ARCTIC AND THE MIDNIGHT SUN

During the summer months the Arctic is a beautiful, verdant place, blessed with scorching hot weather, where the sun doesn’t set for weeks upon weeks. From fjords to glaciers, Norway is one of the most picturesque places in the world.

Your tour begins in Germany, after the first of many ferry crossings that will take you over 2,500 miles and into the legendary Arctic Circle and back. After a night in Germany and our welcome dinner you will be crossing to Norway via the overnight ferry to Oslo and then onto Lillehammer former home to the Winter Olympics. For the next four days you will be heading North riding up the spine of Norway with various optional detours on to smaller roads and routes along the way. Enjoy a night in Trondheim with the beautiful clapboard buildings on the wharfs of the Nidelva river, and already the long days and perpetual twilight will have become the norm.

The ride to Mo I Rana leaves you on the doorstep of the Arctic Circle. You are here two nights so that you can take the ride 50 miles north and cross N66 33′ 39″ and visit the Arctic Circle monument. On the way back you can take the optional detour to the boat landing stage at Svartisen. From here a small boat can take you to the Svartisen glacier. In Mo i Rana you will witness the incredible Midnight Sun, during which the sun never sets or even reaches the horizon.

The next four day’s riding take you down the coast of the Norwegian Sea, ferry hopping from one Fjord to the next. The roads twist and wind around inlets and fjords, climbing and descending until you reach the waters edge and the next ferry. These are days of dramatic and beautiful scenery as well as great riding as you head for the Atlantic Ocean Road. This iconic section linked with bridges that seem to twist and turn in mid air is a firm favourite. You will spend one night in Nasmos and two in Alesund.

Alesund gives you a chance to relax, but most riders pass it up to go out and ride the Trollstigen Highway and visit the waterfalls. This much photographed serpentine road is a must ride route for any motorcyclist. From Alesund you head further south to Bergen for two nights where you can relax on the UNESCO listed Hanseatic Wharf or wander the narrow alleyways and external balconies of this medieval town. From the bustle of Bergen to the remote Kongsberg and the chance to visit the Heroes of Telemark Museum en route. Your final ride in Norway is back to Oslo to board the early afternoon ferry to Germany.

After arriving in Kiel you still have two days ride across Northern Germany. We take the chance to visit the UNESCO listed Kinderdijk windmills and even have a couple more ferries to negotiate. The final day takes you back to the Hook of Holland and your overnight ferry returning to Harwich. You will have stayed in traditional Norwegian hotels, ridden endless empty roads, and witnessed some of the most dramatic scenery in the world – Norway is unique.

NB: There are some long days on this tour and some that require early starts when we are ferry hopping the Norwegian Sea, but the remote beauty of Norway makes it all worth while.