The king of the Norwegian fjords — Riding Sognefjorden

Sognefjorden is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway, stretching 205 kilometres inland from the Atlantic Ocean, and is also known as the 'King of the Fjords'.

As is typical on the Norwegian west coast, the fjord is surrounded by mountains. It's a spectacular feeling to ride along the fjord right next to these massive rock mountains reaching straight towards the sky, making you feel very small.

We stayed at a small guest house, named Nes Gard, in the innermost part of Sognefjorden. Nes Gard is very picturesque and sits right on the edge of the fjord giving you a great view of Feigefossen, a massive waterfall, across the fjord.

Our rides took us around Lusterfjord, which is the inner part of Sognefjorden. It included a lovely little ferry ride from Solvorn to Urnes, where you’ll find Norway’s oldest stave church with a wooden construction dating back to 1130, and a beautiful road along the edge of the fjord right on the waterfront. It certainly isn’t just riding in flat terrain around the water though!

Sognefjellsvegen goes straight up into the air from the innermost point for the fjord, where it’ll take you up to Sognefjellet at 1.400 meters. The road opens at the start of May and you’ll find snow walls along the road for many weeks after opening.

Sognefjellsvegen is one of the most scenic routes you can ride in Norway. But beware of weather changes. You don’t want to be caught in the mountains in bad weather, which can shift very quickly.

We also found some smaller hidden climbs off the main roads, as well as an old abandoned sanatorium: a real ghost house! It was quite a feeling to ride 5 kilometres on a 10% climb of mixed road and gravel and then suddenly find this massive empty building in front of you. Apparently, a couple of horror movies have been filmed there.