A Scenic Road Trip On Norway’s Helgeland Coastline

Norway’s Helgeland coast is well-known within the place but considerably significantly less so amid global vacationers. Which is a crying shame, due to the fact it provides all the things that’s terrific about Norway—beautiful shoreline, mountainous islands, historic villages and towns—but with far fewer crowds.

An choice route north

Most travelers heading north in the direction of Lofoten and Tromsø decide on to get time-conserving flights. Those people who do push have a tendency to acquire the E6 freeway, Norway’s key north-south artery. Whilst it is immediate, the journey is considerably uninteresting and it even now usually takes 9 hours from Trondheim to Bodø. Savvy vacationers prolong their excursion and just take the Fv17 instead, known as Kystriksveien and the Helgelandskysten scenic route.

Nature rewards gradual tourists with sights together with the Seven Sisters mountain ridge, the Svartisen glacier and the world’s premier tidal maelstrom at Saltstraumen.

At 269 miles extensive, Helgelandskysten is the longest of Norway’s 18 selected countrywide scenic routes. Enable significantly much more time than your first plans could propose to complete the route from Holm to Bodø. There are 6 ferry crossings, numerous picturesque image stops and numerous optional aspect visits nicely truly worth having.

The ferry crossings—ranging from just 15 minutes up to an hour—provide a normal split from driving and force you to sluggish down and love your surroundings. Whilst there is no correct way to full the route, permit at least a couple days to thoroughly recognize what this extend of the Norwegian coastline has to offer you.

The 7 Sisters

Maybe the most popular landmark along the Helgeland coast is the mountain ridge known as the Seven Sisters on Alsta island. Developed by glaciers in the final Ice Age, the chain of peaks along a chaotic shipping channel have extended been an critical landmark for fishermen and tradespeople. Nowadays the mountains are a well known climbing spot.

The island’s greatest city Sandnessjøen is a great area to mattress down for the evening if you’ll be attempting a hike. Just south of the southernmost peak lies historic Alstahaug, household to a 12th century stone church and the Petter Dass Museum, which celebrates Helgeland’s most attained poet.

Breaks alongside the coastal route

In addition to the ferry crossings, the route’s countrywide scenic route status indicates a number of relaxation parts have been built, many with wonderful views and appealing architecture.

The relaxation region at Storvika delivers restrooms and support amenities for camper vans, but it’s the stone bridge most vacationers end for. Stage in excess of it and you’ll be greeted with an idyllic mile-prolonged sandy seashore.

Ureddplassen is the great location for a picnic. The stone terrace is sunken down from the street trying to keep matters silent for you to get pleasure from the watch of the mountains and open sea. The wave-shaped restroom block blends completely with the environment, while a little memorial is a poignant reminder of the quite a few lives misplaced in this element of the world in the course of Environment War II.

Talking of the war, occupying German forces established Grønsvik Fort in 1942. Today, the fort’s continues to be and present day museum give an academic relaxation stop close to fifty percent-way alongside the Helgeland coastal route.

There are several additional relaxation stops alongside the route, all evidently signposted. Travelers wanting to definitely immerse themselves in the coastal culture of Northern Norway should look at a few of side journeys, notably to the Vega archipelago at the southern stop of the route.

The cultural heritage of Vega

There are traces of human settlement on the Vega archipelago courting back to the Stone Age. Even with an inhospitable atmosphere, fishermen and hunters have worked below for extra than 10,000 many years thanks in large element to demand from customers for the eggs and down of the eider duck. The archipelago turned a UNESCO Environment Heritage site in 2004.

Yet another optional aspect trip is to the Torghatten mountain in close proximity to Brønnøysund, also on the southern part of the route. Torghatten is identified for its exclusive pure tunnel correct by means of the mountain, which can be achieved on a relatively effortless hike.

Biking and hiking

Flat, quiet streets, a great deal of areas to quit for breaks and many alternatives for side outings out to islands would make the southern extend of the route excellent biking territory.

It’s also recognised amid Europe’s extended-length cyclists as aspect of Norway’s cycle route 1 from Bergen to the North Cape, itself section of the European Atlantic coast route recognized as EuroVelo 1.

The very same goes for hiking, with the comparatively flat landscape all over the mountains making the views from the summits all the additional worthwhile. Keen hikers can challenge themselves on the 3,471-foot Heilhornet or likely from peak to peak on the Seven Sisters variety.