In June 2022 I flew to Tromsø, Norway for a reunion/bike adventure with my friend Dries, who I met in 2018 while volunteering on Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua in New Zealand. It was cool to hang with his family before we hopped on our bikes for 13 days of cycling, hiking, and camping. I’ve been giving piano lessons to his son Noah for almost a year on Zoom, so it was awesome to jam with him in person, and of course Lucia wanted to show what she can play too 🙂
We rode from Tromsø to Sommarøy, Senja, Vestarålen, Andøya, and the Lofoten Islands. In this blog I’ll summarize highlights but let the photos do most of the talking. Norway is gorgeous and we had amazing weather almost the entire time. Very lucky!
Pre-Trip Days In Tromsø: June 21-24, 2022
- My favorite part of Tromsø is Telegrafbukta, a gorgeous beach/forest at the southern tip of Tromsøya (øya means “island” in Norwegian, so Tromsøya is the island Tromsø is on).
- Another highlight was the Bike Kitchen, a shop anyone can visit to work on bikes for free.
- Tromsø has lots of free things for sporty people. We visited Turbo, a volunteer-run store where you can rent camping/sports gear for free. We rented a camp stove and panniers for the trip.
- Noah and Lucia were excited to show me their school and town. That was fun 🙂
- Noah helped assemble my bike before the trip. He was a great assistant!
- Didn’t do much else in Tromsø before the trip…mostly worked online for my job since I was about to be unreachable for two weeks. Even sitting on the porch working with gorgeous scenery around me was awesome.
Day 1: June 25: Tromsø to Sandvika, ~50 km
- Dries, his neighbor Igor, and I kicked off the adventure in the afternoon, rode ~15 minutes…and Dries got a flat tire.
- After fixing the flat and getting groceries we continued and saw two reindeer! My first ever!
- The intention was to ride to Sommarøy, but given how late it was we decided to camp on the beach at Sandvika, just before the bridge to Sommarøy.
- In the summer the sun never sets in northern Norway, which was great. We would have been pitching tents in the dark if not for that midnight sun!
- At Sandvika I discovered that one of the beers I was carrying had somehow opened and spilled in my pannier. Ugh! Needless to say we drank all the beers we were carrying…no more spills allowed.
Day 2: June 26: Exploring Sommarøy, 10 km roundtrip
- Igor went back to Tromsø and we camped at Sandvika another night.
- We left the tents standing and cycled across the bridge to explore Sommarøy for the day. There are a few hikes at Sommarøy; we chose Hillesøya and were rewarded with beautiful views.
- Back at the beach we met Ben Coco, a French cyclist who had been riding for over two months!
Day 3: June 27: Sandvika-Fjordgård, 35 km
- Northern Norway = Ferries (free for bikes), tunnels (wear a hi-vis vest!), and horse flies (ugh). Most of the tunnels are fine for cycling, but wear a hi-vis vest and put lights on your bike.
- This was a day of bike issues: Three flats for me, one for Dries, and mechanical problems for both. Changing tires on the side of the road in Senja was horrendous; the flies kept biting! We patched our tubes and the mood was grim until Dries discovered a microscopic sliver of glass in my tire. Not sure how we’d have continued the trip if I’d gotten another flat; we were nowhere near public transit or a bike shop.
- We scored a nice camping spot behind the only store in Fjordgård and I acquired water by speaking French to a Norwegian guy. In these isolated areas of northern Norway people don’t speak much English, so you have to use other languages ;-D
Day 4: June 28: Fjordgård-Skaland, 30 km?
- When life gives you a midnight sun, go to bed at 8 PM, wake at midnight, and hike a mountain. This was my favorite part of the trip. We hiked Segla, a 639-meter ascent with a 45-degree incline. Getting to the top was intense but incredibly worth it. We reached the top around 2 AM and had the whole mountain to ourselves! I could have stayed on top of Segla for a long time; it’s the best vista point I’ve ever seen, and we could see the sun rotating around as we sat there. Amazing. Segla is not on the typical routes cyclists travel, but make the detour if you can. Every angle is a different perspective and it is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
- We got back from Segla around 5 AM, packed up, and were on the road by 6 AM to reach a beach near Skaland for swimming and relaxing before continuing to an official campground at Skaland. This was a HOT day and the icy water at the beach was greatly appreciated.
- The photos for Segla are too amazing to put into a collage, so enjoy the slideshow below!
Day 5: June 29: Skaland-Bleik, ~50 km
- We took the Gryllefjord ferry from the island of Senja to the island of Andøya. On the way to the ferry we had an intense climb and a great platform viewpoint at the top.
- This was the only day it rained while we were cycling, only for ~30 min!
- Took a brief stop at a troll place…didn’t write the name but you’ll know it if you see it…
- On the ferry I befriended Sarah, a 23-y/o German studying and cycling in Norway. She was finishing a cycling trip, so we traded tips about the route and traveling solo as a woman. Good exchange 🙂
- We docked at Andenes and faced intense headwinds until finding shelter on the “nature path” near Bleik. Really cool place to stop! You can bike on the regular road in Bleik, or go up the gravel path near the cemetery to find the shelter.
- Dries chopped wood for a fire (according to him, you haven’t truly camped in Norway until you make a fire). When the fire burned out we stealthily set up our tents nearby, guy lines in place to anchor against the wind.
Day 6: June 30: Bleik-Åknes, 46 km
- Breakfast at the nature shelter featured two young moose running by! Amazing.
- At lunch we spoke to a local cyclist who recommended continuing past Aknes on a gravel path that doesn’t appear on the map. If you cycle Andøya, definitely take the path to the bottom of the island. Maps make it seem like you can’t get there, but you can.
- The path led to a camping spot with a picnic table and fire ring near the skeleton of a beached whale. Cool place to camp and cool skeleton, despite the smell.
- En route to Aknes we found the most amazing bathroom I’ve ever seen. There’s a gorgeous window view from inside but no one can see in from outside. To find it, search “Natural Church” at Bukkekjerka. The natural church is referring to a rock formation, not the bathroom 😉
- I was happy to see some of those Norwegian grass roofs along our route today. The grass helps provide natural insulation. Very cool!
Day 7: July 1: Åknes-Sortland, 75 km?
- Continuing down the gravel path we explored the bottom of Andøya, meeting sheep along the way.
- We met a German couple who’d been cycling for a month, and a retired Dutch couple who’d been cycling for many months.
- We crossed a bridge to the next island and discovered an amazing place to camp: A tiny island reachable by a land bridge. Fitting for friends who met on a tiny island near a larger island to camp on a tiny island near a larger island. x-D
- We approached a house to ask for water and confirm that we could camp on the island. We shared it with just one thirsty reindeer and some birds, swam in the water, harvested mussels and snails, and ate a hearty meal on the white sand beach (I never would have thought to do this, but Dries quite likes mussels and got excited about cooking them). Still seems unreal that we camped there.
- Some of the mussels were full of pearls! Apparently this is sort of a rare thing?
Day 8: July 2: Sortland-Svolvaer, ~70 km
- Went to a mall and had Norway’s version of vegan pizza for lunch. Expensive but not bad.
- We cycled hard to make it to the Melbu ferry but missed it by two minutes. On my tiny wheels the ride was intense; I drafted Dries’ wheel Tour de France style and was so exhausted by the end that I fell asleep waiting for the next ferry.
- Once we crossed to the next island – Lofoten! – we cycled to a campground near Svolvaer where I basically ate dinner, explored, and went straight to sleep. The scenery was gorgeous as usual, but I was exhausted!
Day 9: July 3: Svolvaer-Høv, 40 km
- I started this day by going for a walk and accidentally dropping my phone off a steep descent! Luckily I was able to climb down and rescue it. First-world crisis averted.
- On the advice of my ferry friend Sarah and an article I read, we went to Gimsøya and camped on the beach at Høv. I was grateful that this campground had a warm shower; such a treat!
Day 10: July 4: Høv-Gravdal, 55 km
- We started the day with the Hovel hike, recommended by the article I’d read. On the path we met a Norwegian/American couple who gave advice on places to visit on Lofoten. The view at the top was good, but not as impressive as Segla.
- We saw a sea eagle on the ride. What a majestic bird!
- Our destination a small town called Gravdal, near Leknes. Dries had a connection there through Lucia’s teacher, and we thought our hosts would be providing lawn space for camping. Imagine our surprise when we were given an entire cabin and told we could stay up to four days! The timing was perfect; the almost-constant gorgeous weather took a turn and I was grateful to stay inside watching stage 4 of the Tour de France as the rain came down. Go Wout van Aert!
Day 11: July 5: Gravdal Adventures
- Lots of mowing & weed whacking for our hosts in thanks for letting us stay, and they provided a traditional Norwegian fish dish in return. Yum! We decided to stay a few days and use the cabin as home base. There was more rain in the forecast ahead, so having a roof was much appreciated.
- Dries gathered rhubarb to make a crumble, cut his finger in the process, but still made a delicious rhubarb crumble and scones. Always carry a first aid kit on your bike trips!
- Later that day we walked five minutes down the road and discovered a sheep pasture with a hike up a mountain. It was all good until I descended the wrong side of the mountain and found myself completely turned around. After over an hour attempting to find my way (how does one get lost in a sheep pasture?!) I met two local Norwegians who saved me. I didn’t have a SIM card and didn’t have the address of the cabin. Luckily the Norwegians were able to call Dries to get the address, and were kind enough to drive me to the cabin after we walked around the mountain top. They were wonderful company and it was nice to interact with some locals who spoke English. Tussen takk!
- Sidenote: Everyone in Norway seems to have a blue windbreaker jacket (even in the photos in this blog you see me, Sarah, my rescuers, Dries, Vanessa…all blue coats. And there were plenty more I didn’t photograph). Why is this a trend? Why blue? This does not help for locating your hiking buddy even in a wide open space like a sheep pasture.
Day 12, July 6: To Reine by bus
- To save time and because the route didn’t look great for cycling, we took the bus to Reine to hike Reinebringen, recommended by the couple at Hovel.
- At Reine we had some lovely tea & coffee, then met a Dutch couple who explained about the codfish heads drying in the area. I’m proud to report that I caught the gist of the conversation in Dutch without needing Dries to translate. The codfish in Norway are mostly sold to Italians, but the heads are ground up and exported to Nigeria.
- In the afternoon we climbed 1670 steps, 3 km, and 510 meters to the top of Reinebringen, arguably the most popular hike on the Lofoten Islands. The hike consists mostly of stone steps and became popular through social media. The view was spectacular, but the amount of people ruined it for me a bit. It drizzled on the way up and we were gifted with two rainbows at the top.
- After lunch at the top of Reinebringen we hiked further to a higher, more remote viewpoint. Goodbye crowds.
- Worth noting: There are hikes on Lofoten we didn’t have time for that are less crowded and supposedly as beautiful as Reinebringen. Ryten (near Kvalika Beach), Munten, Svolvaer Fløya, and Festvågtind are all places recommended to us.
- Back in Reine we visited a photography museum, biked partly back toward Gravdal, and found a little museum and rorbu houses to hang at until we could catch the bus.
- That evening we cleaned the cabin and hung out with our hosts to say goodbye and thank them for their hospitality. The hosts didn’t speak much English, so Dries did most of the talking. If you ride your bike in northern Norway, go with someone who speaks Norwegian if you can, it helps a lot. 🙂
Day 13, July 7: Bus back to Tromsø
- This was a long day of busses, but it was cool to look out the window and see paths we’d biked on. We were on busses from 9 AM to 6 PM!
Post-Trip Days in Tromsø: July 8-12
- Tromsø welcomed us back with rain, which was fine by me. It was an excuse to sleep in and not feel like I needed to explore as much as possible with my limited time in the area.
- I spent one rainy afternoon at the Troll Museum. This was highly rated online but disappointing in real life. It’s small and not as informative as I’d hoped. Norse mythology is so interesting and this museum is missing an opportunity to share that with visitors. The coolest part was a small map showing different rock formations in Norway and folklore for each. I wish the rest of the museum had been like that!
- One of the highlights in Tromsø was swimming at Tromsøbadet. It was so relaxing to stretch different muscles while swimming laps for an hour and relaxing in the sauna.
- Another highlight was riding my bike over the bridge, past the Arctic Cathedral (the iconic building of Tromsø), and parking at the base of the Sherpatrappa (“Sherpa Steps”) to walk up to Fjellheisen. These stone steps were built by Nepalese sherpas. The stairway consists of ~1200 steps and goes up ~260 meters.There is also a cable car alternative; if you’re traveling with anyone who isn’t able to hike, they can buy a cable car ticket and meet you at the top.
- There is a cafe at the top where you are rewarded with not just great views, but also sweet treats like waffles and ice cream.
- You can continue walking for hours along the mountains at the top of Fjellheisen. I walked for a long time, reflecting on the trip and enjoying the views offered by my last few days in Norway. I went so high that I found snow!
July 10-11: Bonus biking adventure to Hella , ~30 km each way
- An unexpected highlight of these final days was meeting the town librarian, Vanessa. I saw her at the library, recognized her face on Couchsurfing, reached out, and next thing I knew we were meeting for a biking/camping adventure to Hella. Vanessa is just a little younger than me and we have a lot in common: She started a board game group at the library, does advocacy work around food waste and healthy eating in Norway, and we both dumpster dive. If only I’d met her sooner, we could have played board games and had a food rescue adventure. Next time!
- On July 11th when I woke up, I heard a peculiar sound outside my tent. Seagulls were going crazy as usual, but every so often it sounded like it was raining. Weird…my tent wasn’t damp…what was going on? Vanessa and I soon discovered the source of the sound: Fish! Every few minutes, the calm water exploded with fish launching themselves so forcefully that it looked and sounded like a rainstorm. It was an incredible sight and one of the highlights of my entire trip; like Segla, this was something I’d never experienced before. A local fisherman explained what was happening: The fish were trying to catch smaller fish in the water and the force with which they propelled themselves caused them to seem to jump out of the water. We came at the perfect time to watch the show.
- Vanessa took the bus back but I decided to bike, ending my adventure the same way it started. On the way I saw one last reindeer walking the road. A good omen I hope!
July 12: Tromsø-Helsinki
On the morning of July 12th Dries drove me to the airport, said goodbye, and I flew to Helsinki, Finland, for a 22-hr layover. I took advantage of that time by exploring Helsinki with Grace, a Couchsurfing host who showed me around and gave me a place to crash for my brief Finland tour. Some observations:
- Helsinki (and maybe Finland in general?) has a very different vibe than Norway
- It is SO EASY to eat vegan in Helsinki. We walked into one supermarket with a wall of yogurts; 1/3 of the wall was dairy-free! There were cheap vegan options everywhere. In the US vegan and vegetarian options are often expensive, but in both Norway and Finland I found many vegan things to eat that were similarly priced or cheaper than their meaty counterparts. Amazing!!!
- If you go to Helsinki, check out Suomenlinna Fortress. It’s a short ferry ride from Helsinki and a cool place to walk around (if you know NYC, it has a similar feel to Governor’s Island). Grace and I watched the birds, drank beers, and had a good discussion about cultural norms and lifestyles in Finland, the US, and Brazil (where she is from).
- Thanks to Grace’s tour I sampled traditional Finnish foods and drinks. Canned gin is quite trendy there!
- Grace was a great host for my brief time in Finland, and I was lucky to catch her just a few weeks before she was moving. I wish you success with your new adventures in Lithuania, Grace!
- The Helsinki airport is an interesting place. Check out the Moomin Cafe and the Christmas Cabin if you can. 🙂
- Sidenote: I am SO glad I chose Finnair for my flights. Many airlines were having strikes in Norway while I was there, and the one I almost chose, Scandinavian Airlines, went bankrupt the week I was leaving. They cancelled all their flights; I would have been stranded if I’d had a ticket for SAS!
Summary/Recommendations for Cyclists
Northern Norway is beautiful and worth a visit. Here are highlights, and tips if you decide to go.
- Segla is amazing. You have to go through a long tunnel to get to Fjordgård (where the hike starts), but it’s worth the detour. This was my #1 favorite part of the trip.
- The wildlife was so cool. Reindeer, moose, sea eagles, all those fish…the only wildlife I did not enjoy were the mosquitos and flies. Be prepared to be bitten.
- In Norway you can wild camp almost anywhere as long as you’re 150 meters away from a building. Please be courteous about it. If you camp near a building, ask the locals if they’re okay with it. Norwegians are nice and will probably say yes, and they’ll appreciate that you asked. They’ll probably also give water if you ask.
- It’s helpful to learn a few key words and phrases in Norwegian:
- Snakker du engelsk? | Do you speak English?
- Har du vann | Do you have water?
- Tusen takk | Thank you very much (the literal translation is “A thousand thanks”)
- Ha det, Ha det dag, or Ha det brag | This literally translates to “Have it” or “Have it today” but it means more like “Have a good day”
- Cyclists: Avoid E10 on Lofoten. There are other routes to take; stick to the coast when possible. The views are better and there are less cars (but any road will seem empty compared to the US and the views are amazing everywhere, so if you wind up on E10 it’s not the end of the world).
- The Lofoten Islands are a popular tourist spot thanks to social media, but there are other amazing places to explore. I really enjoyed Senja and the parts of Vesterålen we explored, such as Andøya. The people were nice, it was easy to wild camp, prices were cheaper, and the hikes weren’t crowded. Lofoten is worth visiting, but check out the surrounding islands as well.
- Lots of shops are closed on Sundays, so plan ahead, especially for groceries!
- Norway is expensive. If you’re from a place that already has expensive food (like NYC…) it won’t seem so bad, but plan your budget. For those of you who are also from NYC the costs are mostly similar, except for the big difference that plant-based food is more reasonably priced in Norway.
- Bring an eye mask and ear plugs. Cycling under the midnight sun is amazing but you need to remind your brain when it’s time to sleep. The seagulls will chatter all night long, so ear plugs are a must!
- If you see that a road is “closed” due to construction, you can go through it! Make sure to do so before 7 AM or after 6 PM. We barely made it into the construction zone after Fjordgard. Would have been a much longer journey that day if we’d left even 15 minutes later!
I could write more, but I want to let the photos do most of the talking. Imagine that everything you see in the photos is 100 times more impressive in person. I didn’t take all the photos featured here. Some credit goes to Dries. If you’re interested in more details about this trip/route, email me, leave a comment here, or follow my Instagram @carolynventures.
Tusen takk Norway for the gorgeous scenery, and bedankt Dries for the cycling adventure.
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