Norway · Lysevegen and Sirdal High Road
A 174 km loop from Forsand ferry
Open this ride in the planner →
Why this ride
Hairpins above the fjord, then big empty country. Out of Forsand and back again: 174 km, roughly 3 h 21 in the saddle. The stops in between: Sirdal high road and Byrkjedal. Lysebotn hairpins is the high point. It tops out at about 850 m. The passes are the reason to go.
Roadbook
- Forsand ferry gate
fuel
Forsand is a small settlement at the mouth of the Lysefjord, and the ferry here is the way into one of Norway's most dramatic landscapes. The fjord is about forty kilometres long and cuts into the mountains in a narrow, straight channel, with walls that rise a kilometre in places. These walls were carved by glaciers in the last ice age, and the grey rock, ancient gneiss, is smooth and pale in the light. Nearby, the cliff of Preikestolen, the Pulpit Rock, juts out about six hundred metres above the water, and the hike to it is among the most popular in the country.
The ferry crossing is part of the ride, and it gives you a chance to sit still and look. Norwegian ferries are efficient and frequent, with timetables posted at the quay and payment by card or an automatic toll tag, and motorcycles usually board first. The water is deep and dark, and in calm weather the mountains reflect in it so cleanly that you cannot tell where the cliff ends and the image begins. In wind, the surface turns steel grey and the air smells of salt and diesel.
For the road beyond, the surface is good, the traffic is light and the scenery changes quickly from sea level to high mountain. Roads here are narrow, with tunnels and sharp bends, and speed limits are strictly enforced with cameras and police. Weather matters, because fog and rain can arrive quickly, and temperatures drop sharply as you climb. In late autumn and winter, some of the mountain roads close because of snow, so check conditions in advance.
Fuel is a practical question. A fuel stop is listed here, but services in small places can be limited, with unmanned pumps that take cards only. Jørpeland, about fourteen kilometres away, is a town of more than five thousand people, and Hommersåk, Tau and the Stavanger area have more. Fill up if you have the chance, because the roads beyond the fjord are long and stations are far apart.
Food in these small places is simple, often a kiosk with waffles, hot dogs and coffee, or a small cafeteria in the ferry terminal. Norwegian waffles with brown cheese or jam are a decent lunch. If you can, bring a flask and a sandwich, and enjoy a quiet moment on deck.
- Lysebotn hairpins
pass
The Lysevegen, the road up from Lysebotn, is one of the engineering curiosities of Norway. It climbs about nine hundred metres from the head of the fjord to the plateau above in twenty-seven hairpin bends, which are numbered on small signs as you ride. The road was opened in the 1980s after a long struggle to link this remote village to the rest of the country, and it includes a tunnel in which the road itself makes a hairpin inside the rock. It is a showpiece of mountain road building, and it draws riders from across Europe.
At the bottom is Lysebotn, a tiny settlement at the end of the Lysefjord, with a ferry quay and a few houses beneath the walls. Above it stands the Kjerag massif, where the famous Kjeragbolten, a boulder wedged between two cliffs, sits suspended over a drop of nearly a kilometre. BASE jumpers come here to leap from the edge, and walkers climb the steep trail to reach the stone. The scale of the place is hard to grasp until you stand in it, and the rock walls rise so close on either side that the sun disappears early in the afternoon.
The riding is demanding but joyful. The bends are tight and close together, and on each one the road turns almost back on itself, so you spend the climb leaning one way and then the other. The surface is generally good, with barriers on the outer edge, but there are sections of rough asphalt and wet patches, and water often runs down the rock face. Traffic includes buses and campervans, so be ready to wait at tight corners. Fog and low cloud can fill the bends, so visibility drops quickly, and snow closes the road for much of the winter, usually from late autumn to late spring.
A small kiosk or café operates at the fjord head in the season, but check before you rely on it. Water is available in the village, and in summer the streams run clear and cold.
At the top, the plateau opens into a vast, bare landscape of rock and lakes, and the wind can be strong. A warm layer is wise even in summer, and the first view back down the hairpins is worth stopping for.
- Sirdal high road
scenic
The Sirdal plateau is the high, open country behind the fjords of southwestern Norway, and it feels like another world. After the steep walls of the Lysefjord, the land flattens into a wide upland of bare granite, heather and small lakes, with the horizon open on every side. Few trees grow here, and the wind is a constant companion. Between the lakes stand scattered cabins, often painted red or left to weather grey, and in winter the whole area becomes a cross-country and downhill ski region.
The valley of Sirdalen cuts through the plateau, and its river, the Sira, has long been used for power. Tonstad, the nearest settlement of note at about twenty-three kilometres, is home to a large hydroelectric station that draws on the mountain reservoirs, and the area has been shaped by dams and tunnels. For centuries, though, the plateau was the domain of farmers who grazed sheep in summer and moved down in winter, and the sheep still wander freely across the open land.
For riders, the high road is a very different experience from the fjord climbs. The bends are long and open, the gradients are gentle, and the road runs across the plateau with wide views and little shelter. It is fast and flowing, but wind can be fierce, and the weather changes in minutes. Fog can come down and reduce visibility to a few metres, and rain can arrive sideways. Temperatures at nearly a thousand metres are often several degrees lower than at the coast, and even in summer a warm layer is worth wearing. Sheep, and occasionally reindeer on other plateaux, can stand on the road, so keep your speed sensible.
Services are limited. Tonstad has fuel and shops, but it is some distance away, and there are few stations on the plateau, so start with a full tank and carry a spare layer. Some mountain lodges and cafés open in the summer season, serving coffee, waffles and simple meals, but hours vary, so do not rely on them.
The light up here is wonderful, especially in late afternoon, when it picks out the ridges and the lakes. In autumn the heather turns red and bronze, and the air is clear and cool. It is a place to ride slowly and look.
- Byrkjedal food
food
Byrkjedal is a small place in the hills of Gjesdal, inland from the Lysefjord and the Stavanger area, and it has the feel of a farming community on the edge of the high country. The name suggests birch valley, and the surrounding land is a mix of pasture, small lakes and birch woods, with low mountains rising to the east. The landscape here is shaped by ice, with rounded rocks, scattered boulders and thin soil, and the sheep and cattle graze on grass that grows fast in the brief summer.
This is not a tourist honeypot, and that is why the stop is welcome. After the crowded viewpoints of the fjord, a quiet roadside place feels honest. Norwegian rural food is simple and good, with coffee, waffles and sometimes a hot meal of meatballs or fish cakes, and it tends to be served with patience and a minimum of fuss. A slice of brown cheese on a waffle is a regional treat, sweet and slightly caramel in flavour, and it goes well with strong coffee on a cold day.
The roads around Byrkjedal are good riding. They run through hills and valleys with moderate bends, fine surfaces and long views, and traffic is light, mainly local farm vehicles and commuters. In summer the light lasts late into the evening, and a ride in the long golden hour is memorable. Weather can change quickly, with rain arriving off the sea and cooling the air, and in autumn and spring the roads can be damp or covered with fallen leaves. In winter, snow and ice make riding impractical for most.
Fuel is not available at Byrkjedal. Jørpeland, about thirty-one kilometres away, is the nearest town of any size, with several stations, and Vikeså and Tonstad are smaller alternatives. Because distances in this part of Norway are long, it is wise to fill up whenever you pass a station and not wait until the gauge is low. Many Norwegian pumps are automated and accept cards only, so keep a card with a chip and PIN handy.
If you linger, take a walk beside the lake or along a farm track and listen. The birdsong in early summer is rich, and the smell of birch and wet grass is strong. It is a gentle place, and a good one to rest before the last stretch of the ride.
- Back to Forsand
finish
Back at Forsand. That is the ride.