Out here the road to Havøysund begins to feel like the edge of the map. This is Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway, and the land is a rolling plateau of bare rock, bog, low birch scrub and small lakes, with no tall trees to break the wind. The road leaves the main highway near Skaidi and heads north across the tundra, and the sense of space is powerful: low hills fade into each other, the sky is huge and the light has a clear, hard quality. In summer the sun does not set for weeks, and in winter it vanishes entirely.
This is Sámi country, and reindeer herders have used these plateaus for centuries, driving their animals between winter pastures inland and summer pastures on the coast. In summer the reindeer are often on or beside the road, standing in the lane with the calm of animals that own the place, and the right response is to slow down, stop if necessary and wait for them to move. Cars and bikes have no priority here. The animals can appear suddenly over a rise, and a collision is bad for both parties.
The riding is simple but memorable. The road is generally good, with wide curves, gentle gradients and very little traffic, and the long horizons let you see a vehicle coming a long way off. Wind is the main hazard, and even in July the temperature can be low, with cold rain and fog arriving suddenly from the Barents Sea. A warm layer, waterproofs and gloves are not optional. Late evening in midsummer, when the sun skims along the horizon, gives the best light.
Distances are large and settlements few. Hammerfest, about thirty-seven kilometres away, is the nearest town of size and a sensible place to fill the tank and stock up on food before the northern run. Take a drink and a snack in your tank bag, and stop sometimes just to look. The silence on this plateau is deep, broken only by the wind and the occasional call of a bird.