Valldal is a small town at the head of the Norddalsfjord, in the green and orderly farmland that lies at the foot of the great Sunnmøre mountains, and it is the first proper settlement you reach after the long descent from the Trollstigen. Valldal is famous in Norway for its strawberries, which ripen in July in the long summer light and are sold in roadside stands, and the local people take a great deal of pride in them.
The fjord has a darker history. In 1934, a huge rockslide fell from the mountain above Tafjord, a neighbouring arm of the fjord, and the wave it created swept along the shore and killed dozens of people in the villages. The slopes above these fjords remain unstable, and the rock above is monitored today. A feeling of the scale of things, of vertical walls and deep water, is part of the experience of the place. Another part is the ferry between Eidsdal and Linge, which crosses the Norddalsfjord on the road to Geiranger, a short and pleasant crossing with fine views.
Riding here is some of the best in Norway. The road from the Trollstigen drops through forest and farmland, with wide bends and a long run down to the fjord, and from Valldal the climb to the Eagle's Road at Geiranger is a classic. The surface is mostly good, but the traffic in summer is heavy, with caravans and coaches, and the speed limits are low and strictly enforced. The weather is changeable, with rain common and mist hanging in the valleys, and the temperature can drop quickly with altitude. The Trollstigen and the Geiranger road are closed in winter, so check dates before planning.
It is a good place to refuel the bike and yourself, because the roads on either side are long and the next services are some way off. Stranda, sixteen kilometres away, is a larger town with more choices.
Eat strawberries in season, and cake and waffles year-round, and walk down to the quay to look up at the walls of rock. It is a quiet place that sits in the shadow of its famous neighbours.