Why this ride
218 km one way from Sande - plan on about 4 h 14 of riding. The stops in between: Nesoddtangen, near Askim and Scenic stretch near Askim.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hardanger Fjord and Waterfalls · part 2
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 218 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 14
- 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
Hardanger Fjord and Waterfalls photo pull-off → Hardanger Fjord and Wa
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 59 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 89 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Photo stop near Sande
Sande is where the inner Oslofjord pinches into a quiet bay, the Sandebukta, between Drammen and Holmestrand. The E18 thunders past it, and most traffic never slows down, but turn off and you find a gentle green landscape of farmland, low wooded ridges and small boat harbours, far softer than the fjord country further west that the bigger rides are heading for.
Read the complete Photo stop near Sande write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop near Sande is where the day begins. Next is Hardanger Fjord and Waterfalls checkpoint 8.
2. Near Nesoddtangen
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.
Read the complete Near Nesoddtangen write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Hardanger Fjord and Waterfalls checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is High point near Askim.
3. High point near Askim
The Glomma, Norway's longest river, swings past Askim on its way to the sea, and the town grew up on the energy it provides. A large hydroelectric plant at Solbergfoss harnesses the river nearby, and in the twentieth century Askim became known for its rubber works, which turned out tyres and boots for half of Norway. Today it is the main town of the inland Østfold district, with a modern centre, schools and shops, surrounded by wide farmland, lakes and forested ridges.
Read the complete High point near Askim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 146 km into the recorded legs you reach High point near Askim. Next is Scenic stretch near Askim.
4. Scenic stretch near Askim
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete High point near Askim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Askim, late in the day. Next is Back to Hardanger Fjord.
5. Back to Hardanger Fjord
Sørumsand is the home of a small railway that has nothing to do with fjords. The narrow-gauge line Urskog-Hølandsbanen, the only preserved narrow-gauge railway in Norway, runs steam and diesel trains from here on summer Sundays, and the museum in the old station shows the carriages and engines.
Read the complete Hardanger Fjord write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Back to Hardanger Fjord. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Photo stop near Sande to Near Nesoddtangen
Photo stop near Sande → Near Nesoddtangen is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Askim to Scenic stretch near Askim
High point near Askim → Scenic stretch near Askim is 12 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Askim to Back to Hardanger Fjord
Scenic stretch near Askim → Back to Hardanger Fjord is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.