Western Fjords 3-Day Cycling Trip — Hard

We were up early in Geiranger, knowing what was waiting. A solid breakfast at the hotel, wet asphalt outside, light rain that cleared up as we rolled out of the village. Dalsnibba starts climbing from the first pedal stroke. There is no warm-up here — the road tips upward and stays that way for 21 kilometres.

The first kilometres sat close to 8%. We pushed through the lower section with mystical clouds rolling around us — visibility shifting from full panorama down the Geirangerfjord to grey-white mist and back again, sometimes within a single hairpin. Good views down to the fjord most of the way up. The road kept tilting.

The final 4.5 kilometres to the Dalsnibba plateau averages 9.5%. Fryktelig bratt. We climbed in our easiest gears, side by side, breathing hard. At the top: cloud, no view, nothing visible from the Skywalk platform. "Så ikke en dritt — må ta denne på ny," I said. The climb is worth it regardless. Come back another day for the panorama.

The descent on Gamle Strynefjellsveg was the surprise of the day. A short gravel plateau at the top before the road tipped over, then asphalt the whole way down — dramatic switchbacks, the kind of road that has not changed since 1894. We dropped down toward Hjelle and Oppstrynsvatnet — and the lake was there in full sun, turquoise and impossible, with snow-capped peaks behind. Lunch at Gamlebutikken outside in shorts. A different day from the cloud above.

A spin through Stryn, Hornindal for quiet scenic roads with almost no traffic, and the Hellesylt ferry waiting at the quay. The Hellesylt-Geiranger crossing is one of the most spectacular in Norway — a UNESCO World Heritage fjord, the Seven Sisters and Bridal Veil waterfalls visible from deck. We sat on the roof, ate a svele each, drank cola, and watched the same mountains we had ridden over slide past at water level. A fitting end to a hard day.

Solid breakfast at Havila Hotel Geiranger, dagens første ferge already at the quay, brilliant sunshine. We rolled the 200 metres of warmup out of the harbour and Ørnevegen started right there — no easing in. 6.9 km at 8.2% average. Several groups around us: tydelig at ikke alle var klar over hva som ventet.

11 serpentiner up the wall of the fjord, the road carved into the mountainside, every switchback opening up a new view down to Geiranger. The final hairpin is Ørnesvingen — Eagle Bend — the widest of the lot, with the cruise ships in the fjord reduced to dots and Dalsnibba visible across the valley. We saved the photo stop for the descent.

The descent of Ørnevegen was the surprise of the day for the wrong reason. Bremser så varme — the brakes got hot enough that I had to stop and let them cool. Take it easy on the way down. At Oppskredtunnelen we took the gravel track on the side, recommended over the unlit tunnel. Then the Eidsdal ferry: svele tradition, brunost or smørkrem, both correct. Slak utforkjøring from the top down to the quay.

Stille veier toward Trollstigen, sauer på veien, sheep that did not move for cyclists. 30 km of slak stigning where the landscape just keeps getting more beautiful. The summit at 858m: a waffle and a coffee at the café, looking down the 11 hairpins we were about to climb. Klatringen was 7.9 km at 8.2% with 672m of elevation. Hot, sweat in my eyes, and the drivers passing me on Trollstigen kept giving thumbs up out the window. That is what climbing Trollstigen is.

Gudbrandjuvet on the way back: toilet and café, both useful. Another svele on the return ferry. Back to Havila Hotel by evening, legs cooked.

We packed up at Geiranger after breakfast, loaded the bikes onto the car, and drove the hour west to Hjelle. Hjelle Hotell sits on the shore of Oppstrynsvatnet — we parked at the hotel and walked across to Gamlebutikken to fill bottles and pockets. There is no service on the climb itself.

The Gamle Strynefjellsveg starts climbing the moment you turn onto it. Rough asphalt from kilometre zero. The first 7 km are gradual — 0.4 to 4% — but you feel the road tilting under you the whole way. Then from kilometre 8 the gradient settles in: 6.5%, 7%, 8%. Eleven kilometres without a single recovery section. You find a rhythm, or you suffer.

Snow patches on the peaks even in August. Coarse surface, not gravel, but it has been there a long time.

The final kilometres are the steepest of the climb. We stopped at the top, took photos, and turned around. The only gravel section is a small plateau there before the descent — compact, undramatic on 25 mm tyres. No café up here, no service. Just the road and the mountains. The descent is the same 18 kilometres in reverse, with Oppstrynsvatnet reappearing turquoise below.

Back at Hjelle: lunch at Gamlebutikken in the sun, the lake glasslike, the same peaks visible above with snow still on them. Then load the bikes and drive home. Or — if you have the time — stay another night at Hjelle Hotell on Oppstrynsvatnet. Sauna, swim in the glacial lake. We've stayed there ourselves.