At the top of the Sognefjellet you are standing on the highest mountain road in northern Europe, and you will feel it. The point lies on the high plateau near the pass, at a little under fourteen hundred metres, where trees disappeared kilometres ago and the landscape is a mix of bare rock, tiny tarns, snow patches and low arctic vegetation. It feels more like the far north than southern Norway, and the weather matches: even in July, you can meet mist, sleet and a wind that cuts through a summer jacket.
The road across the top is wide and open, with long sections of fast, gentle riding, and the great attraction is the scale of the country around you. On one side are the glaciers and peaks of the Jotunheimen national park, among them some of the highest mountains in Norway. On the other are the wild, treeless slopes that run down toward the Sognefjord. A small lodge near the pass offers coffee and food in season, and there are lay-bys where you can pull off and take in the view.
Fuel is the thing to remember. There is none up here, and the nearest stations are a long way off, at Lom on one side and in the Lustrafjord villages on the other. If you are on a smaller tank, plan accordingly. The road is usually open from late May or June until October, but heavy snow can close it at short notice at either end of the season, and in summer you will see snow still lying beside the tarmac.
Mountain people have crossed this plateau for centuries, driving cattle and carrying goods between the Gudbrandsdal and the fjord country; before there was a road, it was a hard walking route. The modern road was built in the 1930s as a work project and has been improved many times since. Stop for a moment away from the traffic. The silence is huge, the air thin and clean, and the light changes the colour of the rock every few minutes. Then zip up, and prepare for the long descent.