Cycling from Røros to Trondheim - UNESCO mining town to Nidaros

Two set-pieces bookend this ride. It begins in Røros, one of Europe's best-preserved 17th-century copper-mining towns and on the UNESCO list since 1980, reached by a scenic run up the Rørosbanen railway; four days on the bicycle across upland, forest and lake country then bring you down to Trondheim and the great medieval cathedral of Nidaros.

The four riding days are 49 to 66 kilometres on quiet inland roads that follow old mining routes, and the profile runs mostly downhill from the plateau to the fjord, which keeps it well within reach of any regular cyclist. The middle section crosses a South Sami core area where reindeer herds along the road are a common sight. A Norwegian operator arranges it self-guided, the train up to Røros at the start is included, your bags move between six hotels and country inns by vehicle, and hire bikes can be added if you would rather not bring your own.

It rewards riders who like a journey with a clear shape to it, one town at the start and a cathedral city at the finish, rather than a loop that returns you to where you began. Anyone who has ridden the Coast to Coast and enjoyed watching the country change from one side to the other will recognise the appeal: here it is copper town to fjord, with close to a thousand years of history at either end.