Norwegian Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet (62 km)

Aurland to Laerdalsoyri

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Why this ride

Out of Aurlandsvangen, one way: 62 km, roughly 1 h 04 in the saddle. It goes by way of Stegastein and near Aurlandsvangen. The highest point is about 1,300 m. Aurlandsfjellet high point is open in summer only - check it is open before you set off. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Roadbook

1. Aurland start

   Aurland is a village at the head of the Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the great Sognefjord, and it is one of the most scenic spots in western Norway. Fewer than two thousand people live in the municipality, and the village has a harbour, a few shops and a long tradition of farming, goat cheese and fishing. The Aurlandsfjord is narrow and deep, with steep mountains rising above, and the neighbouring Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a short distance away. Lærdalsøyri and Sogndal are the nearest towns, so fill the tank here before you set off.

   The road you take from Aurland is the old mountain route to Lærdal, known as the Snow Road, which climbs over the Aurlandsfjellet plateau to about 1,300 metres. It is a National Tourist Route, and one of the great roads of Norway, with a viewing platform at Stegastein, a curved wooden-and-glass walkway that juts out 30 metres from the mountainside, 650 metres above the fjord. The view from the end, down the fjord and across to the far cliffs, is superb, and the structure is designed to feel as if it floats in the air.

   Above the tree line, the road crosses a bare plateau of rock, snow patches and small lakes, and the atmosphere is stark and quiet. The surface is good, though narrow in places, and the gradients are steady. Weather is the main factor. The plateau is closed in winter, normally from late autumn to late spring, because of heavy snow, and snowdrifts can line the road well into June. In summer, fog and rain are possible, and even in July, it can be cold at the top.

   The village is known for its brown cheese and for the Flåm Railway, a famous mountain railway that runs from Flåm, a few kilometres away, to Myrdal, one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world. Tourists arrive by cruise ships, so the summer days are busy, and the best time for riding is early in the morning. In the evening, when the crowds go, the fjord is calm and the light turns soft. A plate of fresh trout or a waffle with brown cheese makes a good start.

2. Stegastein scenic

   Stegastein is a long timber platform pushed out from the mountainside, high above the Aurlandsfjord, and it is as much a piece of daring architecture as a viewpoint. It reaches about thirty metres out from the slope at around 650 metres above the water, and a thin glass wall at the end keeps you from the drop. It opened in 2006 as part of the Norwegian scenic routes programme and has become one of the best-known viewpoints in the country. From the end of the platform you look straight down onto the fjord, an arm of the Sognefjord, and watch cruise ships turning in the water, looking like toys.

   The road that leads to it, the old route between Aurland and Lærdal, is called the Snow Road at its highest point. Below the platform, it climbs in a series of well-built bends, with a good surface and plenty of places to stop. It is a comfortable climb for a motorbike, not too steep, with long corners that open onto the view and then close again. Traffic includes coaches in summer, and caravans, so be patient and use the lay-bys. The road is steep on its fjord side, with stone walls and a barrier at the edge, but the fall beyond is a long one, so keep to your side of the road.

   The Aurlandsfjord is narrow and deep, the sides sheer, and the water a dark green that turns silver in the right light. The fjord's best-known village is Flåm, at its head, where the famous steep railway climbs to Myrdal. Farms once clung to impossible ledges above the water, and some were reached only by boat or ladder, and many are now abandoned. They give a sense of how hard life was here, and why so many people left for America in the nineteenth century.

   Stegastein has a car park and a toilet, and you can get a coffee and a snack in summer. Fuel is not available at the platform. Aurland, below, has a pump and a few shops, and Lærdalsøyri, on the far side of the mountain, has more, so fill up before you climb. Come in the morning if you can, before the tour buses arrive, and bring a windproof layer, because the platform stands in the breeze. In the evening, the light on the fjord is soft, and the colours are at their best.

3. High point near Aurlandsvangen scenic · 1306 m

   At 1306 metres you are near the roof of Aurlandsfjellet, the high plateau that the Snow Road crosses between Aurland on the fjord and Lærdal to the north. It is a landscape of bare rock, small lakes, patches of old snow and wide open sky, scraped flat by the ice and left almost empty. Only a few hours before, if you came up from Aurland, you were among fruit trees and fjord water; up here the plants are lichen, moss and a few tough grasses, and the snowbanks along the road can still be taller than a person in early summer.

   The road is the reason to come. Fylkesvei 243, known as Snøvegen, was built across the mountain as the main link between Aurland and Lærdal, and for decades it was the only way to drive between them until the Lærdal Tunnel opened beneath the mountain in 2000, the longest road tunnel in the world at more than 24 kilometres. Since then the old road has become a summer-only scenic route, usually opened once the snow is cleared in late May or June and closed again in autumn, often by October. Check before you go, because the season depends on the snow.

   The climb from Aurland is the dramatic half: a long series of hairpins up from the fjord, past the Stegastein viewpoint, a wooden platform that juts out over the Aurlandsfjord, and then on up into the high country. The road is narrow, with passing places, low barriers or none, and buses and camper vans on it in summer, so take the hairpins carefully and be ready to wait. On the plateau the road straightens into a quiet track across the rock, and the descent to Lærdal is gentler, down a long valley with waterfalls.

   The weather can change fast up here, and fog, wind and cold rain are common even in July, so pack warm gloves. There is nothing on the plateau except a couple of rest areas with views, so make your arrangements below. Lærdalsøyri, at the foot of the northern descent, has fuel and food, and Aurland and Flåm, on the fjord to the south, have more. Sogndal is the nearest larger town.

4. Laerdalsoyri finish

   Lærdalsøyri is a small, perfectly preserved wooden town on the shore of the Sognefjord, and it feels as if the twentieth century only partly arrived. The old town, with its white clapboard houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is a protected area, and the streets are narrow and quiet. About a thousand people live here. The Lærdal river, famous for its salmon, flows into the fjord beside the village, and a salmon centre tells the story of the fish and the people who have fished for them for centuries. Årdalstangen and Sogndal are the nearest larger towns, so this is a good spot to buy fuel and food.

   The old road from Aurland ends here after descending from the plateau, and the last section is a long, winding descent through forest and farmland, with views of the fjord. The surface is good, the curves are gentle and the gradient steady, and you drop from bare rock to birch forest and then to orchards. The Lærdal tunnel, which opened in 2000, is the longest road tunnel in the world at about 24.5 kilometres, and it bypasses the mountain pass for most traffic. It has blue-lit caverns to break the monotony, and riders can choose between the tunnel and the old road.

   Lærdalsøyri was an important trading post, where goods were exchanged between the fjord and the mountains, and the old customs house and warehouses recall that role. The Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre is a modern museum with an aquarium, and the nearby Borgund stave church, one of the best preserved in Norway, dates from around 1180. Its dragon heads and shingled roofs look like something from a Viking tale. It is a short ride up the valley and well worth the detour.

   For food, try smoked or grilled salmon, local cheese and lefse, a thin flatbread. The old town has a few cafes and a small hotel, and there is a fuel station by the main road. The best time is summer, when the days are long and warm, but the village is attractive in autumn, with golden leaves. Take a walk through the old quarter in the evening, when the light falls softly on the white boards, and listen to the quiet.

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