Nordkapp 2 - 2024. Page 5/7. All images click to enlarge.
July 25th Thursday. Strömsund, Sweden.
We had 320 miles to cover today so we made an early start in bright warm sunny conditions. We crossed back over the Arctic Circle just south of Jokkmokk. Continuing on the E45 we rode south through similar terrain as the day before.
Having checked the weather forecast before we set off from Jokkmokk we knew there would be a chance of heat generated thunderstorms later that after afternoon. As we left the town of Dorotea the skies greyed over, and spits of rain started to hit our visors. We stopped at the next pull off point to put our waterproofs on and continued towards Strömsund. We only had 30 miles to ride before arriving at our next hotel. The whole sky in front of us turned to black with flashes of lightning. It didn’t look good; would we beat the storm? We pressed on hoping for the best. Strong gusty winds started blowing across the road and it rained properly with an increasing number of lightning flashes. Only 6 miles to go. Then the heavens really opened. Together with other traffic we had to slow down to 10 mph because visibility was so bad. There was nowhere to pull over and shelter, so we kept going hoping we’d soon ride out of it. Unfortunately, it was like that all the way to Strömsund. When we arrived in the town some of the roads had flooded including the access road to our hotel. The water was a foot deep. What a way to end the day, challenging riding conditions and we were absolutely soaked. The hotel receptionist was very understanding when we walked in dripping water everywhere. It would be no exaggeration to say that it was the worst prolonged rain storm that we’ve ever ridden through.
The Hotel Nordica was superb and although we had missed the deadline for an evening meal the receptionist kindly made us a warm drink and gave us some biscuits. Our room was big enough to unpack everything and lay our gear out to dry. The breakfast buffet was superb. Hotel website: https://hotelnordica.se
July 26th Friday. Berkåk, Norway.
The day started warm and sunny but there were still very large puddles everywhere. Riding in warm sunshine soon dried out any remaining dampness in our riding gear. Our 270-mile route would take us south to Östersund on the E45 before we headed west towards Norway on the scenic E14. This road is the main east/west route that links Sundsvall on Sweden’s east coast to Trondheim and the E6. The E14 can be busy in parts but the way it twists and turns through valleys and over hills for 80 miles is a sheer delight. We crossed the border with Norway at Storlien and then travelled a further 60 miles west before reaching Stjørdal to head south on the E6. Riding towards the mountains around Trondheim on Norway’s west coast was a memorable experience. After 100’s of miles of forests and lakes it made a pleasant change to be back in the lumpy stuff. There were a few light rain showers, but they didn’t amount to much.
We again managed to avoid the traffic delays on the E6 around Trondheim and continued onto our next overnight stop in Berkåk. Located on the E6, the Berkåk Gjestegård (Guest House) offers motel style accommodation in a traditional Norwegian building. There’s also a fuel station, restaurant, RV parking and EV charging points on site. Hotel website: https://www.berkakgjestegard.no
July 27th Saturday. Geilo, Norway.
Today’s 250-mile route in good weather took us further south using a great selection of roads through the middle of Norway. This was an area of the country that we’ve never had the time to visit before. Getting off the beaten track and exploring the quieter areas was the main objective. Using the E6 we rode through the Doverefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park between Oppdal and Dombås and then continued onto Lillehammer through river valleys, mountains and rolling hills. The road wasn’t too busy and there were plenty of pull over points, usually with various facilities.
At Lillehammer we turned off the E6 onto the RV250 to start the route which crisscrossed various types of terrain. All of it beautiful with very little traffic. The rest of the route used a combination of RV33, RV51, RV7 and RV40 before we arrived at our hotel in Geilo. We met a fellow Moto Guzzi rider on a California II at one of the fuel stops. He was a real character in his tatty well-worn Belstaff riding kit and only spoke a few words of English.
The Fjell Hotel is an old-style ski lodge in the middle of nowhere. Historic wooden Norwegian buildings form part of the complex. The hotel can only be reached by a long single track tarmac road. Located high in the hills, it has stunning views of nearby forests and lakes. It was the remotest place we stopped at during the tour. Hotel website: https://www.fjellhotell.no
July 28th Sunday. Bykle, Norway.
Another great riding day in dry and warm conditions. Our 200-mile scenic route used a combination of the RV40, RV37, RV38, RV45 and RV9. The 100-mile long RV37 was the prettiest road. With its lakes, rivers and forests, the RV37 meanders its way across country linking the RV40 near Kongsberg to the RV38 near Åmot. It was virtually traffic free, but we did come across roaming sheep in some areas.
We stayed at the Bykle Hotel which is located next to the RV9. It’s a great place for an overnight stop and has superb food which uses local produce. Hotel website: https://byklehotell.no/en
