Why this ride
Out of Gryllefjord, one way: 101 km, roughly 1 h 49 in the saddle. It goes by way of Bergsbotn, Tungeneset and Husoy. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Norwegian Scenic Route Senja
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 101 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 49
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Norwegian Scenic Route Senja
The ride follows Norwegian Scenic Route Senja for 34 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 34 km
- Named road
- Norwegian Scenic Route Senja
Norwegian Scenic Route Senja
For about 8 km this is Norwegian Scenic Route Senja, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it. Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 8 km
- Named road
- Norwegian Scenic Route Senja
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gryllefjord
Gryllefjord is a fishing village at the north-western end of Senja, Norway's second largest island, and it is about as far as you can go before the road gives out and the Atlantic takes over. It has fewer than five hundred inhabitants, a harbour, a small ferry quay and a handful of buildings, and the ferry runs from here across to Andenes on Andøya, a crossing of a couple of hours that is worth taking in summer. The mountains behind the village are jagged and steep, and the sea is a deep, cold blue. Finnsnes, on the mainland side of the island, is the nearest town of any size, nearly forty kilometres away.
Read the complete Gryllefjord write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gryllefjord is where the day begins. Next is Bergsbotn.
2. Bergsbotn
Bergsbotn lies at the head of Bergsfjorden, on the north-west coast of Senja, Norway's second-largest island, and it is the place where the island's reputation as Norway in miniature starts to make sense. Steep peaks drop straight into the sea, the fjord runs cold and dark between them, and the lights of a few small houses stand at its edge. A viewing platform reaches out over the water, built as part of the scenic route programme, and from it you can look across the fjord to a wall of jagged mountains whose profile reminds some people of a saw and others of the horns of an ox. Local names say the same thing in Norwegian.
Read the complete Bergsbotn write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bergsbotn comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tungeneset.
3. Tungeneset
Tungeneset is a viewing platform on the west side of Senja, set on a rocky point above the sea, and it offers what is perhaps the most photographed outlook on the island. A path of steel and timber boardwalks leads out over the rock to a viewing point, designed to be unobtrusive but strong enough to stand the weather. In front of you, the mountains rise in sharp, bare peaks straight from the water, and depending on your angle and the cloud, you can pick out the pointed silhouettes that appear in every Senja guidebook. Below, the sea works at the foot of the rock, and in the right light it goes from slate to silver to green.
Read the complete Tungeneset write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 42 km into the recorded legs you reach Tungeneset. Next is Husoy.
4. Husøy
Husøy is a fishing village on a small island off the coast of Senja, tied to the larger island by road, and the lanes of its wooden houses are painted in the traditional reds, yellows and whites of the north. It is a working harbour first of all: boats at the quay, nets and crates on the wharf, and the air heavy with the sharp smell of salt, diesel and fish. Racks of drying cod stand in places, the old method of preserving the catch that built the economy of the Norwegian north. Stockfish, as it is called, was shipped to southern Europe for centuries, and the trade shaped places like this.
Read the complete Husoy write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Husoy, late in the day. Next is Botnhamn.
5. Botnhamn
Botnhamn is a tiny fishing settlement on the north side of Senja, facing the open sea, and it is an end of the road in the best sense. The little harbour is sheltered by rocky headlands, with a handful of houses and boat sheds, and behind it rise steep, jagged mountains that drop straight into the ocean. Finnsnes, over thirty kilometres away, is the closest town of any size, so supplies need to be sorted earlier. The area has been settled for thousands of years, with traces of Sami and Norse inhabitants, and fishing has been the main livelihood for most of that time.
Read the complete Botnhamn write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Botnhamn. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Gryllefjord to Bergsbotn
Gryllefjord → Bergsbotn is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bergsbotn to Tungeneset
Bergsbotn → Tungeneset is 8 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tungeneset to Husoy
Tungeneset → Husoy is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Husøy to Botnhamn
Husøy → Botnhamn is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.