Trollstigen, the Troll's Ladder, climbs out of the Isterdalen valley in eleven hairpin bends, with a gradient of about one in ten, and the road is as steep and tight as it looks in photographs. It was opened in 1936, after years of work, by King Haakon VII, and it still has the narrow width and stone-walled edges of its era, with passing places on the bends. The Stigfossen waterfall plunges beside the road, and a bridge crosses it at one of the hairpins, so that you ride through the spray.
The mountains around are among the most dramatic in Norway. Across the valley rise the Trolltindene, a line of jagged peaks, and the Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, a vertical rock face about eleven hundred metres high, the tallest in Europe, which draws climbers and base jumpers from around the world. On a clear day, the colours are vivid: grey rock, white waterfalls, green meadow and blue sky. In cloud, the peaks vanish, and the hairpins climb into a white void, with water streaming down the rocks.
At the top, a modern visitor platform made of steel and glass hangs over the gorge, and a viewing path leads along the edge. The plateau is about 850 metres high, bare and rocky, with patches of snow lingering into summer. Because of the snow, the road is closed in winter, usually opening in May or even June, and closing in October. Traffic in July and August is heavy, with coaches, camper vans and cars, and the bends can be congested, so an early start, before nine, is a good idea.
Riding the Trollstigen demands attention. The hairpins are tight, with a steep climb and a sudden turn, and the surface can be wet from waterfalls. Coaches take the whole road, so stay on the inside of left-hand bends and keep well back. Fuel is available in Andalsnes, twelve kilometres below, which has two thousand people and shops, but not on the pass. The road continues over the plateau to Valldal and the Geiranger fjord, with a ferry crossing on the way. Carry waterproofs, because rain is common, and take your time. The reward is a ride you will remember for life.