West of Oslo, the land tilts down to the fjord in a long slope of forest, villas and small farms, and the area between Asker, Billingstad and the Kolsås ridge is where the city's commuter belt meets real countryside. Kolsås itself, a flat-topped ridge of old volcanic rock, rises steeply above the houses, and from its cliffs climbers and walkers look out over the inner Oslofjord, its islands and the city in the distance.
After the Rondane, this is a gentle place to stop. The Rondane was Norway's first national park, created in 1962, a high plateau of bare, rounded peaks above two thousand metres, with lichen-covered moors where wild reindeer still roam, and the scenic road along its western edge is one of the great rides of the country. Coming back south, you descend through the long Gudbrandsdalen valley and past Lake Mjøsa, the largest in Norway, and then the traffic builds as you approach the capital.
The last stretch is on the E18 or the E16, fast roads with tunnels, roundabouts and a lot of cars, especially in the late afternoon. One pleasant surprise: motorcycles are exempt from most road tolls in Norway, so you can ride through the automatic toll gantries around Oslo without worrying. Speed limits are low and strictly enforced, with average-speed and fixed cameras, and fines are heavy, so it is not the place to make up time.
If you want to unwind before heading into town, the woods around here are full of quiet lakes and trails. Semsvannet, a short ride north of Asker, is a lake surrounded by forest and farmland, with a path around it and the summit of Vardåsen above, and in summer locals swim from its shores. In winter the same paths become cross-country ski tracks, and the whole area is full of people in hats and windproof jackets. The fjord itself is never far away, and on a calm evening the water turns silver and pink.
Asker has fuel stations, shops, cafés and good train connections to Oslo and beyond, and it is a pleasant town in its own right, with a busy centre and plenty of places to eat. Grab a coffee and a cinnamon bun, a kanelbolle, from a bakery and sit for a while before facing the city.