7. 6. 2023 - Forvik (Rest Day)

Today is our second rest day on this bike tour. Also this time a good moment, nevertheless, the rainy weather continues.

So we spend the day at the coffee roastery and let Hanne, the operator of the roastery initiate us into the arts of roasting. A most exciting and interesting process. The roasting temperature and the dwell time of the coffee beans in the oven are meticulously recorded, as both parameters play an essential role in the quality of the end product. A few degrees off or a few seconds shorter/longer in the oven change the taste of the coffee considerably. It is easy to see that an absolute expert is at work here.

On the one hand, the roasted coffee is delivered directly to the end customers or sold via a web store.

 

 

8. 6. 2023 - 58 km / 396 hm Forvik - Bratland

We start the day with a fine breakfast at Hanne's roastery and thus once again get to enjoy a high-quality espresso DoppioDoppio.

The bike tour begins with a short ferry ride from Forvik to Tjøtta. Today we are accompanied by Jean-Michel, a Frenchman who is in a different league on his bike. He has already been on the road for 86 days and started his tour in Tarifa (Spain) at the southernmost point of Europe. At about halfway he announces to us that he has just completed the 7000th kilometer, "Chapeau" Jean-Michel!

The rain shower today also takes place and lasts as long as it takes to put on the rain gear. Afterwards the sun and a lot of blue sky pleases us.

In Sandnessjøen we split up with Jean-Michel. We take the shortcut with the "Hurtigbåt" via Nesna to Stokkvågen. Another hour of cycling and after some searching and back and forth we lodge in an AirBnB house in a great location. AirBnB in this case stands for Bed & Bath. There's no breakfast and we'll be hungry tomorrow when we get on our bikes.

For once, the day says goodbye with a first class sunset and at a time (23:51) which we are not used to.

9. 6. 2023 - 21 km / 200 hm Bratland - Furoy

In beautiful sunshine we take the planned 43 km early in the morning under the wheels. 

But first it comes differently and secondly than one thinks. We would have liked to drive around the first, 2 km long tunnel. Presumably because of the danger of falling rocks, the old path along the coast is closed. Fortunately, additional warning lights are installed so that the tunnel is also passable for bicyclists, which must be activated as bicyclists before entering the tunnel.

After 13 km we board the ferry for the first time (2 ferry crossings were planned today). There we meet again Jenny and Ole, a young German couple whose goal is the North Cape.

Shortly after the polar circle is crossed, the ferry turns, makes a U-turn (180° turn) and drives to an additional port. We learn that our planned second ferry is cancelled due to a service disruption. Therefore, our ferry changes course, calls at additional ports and takes us directly to our destination for the day in Furoy. So we cross the Arctic Circle three times today, twice from south to north and once in the opposite direction.

Crossing the Arctic Circle together ...

 

Jenny and Ole from Berlin ...

 

10. 6. 2023 - 58 km / 776 hm Furøy - Reipå

What a day today! Blue sky, pleasant temperatures for cycling and a full 24 hours of sunshine.

Early in the morning, the mirror-smooth fjord delights us and makes the hearts of amateur photographers beat faster.

The bike route leads through beautiful fjord landscapes and we can hardly get enough. So many beautiful impressions - simply incredible.

11. 6. 2023 - 48 km / 439 hm Reipå - Polar Camp

The beautiful weather of yesterday has already evaporated and the clouds have again taken the reins. The weather forecast also does not bode well,  for the afternoon heavy precipitation is announced.

Nevertheless, with a brisk tailwind, we continue to follow the coast very smoothly in a northerly direction. We take the first half of the route on the left - it feels like we are on e-bikes.

Halfway, we have to cross a mountain range, or should we say under it, because the route leads through several tunnels, some of which are more than 3 km long. In the tunnels it is icy cold and I wonder if the cause is due to the permafrost still present in these latitudes. The long ascents have it in itself, the more beautifully in each case the following departures. The announced precipitation does not occur and so we reach our stage destination in dry clothes.

 

 

 

12. 6. 2023 - 67 km / 839 hm Polar Sport Camp - Bodø

Man can get used to anything - even to ride a bike to the North Cape in cold, wet weather! The rain is known to make beautiful. I just hope that one still recognizes us after our return 😂!

Equipped with full rain gear, we start our last mainland stage for the time being from Polar Sport Camp to Bodø. The amount of precipitation keeps within limits, but the humidity is so high that we take off our Goretex layer again after a short time.

Halfway along the route, the bike path crosses the Saltstraumen Bridge, where a huge natural spectacle is revealed. The water under this bridge carries the largest tidal current in the world. Four times a day the huge amount of water makes its way through the 150 meter narrow strait in Saltstraumen. This creates huge whirlpools that dance between the fjords. We are talking about 400 million cubic meters of seawater moving at an average speed of 13 kilometers per hour - when the current is at its strongest, it gets much faster! The 40 km long Skjerstadfjord fills/empties with this amount of water. The tidal range can be up to 3 m. (Comparison CH: The size of the fjord corresponds approximately to the size of Lake Neuchâtel).

Continuous rain accompanies us on the second half of the route and we enjoy the warm shower in Bodø twice.

Water vortex at the largest tidal current in the world

 

Over bridges again and again

 

13. 6. 2023 - 25 km / 300 hm Bodø - Reine

On our today's stage we let ourselves be transported above all on the ferry between Bodø and Moskenes (90 km over the open sea) to the Lofoten, a group of islands off the Norwegian coast. To our great joy, we are greeted by extraordinarily friendly sunny weather.

To keep our legs going, we drive from the ferry port a few kilometers further south to the village of Å. Unclear to recognize, the village with the shortest town name. We are particularly interested in the countless racks full of the well-known stockfish with a rather strong smell.

Stockfish is the oldest export of Norway. Its production is of great importance, especially for northern Norway, and has been an important source of income for the people there for centuries. The best quality is obtained on the Lofoten islands of Værøy and Røst. The main export markets are Italy, Sweden, the USA and Nigeria. In 2010, the export of all stockfish products amounted to NOK 650 million, which corresponds to a volume of 7,845 tons.

Stockfish is a natural product free of artificial additives, and the production process is resource-friendly. Only the water is removed from the fish, so all the nutritional values are retained. Cod, saithe, ling, tusk and haddock are used for production. After catching, the head and innards are removed and two fish bodies are tied together at the tails. Thus, they are hung on the drying racks and remain there for 2-3 months. The heads are dried separately. The nutritional value of one kilogram of stockfish is equal to that of five kilograms of fresh fish. Stockfish, if properly stored, can be kept indefinitely.

Dinner at the restaurant Gammelbua in Reine. Historic and cozy restaurant with the finest cuisine, highly recommended.

Å - The village with the shortest town name

 

Stockfish Drying Racks