Trollstigen and Geiranger Expedition
A 245 km loop
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Why this ride
A proper escape from Oslo with roads worth waking up for. 245 km round from Åneby - plan on about 5 h 07 of riding. The stops in between: Scenic stretch near Kløfta, near Ås and Kolbotn. near Flateby is the high point. The line favours views over speed.
Roadbook
- Fuel stop in Åneby
fuel
Fuel at 0 km.
- Scenic stretch near Kløfta
scenic
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.
- High point near Flateby
pass
This is where the road stops climbing.
- Photo stop near Ås
photo
Photo stop near Ås, about halfway.
- Near Kolbotn
finish
Kolbotn is a quiet suburb in the woods south of Oslo, built around a lake, Kolbotnvannet, and close to the much larger Gjersjøen, with forest all around and the inner Oslofjord glinting just to the west. It is a place of family homes, sports fields and ski trails, and it is hard to believe that it gave the world one of the most influential black metal bands, Darkthrone, which formed here in the late 1980s and recorded albums that shaped a whole genre.
After the Trollstigen and Geiranger, though, it is the peace that counts. The Trollstigen is the famous mountain road above Åndalsnes, with eleven hairpins climbing a sheer valley wall beside a thundering waterfall, and the road on to Geiranger takes you over high plateaus and down to one of the most famous fjords in the world. After days of that, Kolbotn offers a gentle, unspectacular landing in the woods. Note that the Trollstigen is usually closed from autumn until late spring because of snow and avalanche risk, so this trip is a summer one.
The approach from the west is usually on the E18 and then the E6 or smaller roads through the forests south of the city. Traffic around Oslo is heavy at rush hour, and the motorways have strict speed limits and plenty of cameras. On the back roads through the woods, watch for cyclists, joggers and the odd moose crossing at dusk.
Kolbotn has another treasure close by. Ingierstrand Bad, on the fjord a few kilometres west, is a bathing beach from the 1930s, with white functionalist buildings, diving towers and a café, and on a warm summer day it is full of swimmers and sunbathers. The fjord water is cold but clean, and in July it can be very pleasant. Further south, the Svartskog peninsula has quiet roads along the water, with forests, farms and views across to Nesodden, where ferries cross to the city.
For practical things, Kolbotn has a shopping centre, cafés and fuel nearby, and Ski and Nesoddtangen are the nearest larger places. Trains run into Oslo regularly, so it is easy to drop the bike off. Sit by the lake for a while, listen to the quiet and remember the waterfalls and hairpins of the west.
- Food stop in Drammen food
- Near Hønefoss, on the way back
swim
North-west of Oslo, beyond the forested ridge of Krokskogen, the land opens out into the broad farmland of Ringerike, around the long lake of Tyrifjorden and the smaller Steinsfjorden. Hønefoss is the main town, built around a waterfall where the Begna and Randselva rivers join, and from here roads radiate north into the valleys and mountains of central Norway.
The water is the reason to stop. Tyrifjorden is one of Norway's largest lakes, with clear, cold water, islands and long shorelines of rock, sand and meadow, and on summer days the beaches along the shore fill with swimmers. The water warms slowly and stays cool even in July, but on a hot afternoon a quick plunge is wonderful. Steinsfjorden, shallower and warmer, is known for the pick-your-own strawberry farms that line its shores in early summer.
The views are famous too. On the road over Krokskogen from Oslo, at Sundvollen, a viewpoint called Kongens utsikt, the King's View, looks down over the lakes and islands and the farmland beyond, and it is one of the finest panoramas in southern Norway. The road down from the ridge to the lake is steep and winding, with hairpins and fine views, and it is a favourite with riders. Ringerike also has a long history: the area was a seat of early kings, and the great burial mound at Stein, near the lake, is linked by legend to Halfdan the Black, father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a united Norway.
North of Hønefoss, at Jevnaker, the Kistefos Museum combines an old pulp mill with a sculpture park and a striking modern gallery called The Twist, which spans the river like a twisted bridge, and it has become one of the most talked-about art spaces in Scandinavia. Further on, the long lake of Randsfjorden stretches north between wooded hills.
Hønefoss has fuel, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants, and the town centre around the waterfall is pleasant to walk. In early summer, the waterfall roars with snowmelt; in late summer it can be just a trickle. Buy strawberries from a roadside stand if you see one, then find a beach and cool off before the ride back to Oslo.
- Back to Trollstigen and
finish
It is gentle country of clay fields, small woods and low ridges, where Norwegians who work in the capital have settled in neat suburbs and villages.
Rotnes is the main centre of Nittedal, a municipality with a mix of old farms and newer housing, and it is where you will find supermarkets and fuel. Åneby is a smaller community nearby, and Kløfta to the north, with around six thousand people, sits on the main railway line and close to the E6. Gardermoen, Oslo's main airport, is not far beyond, so the sky is full of arriving aircraft. To the west the land rises into the forested hills of Nordmarka, which is one of the capital's great recreation areas, with lakes, trails and cabins.
The landscape tells an old agricultural story. The marine clay left by the retreating ice age sea made this some of the best farmland in the country, and Romerike has long been known as the granary of Norway, with big fields of grain and potatoes. In late summer the plain turns gold, and you can see the red barns across fields from the road. Old churches stand in the villages, and the area has a long history of settlement.
The riding is straightforward, with good surfaces, long straights, and the odd roundabout. Speed limits are enforced by cameras and there is heavy commuter traffic at rush hour on the main routes, so try to avoid those times. If you want something more attractive, head onto the minor roads towards the forest edge, where bends and gentle climbs make a pleasant change. Watch for tractors, joggers and elk, which do wander across roads at dawn and dusk.
Fuel is easy at Rotnes and Kløfta, and the area is a good spot to stock up before continuing north or west. Norwegian prices are high, so a supermarket sandwich and a thermos coffee are the sensible choice.
Best from late spring to early autumn, when the days are long. This is not the dramatic Norway of the postcards, but it is a calm, agricultural pause in the journey.