Telemark Canal Roads · short arc

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fuel stop near Røyken

   Røyken sits on the hilly neck of land between the Drammensfjord and the Oslofjord, south-west of Oslo, a mix of villages, farms, forests and commuter housing. It is a practical place to fill the tank before heading south through the Hurum peninsula or west towards Drammen and Telemark.

   Read the complete Fuel stop near Røyken write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Telemark Canal Roads is where the day begins. Next is High point near Drammen.

2. 2. High point near Drammen

   Drammen is a city on the river Drammenselva, where it flows into the Drammensfjord, south-west of Oslo. Once an industrial town with a polluted river, it has transformed itself over the past few decades, cleaning up the river, building parks and promenades along its banks, and restoring its old buildings. Today it is a pleasant, lively city, with a fine square at Bragernes, a theatre and riverside cafés.

   Read the complete High point near Drammen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Telemark Canal Roads checkpoint 8.

3. 3. Near Sandvika

   You end the day in Bærum, the big, comfortable municipality that runs west from Oslo along the fjord, and Sandvika is its centre: a cluster of offices, shopping and apartment blocks where two rivers come out into a sheltered inlet. It is suburban, yes, but suburban with sea water, small islands and wooded hills behind, and after a long ride through mountain country that is not a bad place to roll to a halt.

   Read the complete Near Sandvika write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 315 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Grua.

4. 4. Scenic stretch near Grua

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch near Grua, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Maura.

5. 5. Photo stop near Maura

   North of Oslo, beyond the airport at Gardermoen, the land opens into a quiet country of farms, forests and lakes. Maura is a small village here, in the municipality of Nannestad, and it gives a sense of rural Norway within an hour of the capital, with red barns, white farmhouses and spruce forests stretching to the horizon.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Maura write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Maura sits at 195 km, about halfway. Next is Oslo / Norway Scenic Roads return.

6. 6. Near Rømskog, on the way back

   Out where Norway runs into Sweden along a line of forest and water, Rømskog sits on the shore of Rømsjøen, a long lake surrounded by spruce and pine. Until a recent merger it was one of the smallest municipalities in the country, and it still feels like the end of the road: a few farms, a church, a school and endless trees.

   Read the complete Near Rømskog, on the way back write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Oslo / Norway Scenic Roads return comes up about 273 km into the recorded legs. Next is Food stop near Mysen.

7. 7. Food stop near Mysen

   Mysen is the main town of Eidsberg, in the inland part of Østfold, south-east of Oslo, and it is the sort of Norwegian town that rarely appears in travel brochures: a railway station, a shopping street, a few cafés and a calm, practical air. Around it lies some of the most productive farmland in Norway, rolling fields of grain broken by patches of spruce and birch forest, red barns and white farmhouses.

   Read the complete Food stop near Mysen write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Food stop near Mysen closes the day.