Oslo Cycling — Son Loop

This is my favourite long ride out of Oslo — the one I keep coming back to when I want a proper day in the saddle. Something about the combination of quiet Follo roads, a real destination halfway, and enough climbing to feel earned makes it hard to beat.

The first section climbs out of the city and into the farmland of inner Follo. It takes a while to shake the urban feeling, but once you're through the southern suburbs the roads change completely. The stretch through Kråkstad, Garder and Kroer is the heart of the outward leg — narrow lanes, virtually no traffic, rolling terrain through open fields and forest edges. On a late summer morning with the corn standing tall on either side, it is some of the finest cycling anywhere near Oslo.

Son arrives around the halfway point and it earns a proper stop. It's a genuinely lovely place — white wooden houses, a small harbour, a relaxed pace that feels nothing like a day trip from the capital. I usually go to Hagestua for food and something to drink by the water, or pick up something from Håndverksbakeriet and find a spot along the quay. Either way, don't rush it.

The return starts gently enough, but a steady three-kilometre climb comes early — and on café legs from Son, it has a habit of feeling harder than it should. From there the route follows the quieter road through Pepperstadskogen rather than the busier alternative via Vestby kirke — calmer, and better cycling. The landscape opens up into vast fields through this section, proper agricultural Follo at its finest. As you approach Drøbak the roadside strawberry fields appear — if it's the season, stop and buy some. It's worth it every time.

Klommesteinveien is a late highlight worth looking forward to. It starts on a barely-there downward gradient — just enough to build speed naturally — then rolls over a series of small crests where you can carry momentum if you time it right. A good stretch to push the pace when the legs are still willing.

The route finds the sheltered path alongside Gjersjøen for the final approach to Oslo — smooth tarmac, calm water, a welcome change of rhythm after the climbing. The second half of this ride demands respect: well over 550 metres of climbing on tired legs. Leave Son well-fuelled.