Arctic circle 25

[Hartley]

Tuesday 19/08/25

At last after months of planning the day arrived for us to start our Norway trip and our first two up ( well maybe three) tour on the 1250 GSA.




Wednesday

The overnight ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland gave us an early start on the long run towards Kiel.

We did get the chance to visit Belsen, I’ll not attempt to put into words how this place feels or what it represents.






Our first night on dry land was spent about an hour and a half south of Kiel at great little hotel. The restaurant and rooms were lovely as was the welcome.


Thursday

The idea was to have a leisurely breakfast and a relaxed ride upto the ferry for Oslo but after some road works closing the route I had and me getting in the wrong lane taking us straight into a huge traffic jam the stress levels were slightly raised. But we made it to Kiel ok and queued in the sunshine waiting for our second ferry in two days.



The crossing was smooth and Id opted to prebook the “Grand Buffet” or food fight as I renamed it. It was ok but I’d not do it again and opt to eat in the onboard Italian if we used this crossing again.



Friday

We arrived in Oslo in beautiful sunshine and took smaller roads up to Lillehammer and our first night in Norway.



After parking the bike in the garage and checking in we ate in the hotel. The “Home” hotels include dinner in the package which was surprising good. Lillehammer had a nice feel, we had a good evening including a couple of drinks in a characterful little bar.

 

[Davey B]

Oooh, I do like a good trip thread.

 

[glenn2926]

That colour line ferry is some boat isn’t it? Almost like a cruise ship. We were upgraded to an outside cabin for some reason when I went with my lad a couple of years ago. Slightly strange going under a bridge in what appears to be middle of the sea.
Hope you get the weather we did. We loosely followed the Motorad route but added Lofoton to it. I did think the Atlantic Ocean road wasn’t as dramatic as it first looked during our planning.
Have a great trip.

 

[Hartley]

That colour line ferry is some boat isn’t it? Almost like a cruise ship. We were upgraded to an outside cabin for some reason when I went with my lad a couple of years ago. Slightly strange going under a bridge in what appears to be middle of the sea.
Hope you get the weather we did. We loosely followed the Motorad route but added Lofoton to it. I did think the Atlantic Ocean road wasn’t as dramatic as it first looked during our planning.
Have a great trip.

Back now Glenn , was a great trip, part two inbound…

 

[Hartley]

Saturday.

Forecast was a bit iffy but it was dry so we headed for Trondheim stopping at one of the Stave churches at Ringebu. There was a service taking place so we couldn’t get too near but it was still impressive.



We left the main E6 road and the riding was lovely. Fairly easy going and good surfaces but the speed limits are low and it takes a while to dial into.



We arrived in Trondheim at rush hour and parked up in the public carpark attached to the hotel. We’d been in the room about 1/2 an hour and I got a tracker notification that something had occurred with my bike. I shot back to the carpark and all appeared ok but this rattled me for the evening. There was lots of noise and people shouting outside the hotel all night so it wasn’t the best nights kip I’ve had.



Sunday.

Trondhiem to Mo I Rana

We had another long day so early breakfast (after checking the bike)

I was pretty tired and grumpy as we left and the skies matched my mood.

We stopped by Hell Station for the customary pic. Hells not actually that bad.



The weather then turned and out came the waterproofs. We rode for about 4 hours in pouring rain but eventually the sun reappeared near Mosjean and from there the ride was brilliant. That last few hours really lifted my spirits.
We arrived at Mo I Rana about 5.30 pulled upto the hotel garage door, up it went and the bike was parked in a nice secure carpark and for free! Happy days

Another hotel with dinner included washed down with a couple of local beers. Hit the spot perfectly.

There’s not a lot to see in Mo I Rana but it was a nice and quiet place to take a walk.

 

[Mr Derek]

I was watching the episode of Long Way Home where they were in Norway yesterday evening. They went to several of the places you have photographed. It looks fascinating. It might have to be one for the future.

Thanks for the report and the pics. We like pics.

 

[Ethaneil]

I'm sending my eyes funny flicking between your thread and Google maps!

Keep it coming

 

[Hartley]

Monday

After a very good nights sleep I woke in a lot better frame of mind than the previous day.

Svolvær on the Lofoton islands was today’s destination but on the way we’d cross into the Arctic Circle.

Few miles out of Mo I Rana we saw signs for the Arctic Circle Raceway.

Having spent a lot of time working in racing in one form or another it seemed to good to miss so off we went on a little diversion.

There was nothing going on on track so I asked if I could take a couple of pics in the pits?

“Yeah sure, go for a lap if you like”






No pics of the lap as we were two up, but a massive thankyou to the really cool guy at the circuit.

After breaking absolutely no lap records we left the circuit and headed north to what was originally the goal of this trip.






Itd been dry up until now but as we left the Arctic Circle centre weather the wind really picked up, the rain came down and it was pretty hard going. Trucks going the opposite direction and their wake added to the fun.

We were glad to spot a Circle K for a break ,a hot drink and a bite to eat while watching the sky get angrier.

A Dutch guy asked where we were heading? “ Ahhhh if the weathers good, Lofoton is the most beautiful place on Earth. …“

About an hour from the ferry the weather gods gave us a break skies cleared and the scenery just got better and better.



Short trip on the ferry and we landed in Lødingen to a beautiful evening.

What we’d seen upto this point had been lovely but the Lofoton islands really turned it up.

 

[Hartley]

We spent 3 nights on Lofoton, one full day on the bike and one off walking round Svolvær and visiting the excellent WW2 museum.




We really lucked in with the weather and I have to agree with that Dutch guy in the service station.
I think this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I’ve not got the writing or photography skills to do it justice but I would say to anyone planning a trip to Norway you really must visit Lofoton.



Thursday

Svolvær to Mo I Rana

With a somewhat heavy heart it was time to say goodbye to Lofoton.

Early start and a couple of hours amazing ride to Moskenes for the ferry back to the mainland.

Had a chat with a Swiss guy touring around in this beast.



I guess it’s a four wheeled GSA.

Once on the other side of the water we rode on back to Mo I Rana on a lot of the route we’d already done heading north but this time in glorious sunshine and 20 degrees. It was bliss, fairly quick for Norway, 90kph a lot of the way and quiet. I really great ride.

 

[Hartley]

Mo I Rana to Namsos

4 ferries planned for our run south to Namsos and yet again glorious sunshine.

Not a lot doing in Namsos itself but the hotel was good and the couple of beers were very welcome after a great day.

 

[Hartley]

Namsos to Kristiansund.

Woke up to rain today which wasn’t forecast.



Two Ducatis parked next to the GSA. Not even a disc lock on either.



Belonged to two Norwegian ladies, they said locks are not required, imagine that eh?

As we packed up the bike the sun came out.

A fair section of the morning was on what looked like a great road running through lovely scenery but it was very bumpy and made it hard work and tiring. However the afternoon was superb.






Sunday

Kristiansund to Alesund

We’d stopped in Kristiansund to do the nearby Atlantic road before it got too busy. It’s only a short stretch and I’d heard varying opinions on whether it was worth doing.






We lucked in with the weather yet again and it we enjoyed it. From there we headed to the Trollstigen.





What a brilliant day.

 

[Hartley]

Tuesday

Alesund to Bergen

After a day off the bike on Monday we headed to Bergen on another 4 ferry day.





We set off in the dry but after a stop for lunch the skies looked threatening so on went the waterproofs. Proved to be a good decision.

It poured down for about 3 hours and stopped just as we arrived at our hotel.

Was ready for this £26 round

 

[Hartley]

Wednesday

Bergen to Kongsberg.

Today didn’t go quite as planned.

This was always going to be a long day so it was early breakfast and away.

It’d been pouring down all night but stopped just before we left. Bike packed up and rode out onto wet cobbles which are twitchy bum for me after an incident a few years back, and the morning rush hour.

There was still lots of standing water and with it being cold the pinlock wasn’t doing a lot.

Basically it was one of those starts that has you on edge. Eventually we made it onto the duel carriageway out of the city to hit a long queue of stationary traffic approaching a tunnel. Truck in front and another trying to get into my topbox. After a considerable wait we got going again, cause for delay, a broken down Artic.

The satnav then decided to get the hump, I think because of losing its signal. It was all going on and I was getting pretty stressed by this point.

Result is I think I may have ridden through a tunnel where motorcycles are prohibited. In the whole two week trip I’ve not seen this before so I await a ticket. Annoying because I’ve been so careful with speed limits etc. I think the long and the short of it was I was getting very tired.

As we rode on I saw a bridge off to the side, in the distance l, I was sure we were supposed to be crossing that.

I’d planned a few places to visit enroute so particularly wanted to stick to it.

The Nav 6 seemed to eventually settle down and on we went.

I’d had a fear that this trip had peaked early with the Lofoton islands but it really is an incredible country, places we saw were stunning.



As I followed the Nav it led us to a ferry that was just boarding, hardly put a foot down and rode straight on. Perfect timing.

Well it would have been if we were supposed to be on it. I looked at the route on the Nav while crossing and it became obvious we were not following the route I’d planned and if we carried on would miss a couple of things I really wanted to see.

So we left the ferry turned around and got back on it. The ferry guy said we could have the return for free.

I’d had no issues whatsoever with the gps on the whole trip but today it was really doing some weird stuff.

If I imported the planned route, looked at it on the map it all looked good. Soon as I pressed go it changed it. ( I’ve no idea what was going on)

One way or another we got back on the intended route again.

When we’d left Bergen our estimated arrival was 3.30, it was now 6.00.

Few miles on we came across road works.

They were operating with an escort car, I think we waited about half an hour or so.

When we got going it was so slow it was hard to keep upright over a bit of light off-road but eventually we got through only to meet several more sets of road works on that stretch of road. At least we had a lot of time to take in the scenery.

After a lunch stop we arrived at the Latefossen waterfall, one of the reasons for trying to stick to the route. My wife loves waterfalls so I really wanted to get her there. Her face was worth it.




Then the rain started, by far the heaviest we’d encountered, solid for about 6 hours.

The other place we hoped to visit was the Heavy Water factory but by the time we got near there it would have been closed.

We rolled into Kongsberg and our hotel at 8.00 and shattered. 12 hrs to do 300 miles.

What I will add though is that despite the delays and the terrible weather that route from Bergen to Kongsberg was brilliant. The cloud was low, or we were high but from what we could see you just knew that if visibility had been good it’d be amazing.

Should we return to Norway il factor in that road again to do it in the better conditions.

 

[Hartley]

Thursday.

Kongsberg to Oslo

Just a short run to the ferry today.

The heavy rain had continued through the night and as I’d left one of the Lomo Crash bar bags open I can confirm they are fully waterproof and keep water in as well as out. Muppet.

We we’re upgraded to an outside cabin so got the opportunity to wave goodbye to Norway through a porthole.

 

[Hartley]

Once docking in Kiel we’d opted to do the run back to the Hook of Holland without a night stop. Traffic was pretty bad as was the weather so something I’d not recommend.

2 1/2 hrs after landing in Harwich we were home and that was the end of the longest trip we’ve ever done.

It had been incredible, it is a truly stunning country.

As with all things hindsight is a wonderful thing so looking back and whilst we were away there are a few things I decided id do differently if I were planning the trip again or would recommend to anyone planning such a trip.

We’re pretty experienced tourers and usually I make up the routes and stops myself based on how long we generally like to ride.
We were fairly restricted on the time we had available which influenced the plans.

I based this trip on the Motorrad tour I’d seen TMF do. Put simply, the days were too long for us. Once you factor in stops for pics, lunch, some bad weather etc the days really stretched out.
The speed limits are very low in Norway and with tales of how strictly enforced they are I found myself concentrating on my speed all the time which in turn adds to fatigue.
I used cruise a lot which was a godsend.
Most days we were not in our hotel much before 6. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired as I was on this trip. We’re also not getting any younger.
Overall, I think, another week and shorter days would have been for us but we had what we had.

I’m not really into big cities ( relativly) and towns and found myself happier in the smaller places.

I would like to go back and do the southern part of the country using the ferry from
Denmark but I think I’d pic a base for a few days and loop out of there, then move on.

It’s not a cheap county to visit and staying in hotels all the way is never going to be the
most budget friendly way to visit a country but it’s not quite as expensive as we were expecting. Think London prices and a bit and you’re not far off.

If anyone is considering it I’d say do it. It’s like nowhere else I’ve ever been.

 

[slimpickings]

Once docking in Kiel we’d opted to do the run back to the Hook of Holland without a night stop. Traffic was pretty bad as was the weather so something I’d not recommend.

2 1/2 hrs after landing in Harwich we were home and that was the end of the longest trip we’ve ever done.

It had been incredible, it is a truly stunning country.

As with all things hindsight is a wonderful thing so looking back and whilst we were away there are a few things I decided id do differently if I were planning the trip again or would recommend to anyone planning such a trip.

We’re pretty experienced tourers and usually I make up the routes and stops myself based on how long we generally like to ride.
We were fairly restricted on the time we had available which influenced the plans.

I based this trip on the Motorrad tour I’d seen TMF do. Put simply, the days were too long for us. Once you factor in stops for pics, lunch, some bad weather etc the days really stretched out.
The speed limits are very low in Norway and with tales of how strictly enforced they are I found myself concentrating on my speed all the time which in turn adds to fatigue.
I used cruise a lot which was a godsend.
Most days we were not in our hotel much before 6. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired as I was on this trip. We’re also not getting any younger.
Overall, I think, another week and shorter days would have been for us but we had what we had.

I’m not really into big cities ( relativly) and towns and found myself happier in the smaller places.

I would like to go back and do the southern part of the country using the ferry from
Denmark but I think I’d pic a base for a few days and loop out of there, then move on.

It’s not a cheap county to visit and staying in hotels all the way is never going to be the
most budget friendly way to visit a country but it’s not quite as expensive as we were expecting. Think London prices and a bit and you’re not far off.

If anyone is considering it I’d say do it. It’s like nowhere else I’ve ever been.

View attachment 443768

Good read. … thanks for posting

 

[JulesDive]

Great write up. Thanks for posting here.

We had a similar experience trying to squeeze in Pyrenees and Picos into one trip … ideally would have had 50% more time …

Roughly what was the mileage (not including the UK miles)? And how many days …


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Hartley]

Great write up. Thanks for posting here.

We had a similar experience trying to squeeze in Pyrenees and Picos into one trip … ideally would have had 50% more time …

Roughly what was the mileage (not including the UK miles)? And how many days …


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks JulesDive, glad you enjoyed it.

Miles covered in Norway itself was about 2700, over 12 riding days. Plus two days off the bike.

The planned routes were between 200 and 300 per day. Not big mileages but its time it takes that really matters. For example Mo I Rana to Namsos was 244 miles. Riding time over 7 hrs.

https://www.ukgser.com/community/threads/norway-2025.434507/page-3

 

[GSMarky]

Nice write up & I'm hatching a plan for 2026, seeing as I'm retired from the end of this month now.

Shorter days I took note of..

 

[glenn2926]

Great write up of a very similar route to one my lad and I followed a couple of years ago. We met in Hamburg as he lives in Chamonix and I used the Hull-Rotterdam ferry. We had a night in Hamburg before the Kiel-Oslo ferry. We were away for three weeks.