Jeff: Trondheim and Northwards

The next morning we got on the bikes and cycled down many hills to the city, thinking that it will be a difficult ride back up. one thing the town does have is a bike lift in the old town that we were both terrified of and interested in at the same time. You have to rest your foot on it and it pushes you and the bike up the hill. We were hoping to see someone use it before we try it out later to help us get home. As no one appeared to be willing to have a go on it we tied the bikes up and decided to have a walk around the city starting in the old town which follows the river and comprises of houses on stilts. Its like a mini Venice but less busy and less boats on the rivers. After that we headed to the cathedral to have a wander around. The cathedral is a large gothic building with rows of statues on its façade. There was a also a play park near the cathedral which Rich insisted on visiting as it had an open air gym and a climbing wall/monument, which was harder than it looked. Once we walked around and had used the outdoor gym and climbing wall we decided to head into the city centre and get a vegan cinnamon roll – it turns out this was just going to be a day where we ate all day! The town centre was very interesting with a couple of murals and streets lined with umbrellas or flowers. Once we had eaten we headed out to another area of the city where there was a free city which has been built up to provide an area where people have built their own town and provides low cost housing. The citizens have been able to build their own houses and this means they are all unique and have a mis-mash of styles internally and externally.

We then also walked past the Rock museum but as the sun was shining (for once) we didn’t feel like being indoors so we continued back to the city centre to walk around and see a few more things including picking up some food from some of the ethnic stores.

It then started to cloud over so we thought it was an ideal time to get some lunch (our first time eating a meal in a restaurant in Norway) and so we stopped at a craft bar and craft pizza place and shared a vegan pizza which was great (although we could have eaten two!). While in there the rain started and it absolutely chucked it down and we were soo happy we were inside as people were walking past and they were soaked.

Once it stopped we decided to head out to look around some more and headed to the town square (there isn’t much there – but the drinking water fountain is nice) and then decided to get on the bikes and head up to the fortress to look out over the city, however this does mean that we have to cycle up one of the hills (or use the scary bike lift). Rich decided he was going to have a go on the bike lift only to find out there was an error and it wasn’t working which was a shame, especially as it meant he had to cycle up the big hill. We made it to the top and cycled into the fortress where we stopped for awhile to eat some chocolate and sweets we had bought from the town while admiring the views of the city.

After awhile we thought we should head back down and get some dinner as it was getting late. We had also managed to order a too good to go for a late dinner/lunch tomorrow which we had to pick up at 8 so we still had an hour to kill so we went to a sushi restaurant where I knew they did a vegan sushi platter. We shared the vegan sushi and some edamame beans before getting on the bikes and heading over to the vegan restaurant to pick up the too good to go which was a huge amount of food and we got ready to head back. The only issue is the heavens had decided to teach us a lesson for being cocky earlier when it rained. It absolutely poured it down on us and there was thunder and lightning. We cycled as fast as we could, considering the size of the hills we had to over come and then my bike decided to turn off and would not turn back on. That was not good, not just because there were still some smaller hills left to go but because I had the locks, the food and most of the weight on my bike and I wasn’t fast so both Rich and I were getting even wetter – to the point where I don’t think we could get any wetter. In the end we found an underpass where we could wait to see if we could wait out the storm (and while we waited we had a bite of our food). After about 20 minutes it dried up enough for us to continue on (still without the electric working on my bike) and made the slow cycle back. Once we got to the next set of hills Rich took my bike and I had his to make us go a little quicker and eventually we made it back. Rich put the bikes in the van and I made us hot teas and got places to hang our wet clothes sorted and a change of clothes for us both.

The next morning we got up and headed northwards on another long day of driving as the weather was again a bit hit and miss. We stopped on route for a bit of lunch thanks to the too good to go and made it to Holm where we caught a ferry to Vennesund where our park up for the evening was right on a beach with stunning views and an inviting sea. we quickly got changed into our swimming stuff and headed in, it was freezing – just as Rich likes – and then decided to sit in the last of the sun, which didn’t last long but it was a lovely way to end a long day of driving

The next morning we did a little run around the coast, had another dip in the sea and did some stretching on the beach before a lovely hot shower in the van and headed off to Torghatten, which is a mountain with a large hole/cave that traverses the entire mountain. We climbed to the top of the peak first to get a stunning view of the archipelago but you cant see the hole up here. It was a steep climb with chains to help you in places and while it took about 45 minutes to get up there. It was worth it though and we sat with our tea and just admired the views for awhile before climbing back down and walking around the base to the cave/hole. To get to the hole/cave we had to climb up a serious amount of stairs which was killer, especially as the sun was out in full force. The hole/cave was great and you get to walk down into it and up to the other side giving you views across the region.

Once we had finished there we headed back down the stairs and back down the path to Jeff. We then planned to continue on towards a mountain range for another hike (in a couple of days) but had to get a ferry and while waiting for the ferry to Tjotta we found out that if we go via Vega we can travel for free rather than paying £10 for the ferry across. So we changed lanes quickly and researched somewhere to stay on Vega and here we are. The plan is to spend the night here then travel to Tjotta tomorrow for free and then hike the day after. Turns out the Norwegian government have set aside a large amount of funding for free ferry travel across less used routes but this means that if your not in a rush then you can use this to your advantage saving on ferry tickets and fuel as well. We have already planned a diversion enroute to the Loften Islands which will save us £80 if all goes to plan.