Atlantic Road Coastal Bridges
3 passes in 336 km, topping out at 1099 m
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Why this ride
Scenery first, traffic last, with checkpoints that make sense on a bike. Out of Kløfta and back again: 336 km, roughly 7 h in the saddle. The stops in between: Jevnaker, near Vikersund and Nesoddtangen. The climbs: near Tofte, near Skjønhaug and Scenic stretch near Fetsund. Long stretches are under trees.
Roadbook
- Fuel stop near Kløfta
fuel
Kløfta is a busy junction north-east of Oslo, where the E6 motorway north towards Trondheim meets Rv2 east towards Kongsvinger and the Swedish border. Oslo Airport at Gardermoen is just to the north, and the area is a hub of roads, railways, service stations and shopping centres. It is not a place to linger, but it is a practical start for a long day.
The landscape around Kløfta is part of the Romerike plain, a broad area of farmland and forest north-east of Oslo, with clay soils and gentle slopes. Just to the north lies Eidsvoll, where in 1814 the Norwegian constitution was signed in a manor house, Eidsvollsbygningen, now a museum and a national monument. It is one of the most important historic sites in Norway, and a short detour is well worthwhile.
As a start and fuel stop, Kløfta has plenty of service stations, cafés and shops. From here, the roads lead north towards Lake Mjøsa and the mountains of central Norway, or east towards the forests and lakes of the Swedish border. The E6 is a fast motorway, but tolls apply, and traffic can be heavy, especially on Friday afternoons and holiday weekends.
Speed limits in Norway are low and strictly enforced, with speed cameras common on the main roads. Fines are among the highest in Europe. Surfaces are generally good, though frost heave can make some roads bumpy. Fill the tank here before heading north, especially if your route leads into the mountains.
- Near Jevnaker, on the way back
swim
North of Jevnaker the long, narrow body of Randsfjorden reaches up into the hills, and this spot sits on its shores in the farming district of Hadeland. Randsfjorden is not a fjord at all but a freshwater lake, one of the biggest in Norway, some seventy kilometres long, filling a deep glacial trench between forested ridges. The water is clear, dark and quiet, with farms and small villages on the lower slopes and spruce forest above.
Hadeland is an old, rich farming landscape, and the stone churches at Granavollen to the east, two of them side by side on the same churchyard, date back to the Middle Ages and are among the most curious sights in the region. Jevnaker itself is known for glass. Hadeland Glassverk has made glass here since the eighteenth century, and you can still watch glassblowers at work. A little south, at Kistefos, a former pulp mill on the Randselva river has become a sculpture park and art museum, with a gallery building that twists across the river like a wrung-out towel.
A swim here is a proper Norwegian one: bracing, clean and surrounded by trees. The lake warms slowly in early summer and by late July the shallows can be pleasant, though out in deeper water you will feel the cold rise from below. There are public bathing places along the shore near the villages, typically a strip of grass or gravel with a jetty, and on a weekday evening you may have one to yourself apart from a family and a dog.
The roads around the lake are exactly what a homeward stretch should be. Route 34 follows the western side of Randsfjorden and Route 245 and smaller lanes work along the east, with long gentle curves, short climbs over spurs and steady views down to the water. Traffic is light outside holidays. The surface is generally good, though Norwegian roads get frost heave, so expect the odd patched wave. Speed limits are low and enforced with cameras, so ride for the scenery, not the clock.
Jevnaker has a supermarket, cafes and fuel, and Hønefoss, about twenty kilometres south, is the larger town for anything more. From there it is an easy run back towards Oslo through Ringerike and down past the Tyrifjorden.
- Food stop near Vikersund
food
Ski flyers have soared further at Vikersund than almost anywhere else. The giant hill above the village, Vikersundbakken, is one of the largest ski flying hills in the world and has seen several world records, with jumpers flying well over two hundred metres. Even in summer, the scale of the in-run and landing slope is astonishing, and the view from the top over the lake is spectacular.
Vikersund lies at the northern tip of Tyrifjorden, a large lake west of Oslo, surrounded by forested hills and farmland. The area is part of Modum, a municipality with a rich industrial past. A short ride north, at Åmot, the Blaafarveværket was once a major producer of cobalt blue pigment, exported around the world in the nineteenth century; the old works are now a museum and art gallery, with a beautiful setting by a waterfall.
As for the riding, it is pleasant and varied. Roads follow the shore of the lake, with gentle curves and views over the water, and climb into the hills, with forests and farms. Traffic is light, but the main roads can be busy on weekends. Speed limits are low and enforced, and wildlife can be a hazard. The weather can change quickly, and the lake can create mist in the mornings.
Vikersund has fuel, shops and cafés, making it a good place for a break. Try a Norwegian pastry or a light lunch before continuing towards the Atlantic coast, a long ride to the north-west through mountains and valleys.
- Photo stop near Tofte
pass
Tofte lies on the Hurum peninsula, on the western shore of the Oslofjord, where the fjord narrows towards the Drøbak strait. For decades, the village was dominated by a large pulp mill, which closed in 2013, and the community has since been adjusting to life without it. The surrounding landscape is one of forests, rocky shores and small bays, with views across the fjord to the eastern shore.
Just across the water, in the Drøbak strait, stands the Oscarsborg fortress, on two small islands. On the night of 9 April 1940, at the start of the German invasion of Norway, its old guns and torpedoes sank the German heavy cruiser Blücher, which was carrying troops and officials to occupy Oslo. The delay allowed the King, the government and the gold reserves to escape the capital, a turning point in the war for Norway. The fortress is now a museum, reached by ferry from Drøbak.
The Hurum peninsula is a quiet, rural area, with farms, forests and summer cottages along the shore. The beaches and rocky coves are popular for swimming in summer, and the views over the fjord are lovely, especially in the evening light.
For riders, the roads on Hurum are winding and scenic, following the shore and climbing through the forests, with gentle curves and very little traffic. Speed limits are low and enforced. Fuel and food are available in Tofte and the surrounding villages. As a photo stop, the views over the fjord towards Drøbak and Oscarsborg are memorable.
- Near Nesoddtangen
finish
Oslo's suburbs fade quickly here into forest, lakes and fjord. The point lies on the eastern side of the Bunnefjord, the inner arm of the Oslofjord, between Kolbotn and the Nesodden peninsula, an area of wooded hills, granite outcrops, small farms and houses painted in red, white and yellow. Nesoddtangen at the tip of the peninsula is linked to central Oslo by a ferry that crosses the fjord to Aker Brygge, and many locals commute by boat.
The landscape was shaped by ice. Glaciers scraped the bedrock smooth during the last ice age and left behind lakes, rounded hills and the long, narrow fjord. In summer the light lasts almost all night, the water is warm enough for a swim from the rocks, and the forests are full of blueberries and the smell of pine. In winter the days are short, the roads can be icy and the lakes freeze.
The Atlantic Road ride is a long journey from here, heading north and west through the valleys and over the mountains to the coast near Molde and Kristiansund, where the road hops between small islands on a series of bridges, the most famous of which curves high above the sea. It is a serious undertaking, with long stretches of road, ferries, tunnels and mountain passes, and it rewards careful planning, especially for fuel and accommodation.
Riding in Norway has its own rhythm. Speed limits are low, often 80 km/h on main roads, and fines for speeding are among the highest in Europe. Roads are generally well surfaced but narrow, with tunnels, roadworks and frost heave in places. Tolls are collected automatically, so registering your plate with the AutoPASS system can make things easier. Moose and deer are a real danger at dawn and dusk, especially in the forests. The legal alcohol limit for drivers is very low, and enforcement is strict.
Fuel, food and supplies are easy to find in the suburbs around Kolbotn and Nesodden, and the ferry at Nesoddtangen offers a lovely way to see the fjord and the city from the water. Before setting out, check the weather and road conditions, especially for mountain passes, which may be closed in winter. A coffee and a cinnamon bun at a local bakery is the Norwegian way to begin a long day.
- High point near Skjønhaug
pass
Skjønhaug is the main village of Trøgstad, in the inland part of Østfold, between the lake Øyeren and the Swedish border. It is a quiet, rural place, with a church, a school, a few shops and a landscape of rolling farmland and forest stretching away in every direction.
The countryside here is typical of the eastern lowlands of Norway: big fields of grain, red farmhouses and barns, patches of spruce and pine forest, and small lakes. The land rises gently from the Glomma valley to the west, and the high ground around Skjønhaug gives wide views over the fields and forests. On clear days, you can see far across the rolling landscape towards the Swedish border.
The area has a long history of farming, and many of the farms have been in the same families for generations. Trøgstad church, a medieval stone church, stands near the village, and the countryside is dotted with burial mounds and other ancient sites.
For riders, the roads around Skjønhaug are quiet and pleasant, winding through farmland and forest with gentle curves and good views. Traffic is light. Surfaces are generally good, though frost heave can make some roads bumpy. Speed limits are low and enforced. Fuel and food are available in Skjønhaug and nearby towns. As a high point, the views over the rolling landscape are a quiet reward.
- Scenic stretch near Fetsund
pass
Fetsund lies at the northern end of Øyeren, where the Glomma, Norway's longest river, flows into the lake through a vast, shifting delta of channels, sandbanks and wetlands. For more than a century, the Glomma was the great highway for timber from the forests of eastern Norway, and at Fetsund the floating logs were caught, sorted and bundled in a huge system of booms before being towed across the lake to the sawmills.
The Fetsund Lenser, the log-boom station, was the largest of its kind in Norway, and it operated until 1985, when timber floating on the Glomma ended. Today it is a museum, with the old booms, buildings and boats preserved, and a visitor centre that tells the story of the timber floaters and the river. Walking along the booms over the water is a unique experience.
The delta of the Glomma at Nordre Øyeren is a nature reserve, often described as the largest inland delta in northern Europe, and it is home to huge numbers of birds, especially during the spring and autumn migrations. The landscape of water, reeds and woods is beautiful, especially in the early morning, when mist rises from the river.
For riders, the roads around Fetsund are flat and pleasant, following the river and the lake, with views over the water. Traffic can be heavy on the main roads towards Oslo, but the minor roads are quieter. Fuel and food are available in Fetsund and nearby Lillestrøm. As a finish, the river and the delta at sunset are a memorable sight.
- Back to Atlantic Road
finish
The plain is the largest area of farmland in eastern Norway, a gently rolling landscape of grain fields, spruce woods and red wooden barns, with the E6 motorway and the main railway line running through it. Oslo's airport at Gardermoen is some thirteen kilometres to the north.
The ride's name speaks of the Atlantic Road, the famous bridge road on the west coast, but this is far away, and the finish here is a calm, rural one. The roads are straight and quiet, with long, gentle bends, and a surface that is generally good. Traffic builds near the E6 and the airport, but the lanes between the farms are peaceful. In summer, the fields are green and gold, and in winter, the snow is flat and deep. Light in the evening in early summer is long and soft.
The landscape has a geological story. The ground here is made of marine clay, laid down when the sea covered the plain after the last ice age, and when the land rose, the clay was left behind. Some of it is quick clay, which can turn to liquid when disturbed, and in December 2020 a large landslide at Ask destroyed homes and took lives. The event was a national tragedy, and it is remembered with respect locally. The area has made safety a priority since.
Fuel and food are available in Kløfta, which has stations, supermarkets and small restaurants, and larger shopping areas are close by at Jessheim. Local bakeries offer fresh bread, and farm shops sell potatoes, strawberries and honey in season. The train to Oslo takes about thirty minutes.
Take a quiet moment at the edge of a field. The broad horizon and the soft light make a calm end to a ride.