Norwegian Scenic Route Helgelandskysten (544 km)

Holm to Godoysund near Bodo · one way, about 544 km back to the start

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Why this ride

A one-way ride of 544 km, Vik to Inndyr - roughly 7 h 20 in the saddle. The stops in between: Bronnoysund, Sandnessjoen, Jektvik and Glomfjord. It suits an unhurried touring pace.

Roadbook

1. Holm start

   Holm is where the road meets the water. Terråk and Vik, small settlements in the municipality of Bindal, lie to the south and east.

   The riding here is slow and scenic. The road follows the coast, with ferries linking its sections, and the bends are tight in places, with narrow roads between rock and water. The surface is good, but the ferries impose a rhythm, and timetables matter: arrive early in summer, since queues build and cars may be left behind. The summer light is long, and the sea is often calm. Rain and wind can arrive suddenly, and fog sometimes hides the islands.

   Helgeland has a powerful mythology. The mountain of Torghatten, further north, has a hole through it, about 160 metres long, which legend says was made by an arrow shot by a troll chasing a maiden, and the Seven Sisters, a row of jagged peaks, stand on the coast near Sandnessjøen. Leka island, offshore, has a rare geological formation of rocks from the earth's mantle. Fishing villages with red boathouses, called rorbuer or naust, line the shores, and sea eagles are common.

   Fuel is not easy to find, so fill up before arriving, with Kolvereid to the south or Brønnøysund beyond the ferry as the nearest places with a good choice. The ferry kiosks sell coffee, waffles and hot dogs, and local cafes serve fish soup. Carry a card, as the ferries take payment by card or online.

   Stand on the deck on the crossing. The coast opens up in a way a road cannot show.

2. Bronnoysund scenic

   Brønnøysund is the largest town on this part of the Helgeland coast, with a little over four thousand residents and a harbour full of fishing boats and ferries, and it works as the commercial and administrative heart of a scattering of islands. The place has an airport, a long bridge that carries the main road across the sound, a busy waterfront and the practical comforts a rider needs after the ferries: fuel, supermarkets, cafes, and hotels with a view of the water.

   The big landmark lies a short ride to the south of town: Torghatten, a granite mountain with a hole right through it. The tunnel is roughly a hundred and sixty metres long and some thirty-five metres high, and you can walk through it. Norwegian legend says a troll named Hestmannen chased a girl across the sea and shot an arrow at her, and that a king threw his hat to save her. The sun rose, everyone turned to stone, and the hat became the mountain with the arrow hole through it. Geologists give a different account, in which the hole was cut by waves at a time when the sea stood higher, at the end of the Ice Age.

   For a rider this is coastal Norway at its most rhythmic, with Rv 17, the Kystriksveien, hopping from island to island on ferries and bridges. The roads are narrow, usually well surfaced, and change character at every crossing, from open skerry landscape to forest and mountain. The ferries are part of the fun, and the timetables matter, so check them and allow for a wait in summer. Weather comes in fast off the Norwegian Sea, and the same view can be sharp and sunny at breakfast and grey and wet an hour later.

   The Arctic Circle lies not far to the north, so in midsummer the light never really goes, and a ride at midnight under a pink sky is possible. Local seafood is a good choice, and fish soup or fresh cod need no explanation. Take fuel in town, since the stations on the smaller islands are sparse and sometimes unmanned.

3. Sandnessjoen scenic

   Seven mountains stand in a row along the coast of Alsten island, and the people of Sandnessjøen call them the Seven Sisters. They are jagged, steep and dark, rising straight out of the sea to over a thousand metres, and a Norwegian legend gives each one a name and a story involving trolls and a pursuing suitor. With around five thousand six hundred people, it is the biggest place on this stretch of the coast.

   Alstahaug, a few kilometres south, has a history that is well worth knowing. The old church there, from the twelfth century, was the home parish of Petter Dass, a seventeenth-century priest and poet who wrote about the life of the northern fishermen and became a national figure, nicknamed the trumpet of Nordland. His verses were learned by heart in fishing villages for generations, and the local museum celebrates him. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, and the coast is dotted with ancient burial mounds.

   The ride along the Helgeland coast is a long chain of ferries and bridges. The Helgelandsbrua, a graceful cable-stayed bridge just over a kilometre long, opened in 1991 and links Alsten to the mainland, replacing a ferry crossing, and the road then runs along the water through tunnels and small villages. The scenery is dramatic, with sea, islands and mountains, and the weather is changeable, with rain, wind and sudden clear light. In June and July, the nights are never dark.

   Fuel is easy in Sandnessjøen, which has several stations, and it is the last big stop before the long run north. Restaurants serve fresh fish, and the harbour is lively, with fishing boats and ferries. Check ferry timetables in advance, as they run on a schedule and can fill in summer. Pack waterproofs, since the coast gets plenty of rain, and keep a spare layer. The view of the Seven Sisters in the evening light is worth a pause on the quay.

4. Jektvik scenic

   The Jektvik to Kilboghamn crossing is part of the Helgeland coastal route, Fv17, and the boat carries cars and bikes over a sound that marks, at its centre, the line of 66 degrees 33 minutes north, so a motorcycle can cross into the Arctic on a ferry deck with a coffee in hand. Beyond the water, the mountains of Meløy and the great Svartisen glacier lie waiting.

   Jektvik itself is a tiny community, a few houses, a quay and a ferry waiting room, on a steep shore. The surrounding landscape is brutal and beautiful, with sheer mountains, fjords and a coast broken into thousands of islands. Svartisen, the second largest glacier in mainland Norway, lies to the north-east, and an arm of the ice, Engabreen, reaches almost to sea level. Small boats cross the lake in front of it. Fishing, fish farming and tourism sustain the district, and the people are friendly but spread thin.

   The riding on Fv17 is among the best in Norway. The road follows the coast through tunnels and over bridges, with sharp bends, steep climbs and long views of the sea and mountains. The surface is mostly good, but the road is narrow in places, with little room for error. Ferries are an essential part of the route, so check timetables, since they can be infrequent, particularly outside summer. Rain and wind are common, and fog can roll in from the sea.

   Food is limited, though the ferry may have a small kiosk. Carry water, snacks and spare layers, and keep your phone charged. In midsummer, the sun does not set, and a late ride across the Arctic Circle in golden light is an unforgettable experience.

5. Glomfjord scenic

   Glomfjord sits at the end of a short fjord arm in Nordland, on the Helgeland coast just south of the Arctic Circle, and it is a company town in the way that only Norway can manage: a place built around hydropower, in a landscape that looks as if it were designed for a postcard. The power station was built in the early twentieth century to use the water from the mountains, and an industrial plant followed, so a village of about twelve hundred people stands where the steep slopes meet the water.

   The place has a dark episode in its past. In September 1942 a small group of British and Norwegian commandos sabotaged the power station in Operation Musketoon, an attack that damaged the plant and the German war effort but cost most of the raiders their lives after they were captured and executed. The story is told locally, and a short visit to the village makes more sense once you know it.

   The landscape around is the real draw. Above the village lies the Svartisen glacier, the second largest in mainland Norway, and a boat or a short drive from the area gets you to its tongue, a fading blue wall that has retreated noticeably in recent decades. The riding on Rv 17 is the sort that Norwegians call the coastal route, the Kystriksveien, a succession of ferries, tunnels, bridges and fjord arms, with spectacular views over islands and mountains, and with a ferry timetable that organises your day. The road surface is good, the speed limits are low and the tunnels are long and damp, so keep your visor clear.

   Fuel and food are limited in Glomfjord itself, so check your tank when you pass through. The nearest larger centre is Ørnes, a short drive to the north, and it has a petrol station and a few shops. In summer the long days give you plenty of time. The air here is damp and clean, and after rain the waterfalls come down the mountain slopes in white threads. Finish the day with a walk by the water and a bit of fish, since you will have earned it.

6. Godoysund near Bodo finish

   Whichever way you read it, the setting is the same: low islands, skerries, fjord arms and snow-streaked mountains standing right up from the sea.

   It helps to know that you are well north of the Arctic Circle, which the coast road crosses at the Helgeland ferry link near Jektvik. In midsummer the sun does not set at all in this latitude, and the light at midnight turns the water a pale, rosy gold. In winter the opposite is true, and the northern lights draw visitors to the coast. The weather swings between the two with little warning, and a cold wind off the Norwegian Sea can arrive on a sunny day.

   The coastal road, the Kystriksveien, is one of the great slow rides of Europe. It threads along fjords, crosses on ferries and takes bridges between islands, with long bends and gentle gradients rather than hairpins. Ferries are part of the rhythm, and you should check timetables because they are not frequent, particularly outside summer. Just east of Bodø is Saltstraumen, where the tide forces enormous volumes of water through a narrow strait several times a day, producing whirlpools and one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. It is worth timing your visit for the changing of the tide.

   Fishing is the old economy here. Cod, drying racks and old fishing stations tell the story, and the Lofoten stockfish trade that made Bergen rich started along this coast. You will see red and yellow houses on stilts at the water's edge, with boats pulled up beside them, and eagles circling above. Sea eagles are common, and you may spot one over the sound.

   Fuel is thin on the ground in this part of Norway. Inndyr is small, and the reliable choice is Bodø, about twenty-two kilometres away, where you will find stations, cafes and shops. Fill up there and buy lunch, because small shops on the coast keep short hours.

   Plan to finish with a meal of fresh fish in Bodø and a walk along the harbour in the late light.

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