We covered as many back roads as we could, always travelling on the Western side of Norway. Some call this the "Atlantic Road" and yes, it involves loads of ferry crossings. In general, we lucked out with the connections of the ferries, only once did we wait about 3 hours for the next ship to arrive. The roads are very twisty and first gear is used without much of a warning. Some roads are only 1 1/2 cars wide and oncoming traffic has to wait for you, or you have to wait for them. This goe on for miles. Buses take over a larger portion and it was 'exiting' to pass them when they headed for you. Tunnels connect valleys and oh, are these tunnels long and dark. 8 Km for one tunnel with a 100 yard break and then again 7 KM for the next tunnel. All tunnel walls are just rough stone, no tiles added. They are the way they were dug into the mountain. I get the feeling I am visiting trolls or some creature from the Nordic Sagas inside these mountains. The lighting is dim, too. Please do not have claustrophobia when you come here.
We were lucky with the weather. Yes, it was cold, but we had the right clothing on, just add a layer and all is well. On recommendation we took Route 17 instead of the E6 Highway and we saw Norway like it is in story books. Mountains so steep that it makes me wonder how they engineered the roadways through, over and around them. An amazing feat of road building, but a delight for motorcycle enthusiasts like us. The riding in Norway is fantastic.
