A Scenic Road Vacation On Norway’s Helgeland Coastline

Norway’s Helgeland coast is nicely-recognised within the nation but a lot significantly less so among the worldwide tourists. That’s a crying shame, mainly because it provides anything that is wonderful about Norway—beautiful shoreline, mountainous islands, historic villages and towns—but with considerably much less crowds.

An alternative route north

Most travellers heading north towards Lofoten and Tromsø opt for to consider time-preserving flights. Those people who do drive are inclined to choose the E6 highway, Norway’s major north-south artery. Even though it’s immediate, the journey is considerably uninteresting and it still requires 9 hours from Trondheim to Bodø. Savvy tourists extend their excursion and get the Fv17 instead, identified as Kystriksveien and the Helgelandskysten scenic route.

Mother nature benefits gradual tourists with sights like the Seven Sisters mountain ridge, the Svartisen glacier and the world’s most significant tidal maelstrom at Saltstraumen.

At 269 miles prolonged, Helgelandskysten is the longest of Norway’s 18 specified national scenic routes. Permit a great deal more time than your initial options might suggest to comprehensive the route from Holm to Bodø. There are 6 ferry crossings, plenty of picturesque photograph stops and a lot of optional side visits very well worthy of getting.

The ferry crossings—ranging from just 15 minutes up to an hour—provide a all-natural split from driving and drive you to slow down and delight in your surroundings. Even though there’s no appropriate way to entire the route, make it possible for at minimum a pair days to entirely appreciate what this stretch of the Norwegian coastline has to offer you.

The Seven Sisters

Most likely the most well known landmark along the Helgeland coast is the mountain ridge known as the 7 Sisters on Alsta island. Established by glaciers in the past Ice Age, the chain of peaks together a occupied transport channel have prolonged been an significant landmark for fishermen and tradespeople. Nowadays the mountains are a preferred hiking spot.

The island’s most important city Sandnessjøen is a excellent spot to mattress down for the night if you are going to be trying 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 completed poet.

Breaks along the coastal route

In addition to the ferry crossings, the route’s national scenic route standing indicates many rest parts have been constructed, several with fantastic views and intriguing architecture.

The relaxation region at Storvika supplies restrooms and services services for camper vans, but it’s the stone bridge most tourists prevent for. Stage above it and you are going to be greeted with an idyllic mile-very long sandy beach.

Ureddplassen is the excellent spot for a picnic. The stone terrace is sunken down from the highway preserving things peaceful for you to love the check out of the mountains and open up sea. The wave-shaped restroom block blends completely with the surroundings, when a modest memorial is a poignant reminder of the quite a few life dropped in this section of the entire world for the duration of Globe War II.

Talking of the war, occupying German forces recognized Grønsvik Fort in 1942. Today, the fort’s continues to be and present day museum supply an academic rest stop somewhere around fifty percent-way alongside the Helgeland coastal route.

There are numerous extra rest stops together the route, all evidently signposted. Vacationers searching to actually immerse by themselves in the coastal society of Northern Norway really should think about a couple of side excursions, notably to the Vega archipelago at the southern close of the route.

The cultural heritage of Vega

There are traces of human settlement on the Vega archipelago courting back again to the Stone Age. Regardless of an inhospitable natural environment, fishermen and hunters have worked below for additional than 10,000 many years thanks in big aspect to demand for the eggs and down of the eider duck. The archipelago grew to become a UNESCO Earth Heritage internet site in 2004.

One more optional aspect excursion is to the Torghatten mountain near Brønnøysund, also on the southern portion of the route. Torghatten is identified for its distinct pure tunnel right by the mountain, which can be reached on a rather effortless hike.

Biking and climbing

Flat, quiet roads, loads of sites to stop for breaks and plenty of possibilities for aspect outings out to islands will make the southern extend of the route perfect biking territory.

It is also regarded among Europe’s prolonged-distance cyclists as component of Norway’s cycle route 1 from Bergen to the North Cape, by itself portion of the European Atlantic coastline route regarded as EuroVelo 1.

The exact same goes for climbing, with the fairly flat landscape all over the mountains producing the views from the summits all the a lot more worthwhile. Eager hikers can problem by themselves on the 3,471-foot Heilhornet or going from peak to peak on the 7 Sisters array.