Before the trip
Bodø
A night for the new Stormen library and the Saltstraumen tidal current half an hour out of town - one of the strongest in the world.
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Cycling · Helgeland and Namdalen, Northern NorwayTwelve days down the coastal road, with ten ferry crossings
The Kystriksveien by bicycle, Bodø to Steinkjer
The Kystriksveien is not one road but a sequence of them, stitched together by ten ferries down six hundred and fifty kilometres of Norwegian coast.
Photo: Frithjof Fure, Visitnorway.com ·
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Duration
12 days · 11 nights
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On the move
650+ km over ten riding days
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Crossings
10 ferries and express boats
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Region
Helgeland and Namdalen
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Stays
11 hotels and guesthouses
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Style
Guided group · support vehicle · max 20
Available on request
Arranged on the dates you choose, within the august window.
The journey
Twelve days down the coastal road, with ten ferry crossings.
County road 17 — the Kystriksveien — runs from Bodø down the Helgeland coast to Steinkjer, and it turns up on most lists of the best drives in Europe. On a bicycle it is a different proposition: twelve days, over 650 kilometres, and ten ferry and express-boat crossings, so the timetable shapes the trip as much as the legs do.
The route crosses the Arctic Circle, passes Saltstraumen — the strongest tidal current in the world, shifting 400 million cubic metres of water every six hours — and spends its middle days among the islands. Lovund holds a colony of some 200,000 puffins; Vega is UNESCO-listed for a thousand-year eider-down tradition; and the road runs beneath the Seven Sisters at Sandnessjøen. The southern half through Namdalen is quieter and greener, finishing inland at Steinkjer.
This is a guided group trip, capped at twenty riders, with a cycling guide and a support vehicle following throughout — worth having on ten riding days between 27 and 83 kilometres. Eleven nights, all meals bar the odd dinner out, every ferry and the coach transfers are included. It runs once, in August. Bodø has direct flights from Oslo; Steinkjer is under two hours by train from Trondheim, so the return leg is straightforward.
Is this for you?
Who this trip is - and isn't - for.
A good fit if
- ✓Riders who want a long journey rather than a week — twelve days and 650 km end to end
- ✓Anyone who would rather ride in a guided group with a support vehicle than navigate alone
- ✓Travellers drawn to the Arctic Circle, Saltstraumen, the puffin colony on Lovund and the Vega World Heritage islands in one route
- ✓Cyclists comfortable with ten riding days between 27 and 83 km
Less good fit
- ·Anyone who wants to set their own pace or dates — this is a fixed guided departure in August
- ·Riders looking for mountain climbing; this is a coastal route, long rather than steep
- ·Travellers who dislike ferries. There are ten crossings and they set the timetable
- ·Solo travellers on a tight budget — the single supplement is NOK 8,725
The route
Numbered pins mark the day the night is spent. Tap a pin for details.Where the week takes you.
Day by day
The shape of the week.
12 days · 650 km on foot
You make your own way to Bodø, the northern city where the coastal road begins, and check in at the Clarion Collection Grand in the centre. The group meets at eight in the evening for the briefing: how the ferries work, how the support vehicle works, and what twelve days on this coast actually involves.
Bodø is worth arriving early for if you can. It was flattened by bombing in 1940 and rebuilt, so the town itself is modern, but it sits at the head of a coastline that starts being remarkable more or less immediately.
Included
What is in the price.
- Eleven nights' accommodation with breakfast and a packed lunch
- Eleven dinners
- All ferries and express boats on the route
- Coach transfers as described in the itinerary
- A cycling guide for the whole journey
- Support vehicle following the group
- Luggage transported between hotels
- Route description and maps
Not included
And what is not.
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Drinks and snacks
- Museum entrance fees
- Bicycle hire — hybrid NOK 3,600 or e-bike NOK 7,200 for the trip
- Travel to Bodø and home from Steinkjer
Where you sleep
Lodges and stays along the way.
Clarion Collection Hotel Grand, Bodø
Central hotel where the group meets
Nights
1
Saltstraumen Hotell
Beside the strongest tidal current in the world
Nights
1
Ørnes Hotell
Coastal hotel with the Svartisen glacier across the fjord
Nights
1
Lovund Hotell
On the puffin island, with a full day to explore it
Nights
2
Sandnessjøen
Beneath the Seven Sisters range
Nights
1
Handelsstedet Forvik or Vevelstad Gjestegård
Historic coastal trading posts
Nights
1
Brønnøysund
Below Torghatten and its pierced granite dome
Nights
1
Sømna Kro og Gjestegård
Roadside inn in the farming district
Nights
1
Rørvik
Main town of the Vikna archipelago, with a short recovery day
Nights
2
Extend your stay
Bookend the trip with a city stay.
Most travellers add a night or two at the start or end. We arrange these through the same operator network with the same single line of contact - write to us with your preference and we will fold it into your enquiry.
After the trip
Steinkjer
A night or two to slow down before or after the trip - we can arrange a hand-picked stay through the same operator network.
Add to my enquiry →Before you come
Know-before-you-go.
Practical Norway
- Visa
- Schengen - most Western travelers visa-free for 90 days.
- Currency
- Norwegian krone (NOK). Cards accepted almost everywhere; cash rarely needed.
- Plugs
- Type F (European two-pin), 230 V / 50 Hz.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Round up if service was exceptional.
- Language
- Norwegian. English is widespread and fluent - you will not need a phrasebook.
- Tap water
- Some of the cleanest in the world. Refill, do not buy bottled.
Typical conditions
Cycling season runs roughly May to September. Coastal regions are mild but wet; inland is drier and warmer. Long daylight hours mean you can ride well into the evening.
What to pack - for this trip
The five-to-seven things most travelers underpack for a Norwegian cycling week.
On the bike
- Padded cycling shorts (two pairs) - by far the most underpacked item
- Cycling gloves with light padding
- Lightweight, breathable base layer (long and short sleeve)
Weatherproofing
- Waterproof cycling jacket (breathable; not a plastic poncho)
- Waterproof overshoes or quick-drying shoes - Norwegian rain is real
- Light windproof gilet for descents
Off the bike
- One pair of comfortable evening trousers and a warm layer for the lodges
- Sunscreen and lip balm - long days under high-latitude sun
- A small dry bag for valuables
The operator sends a complete packing list 6 weeks before departure, tailored to your specific dates and the forecast.
The country
What the week looks like.
Photo: Reinhard Pantke
Photo: Reinhard Pantke
Photo: Olav Breen
Photography credits as shown on each image.
Practical questions
How hard is it?
The operator rates it moderate to challenging. Ten riding days between 27 and 83 km, with the longest days early. The climbing is manageable but the distances are consistent, and a support vehicle follows the group the whole way if a day gets away from you.
Is a bike included?
No. Hire is available through the operator at NOK 3,600 for a hybrid or NOK 7,200 for an e-bike for the full trip, or you can bring your own.
Why only August?
The coastal weather and the ferry and express-boat schedules are at their most reliable then, and this runs as a single guided departure rather than on request.
How many people are in the group?
A maximum of twenty riders, with a cycling guide and a support vehicle.
How do I get to the start and home from the end?
Bodø has an airport with direct flights from Oslo and Trondheim. Steinkjer is on the Trondheim railway, under two hours from Trondheim and reachable from Oslo the same day.
What are the ferries like?
Ten crossings, all included in the price, ranging from short car ferries to express boats out to Lovund and Vega. They set the rhythm of the trip more than the terrain does, and the guide handles the timetables.
How is the booking arranged?
We refer you to one of our long-standing Norwegian partners who runs this journey. The booking, contract, prepayment and consumer protection (under Norway's Reisegarantifondet) sit with the operator. The price is the same as booking the operator directly; we are paid a small referral commission and there is no extra cost to you.
Further reading
See all Field Notes →Background reading on this kind of trip.
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Field Notes · 9 min read
When is the best season for walking in Norway?
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Start a conversation
If this looks like your kind of week, write to us.
Tell us when you are thinking of travelling and how you would like to shape it. A curator will reply within 24 hours with a considered first option, the operator we would arrange it through, and an honest pricing range for your specific dates.
Travel Guarantee Fund memberFluent English support
Refined by Nordic Curator from a journey by one of our long-standing Norwegian partners. The booking, the contract and the consumer protection (under the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fund, Reisegarantifondet) sit with the operator. We are paid a small referral commission and there is no additional cost to you. The price is the same as booking the operator directly. How we work.