This high crossing was one of the major links between Nordfjord and the Gudbrandsdal valley long before cars existed. The road's builders worked by hand through the 1880s and 1890s, blasting rock with black powder and laying walls without mortar, and their work was not just practical but also a statement that this remote part of the country could be connected to the rest. Travellers soon followed, and the first grand mountain hotels grew up along the route to serve the carriages. Some of those buildings are still open as places to stay, with an air of Victorian mountain holidays.
The geology of the road is a lesson in ice. The great ice sheets ground the rock into rounded humps, called roches moutonnées, and left long lakes in the hollows, and the Jostedalsbreen glacier, the largest on the European mainland, lies not far to the south. Around the pass a small ski centre has operated on a patch of glacier for summer skiing, and on a warm day in July you may see skiers on a white strip above the road while you ride in a T-shirt. It is one of those contrasts that is easy to take for granted in Norway.
For riding, this section is an easy and pleasant one. The old road is narrow but generally in decent condition, with gentle gradients and mostly slow bends, and the views are open in all directions. There is usually little traffic apart from cyclists, a few cars and the occasional camper van, and it is easy to find a place to pull in and look at the view. In wet weather the stone walls are slippery with moss, and in fog the edges of the road can disappear, so slow down.
There are few services at this height, and the nearest settlement of real size is Stryn, about twenty-seven kilometres away. Fill up beforehand and bring food and drink. It is worth taking a small detour to the old hotel for a coffee if it is open. The best time is a clear morning in July or August, when the air is sharp and the distances are enormous.