggested campsites. We cannot find the site we are after. We do find a site there, but it is now larger holiday cottages. There is no answer from the reception either. We ride on a little further, but there is nothing.
Stuart is feeling a little anxious as we are travelling too far in the wrong direction. I spotted a small campsite with hyttes on the way in to Eidsvag, so we decide to head there.
The site is run by an old man in his seventies. He doesn't speak much English, but we communicate well enough by pointing and nodding. It is cash only, and he has two small hyttes available for 250NOK each. We are not expecting much as they were half the price we had been paying elsewhere. But they were fine for one night. They were tiny wooden huts with pointy roofs, and décor from the late 1970's. The whole site was a bit run down, but in a great location by the side of a fjord. You could see that it must of been very popular at one time though.
Before settling in for the evening, I used my new breaker bar, and adjusted my chain. I checked my oiler for level too. But, that was fine even after 2500mls.
Tomorrow should be another epic day, as we ride to the Trollstigen and Geiranger Fjord.
Here is part 13 of my vlog:
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