ATLANTIC HIGHWAY TO TROLLSTIGEN......LONELY PLANET'S BEST DRIVES

Saturday 2nd July 2016

Thursday 30th June

We decide to take the scenic option and find a route that includes the Atlantic  Highway and 2 ferries which we will have to pay for. The road out of Trondheim is excellent, not the narrow winding B road indicated by being white as opposed to red or yellow. It appears to have been upgraded last year and even the satnav doesn't show it, it's so new. The road is glorious across the top f a mountain ridge with wide sweeping curves,gentle gradients, minimal traffic and great views. Stop at KRISTIANSUND, and after much searching find a parking spot in the harbour by the bus station.  Nice lunch in a brasserie on the waterfront and then on to ANDALSNES via the A.Highway which is a stunning drive altough shorter than I had realised. Meet many from our group in various laybys. Arrive campsite which is very nice, but another long days driving mens we are both physically exhausted.  We are here 3 nights, and any activity means driving on narrow roads. Resolve not too. Am shattered.

Friday 1st.July

Don't get p till 9.30. The GF gets 2 wash tokens and sets about housekeeping,  I wash van, mend things that need mending, wash and clean the bikes.  Intend going out on bikes pm but things happen and we don't. But we have a total relaxing day in the sun pottering (small shower mid pm). Play Moelke in the evening and I win both games......my last winning shot is acclaimed as a masterpiece ....a shame that it was not filmed as it could form the basis of a training manual. D&M pull themselves together and win at cards 2 nights in succession.

Saturday 2nd July

Having resolved to spend 2 days relaxing, we decided last night to leave the group at ANDALSNES  and move on by ourselves.....in fact nearly everybody else has already gone. So we decide to do the TROLLSTIGEN and go to ALESUND wild camp somewhere. The TROLLSTIGEN is a road up the face of the mountain,(the TROLLVEGGAN at the side, is the tallest vertical rockface in Europe) ,11 hairpins,1 in 9 gradient and narrow. We leave campsite at 10.30 and drive 17 kms. The view from the bottom is daunting but we get lucky and only meet 4 cars descending. .....all the tourist coaches have just arrived at summit and are still taking photo's.  An hour later and we watched vehicles struggle up as they met convoys of coaches descending.
Meet up with D&M and after an hour visiting the viewing platforms have an excellent drive to ÅLESUND where we plan to find a waterfront quayside to park for the night. Unfortunately it is a large town, very busy on a holiday Saturday. ...2 enormous cruise liners on the jetty...and the only likely place we find has only 1 space and is charging £22. Plan B and we head south, take a ferry and find a village called VARTDAL where we park next to the cemetery for the night, overlooking the fjord and watch cruise ships depart in the rain. The GF recoups  2€ at cards.