This page was last updated Di 04 April 2023.

Contents: Tours (8)   

Reports by Stan Williams

All descriptions are in English, unless otherwise noted.

Tours

Part 3: From Trondheim to Larvik. National Cycle Route 9 and the NSCR.
by Stan Williams, tour started August 2008, submitted 10 February 2011

Excerpt from Day 25: Græsli to Røroswildlife.

We noticed some curious things about reindeer. Firstly although there was nothing to stop the reindeer from walking off the road and onto the tundra it chose to stay on the road. As it moved along the road its legs looked like (Damae's term) egg beaters all flailing in different directions. It looked like an unfeasibly ungainly animal that was testing the limits of Darwin's theory. However, even more suprisingly, once it finally found its way to the rough undulating tundra it moved with astonishing ease and grace. The head and body just seemed to glide across the landscape on top of those big hooves.

National Cycle Route 9 was an unknown quantity for us in 2008. There were no travelogues to be found of the whole route, nor any guide books. Armed with some home made maps we set off, boldly, from Trondheim. It was another route of contrasts, from the majestic to the banal with some surprises along the way, including a long ferry down Lake Femund.

The travelogue contains the story of each day's cycle with pictures and videos, a gallery, route and map information and trip statistics.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Day 25: Langen: looking across Lake Femund towards Grâvola.
Part 2: From Florø to Trondheim - National Cycle Route 1
by Stan Williams, tour started August 2008, submitted 10 February 2011

Excerpt from Day 12: Florø to Barmen - getting going

All was quiet when we awoke. There was no sign of the Polish tradesmen nor their vans and we hadn't heard them leave. The sun was shining and the tent covered in dew. It was going to be another lovely day. It was also just a little exciting to be back to the coast of Norway and a part of it we'd not been to yet. We realised too that now we were following the coast our rate of progress would be determined not just by how much energy we had. For instead of following river valleys we were now cutting across the ends of fjords and hopping from island to peninsula and back which meant we would be at the mercy of ferry timetables.

The coast route, part of which forms the NSCR in Southern Norway, carries on past Bergen. We chose to follow it up to Trondheim and were treated each day to beautiful scenery, skies and some special places. Not to mention some challenging cycling.

The travelogue contains the story of each day's cycle with pictures and videos, a gallery, route and map information and trip statistics.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Day 18: Wild camping on Ona. Sunset over the North Sea.
Part 1: From Kristiansand to Florø - National Cycle Route 3
by Stan Williams, tour started July 2008, submitted 10 February 2011

Excerpt from Day 5: Haukeli to Røldal - going over Vågslid tunnel.

Looking at the old road we briefly entertained the idea of staying on the main road and cycling through the tunnel. The old road in contrast climbed sharply so it was tempting to take the main road. However we were following the route 3 so it was now time for a real challenge.

After packing in and gathering our energies that is exactly what we got. The further we climbed the more our muscles protested, our heart rates soared and the sound of the main road waned until it was no longer to be heard. It was the challenge of being a cyclist once more, alone in a landscape just you and the hill: the sound of your breath, the wind and the noise of the bike underneath you.

National Cycle Route 3 is a challenging and rewarding route, with several major climbs and varied landscape. We followed it to Førde where we headed out to Florø on the coast to start part two of the trip.

The travelogue contains the story of each day's cycle with pictures, a gallery, route and map information and trip statistics.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Day 10: Veltefjorden on the way to the climb over Gaularfjellet pass.
Sweden: the Ginstleden and Swedish NSCR routes. Norway: Rallarvegen, Sognefjorden area, Vikøyri Voss.
by Stan Williams, tour started August 2008, submitted 11 October 2008

Day 3 Vilshäred to Kärradal

The day started early. Although the campsite itself was quiet, the road next to it had a surprising amount of traffic. Added to this there was someone racing around in the middle of the night on a moped without a silencer.

At around seven our neighbours decided to start rooting around their car for something vitally important ('oh my God where is my Thermarest inflatable dialysis machine I need it right now' or something similarly life threatening) and by quarter past, it was clear neither of us was going to get any more sleep.

'Oh well' we thought, 'there is always a shower to look forward to'.....Which in retrospect was another of those things you shouldn't say on cycling holidays. For Vilshäred campsite introduced us to peaceful and neutral Sweden's secret weapon: a variation of Chinese water torture known as 'the one kroner shower'.

It was an unforgettable tour of contrasts: from the baking sun in Sweden to the rain and floods in Norway. The gorgeous Swedish coast versus the majesty of the Norwegian fjords and glaciers.

The travelogue contains pictures, videos and trip statistics per day plus some things we have learned from this tour.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Upper picture: Norway leaving Fjærlandsfjorden.Lower picture: Sweden approaching Varberg.
So just how interesting can grass verges get?
by Stan Williams, tour started May 2007, submitted 16 December 2007

A three day trip through the loveliest middle bits of the Netherlands on recumbent trikes.

Ten minutes on KMX trikes at the Bikemotion Benelux Fair in Autumn 2006 convinced us that recumbent trikes were actually very cool. A few months later at another fair in Essen in Germany, we were able to try out an ICE Trice and a HP Velotechnik Scorpion. They were cool too!

We did, however, realise that there was a big difference between ten minute sessions in a crowded exhibition hall and using these HPV's on a daily basis. So, when Damae found a shop that hired out trikes, we picked a three day weekend in late May of 2007 and headed off towards the 'Hoge Veluwe' on a Trice and a Scorpion.

So how did it go and what have we learned? Well there are lots of thoughts and impressions in the travelogue of the trip together with videos and pictures. There is also a short comparative review of the Trice and Scorpion which draws our thoughts together. Last but not least, some conclusions and our recommendations. Do still think they are cool? Of course we do!

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Damae, cycling through the centre of Amersfoort on the Trice.
Easter 2007: Four friends, four bikes and four provinces. From Hoek van Holland to Delfzijl in four days.
by Stan Williams, tour started April 2007, submitted 23 November 2007

We decided to do the Dutch NSCR from Hoek van Holland to Delfzijl in the Easter break just for fun. The North Sea Cycle website suggested it was only 320km, ``No problem'' we thought. However by the end of the third day we had passed that total and we still had some way to go. Fortunately we had good luck with the weather and managed to complete the tour. There was even time to drink coffee and eat lots of 'appelgebak' along the way.

The travelogue includes the story of each day's cycle, with pictures and trip statistics and a gallery. An Epilogue provides a summary of our long weekend and the NSCR in Holland. There is also extra report covering the remainder of the route, from Nieuweschans to Delfzijl, cycled on Bromptons one sunny day in September 2007.

The NSCR in the Netherlands is not only a good introduction to what the country has to offer as a cycling holiday destination, but also a great place to start your own North Sea Cycle Saga. We certainly enjoyed ourselves.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Cycling on the outside of the sea dyke north of Camperduin
Cycling the NSCR in Denmark and the Rallarvegen and Numedalsruta in Norway
by Stan Williams, tour started July 2006, submitted 8 July 2007

Epilogue. ``Why have we come all this way to go cycling in Holland''.

Last year we wondered if we should have done the NSCR in Norway last, after doing all the other sections, seeing the spectacular range of countryside and the beauty of it all. This year's trip has sort of confirmed that we might have been right. That is not to say that there is no beauty in the Danish landscape. There is, and in our opinion the loveliest sections of the Danish NSCR were in the Northern part of the Jutland. As for the rest of the route there were gems to be found every now and again, which made it worth doing.........

.............However when you compare the Danish section of the NSCR to Norway, say the NSCR, Rallarvegen or Numedalsruta, the Danish NSCR falls short in sheer WOW! factor. The Rallarvegen in particular has fantastic scenery and it a great challenge. It is also amusing to be cycling at an altitude higher than the highest point in the UK. The Numedal, although it changes considerably from the higher reaches down to Larvik, is just gorgeous and treasures such as the stave churches complement the beautiful scenery.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Heading towards Upsete railway station.
Cycling the North Sea Cycle Route in Norway
by Stan Williams, tour started August 2005, submitted 3 July 2007

Epilogue.

Indelible impressions.

The final irritation on arrival in Schiphol did not diminish the wonderful memories we have of the tour and of Norway. The amazing light and vivid colours of sky and sea, the torrential summer downpours, still stay with me to this day. Not forgetting the range of roads and routes and landscape. I still have flashbacks of places that I did not photograph and have no idea where they were on the route.

We wonder if we should have done the NSCR in Norway last, seeing the spectacular range of countryside and the beauty of it all. I suspect that everything else will be an anti-climax after this. Still we started here with the NSCR and we'd like to go back one day and do it again.

This was our first ever long cycle tour, (and my first attempt at a travelogue). The trip was a wonderful experience for the both of us, and got us hooked on cycle holidays. As well as the travelogue there are picture galleries of the trip, and some information about the bikes and gear we used, plus things we learned about cycling.

See all 8 reports by Stan Williams

Sunset over the campsite at Lunde (Farsund)