Route description

You get closer up experiences when you travel by bike. The smells, the light and the landscape appear much stronger from the bike seat, and you will have more and better encounters with the local people. In short, the bike ride along the Coastal Route gives you more of the world’s most beautiful coast.

See the map and scroll down for our route description and all the places we recommend stopping along this cycling route.

Let’s start with some practical info:

Cycling Kystriksveien (The Coastal Route) means cycling along route no. 17, which is classified as a county road. This road stretches from Steinkjer in the south to Bodø in the north. We will offer some suggestions for the northern part of the route starting in Meløy and Gildeskål to Bodø.

You can complete the route by riding shorter or longer stages each day. Fit people can ride to Bodø in 2-3 days. distances. If you prefer to enjoy yourself and experience more along the way, we recommend allowing 6-8 days. Regardless of how long you spend, we promise a spectacular bike ride in majestic Nordland nature that you will long remember.

Start

This cycling route starts from Ågskardet in Meløy municipality.

On this route you will cross the Arctic Circle and enjoy beautiful views of the coastal landscape. Welcome to the Arctic North!

Check the ferry timetable on reisnordland.no

There is a ferry from Ågskardet to Forøy, which has good camping sites. From here, it’s a short ride to Halsa and Meløy municipality.

There is a grocery store and restaurant at Halsa where you can enjoy a meal or stock up on supplies. You will also find overnight accommodation here if you want a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed before setting off on this route.

Check the ferry timetable on reisnordland.no

Turn off at Halsa if you want to experience Svartisen – North Scandinavia’s largest glacier.

The ice tongue Engenbreen at the head of the Holandsfjord has the lowest altitude of any ice tongue in mainland Europe, making Svartisen one of most accessible glaciers in Norway.

There are many ways to experience the Svartisen glacier. The toughest visitors go glacier climbing. If you really want to experience the unique light and play of colours in the glacier, we recommend going on a Midnight Sun glacier walk. If you don’t dare to venture onto the glacier most importantly you still see it up close or from a distance, including while dining at the Brestua café.

Experience Svartisen

You cannot continue north along route no. 17 because the Svartis tunnel, which you must go through, is closed to cyclists. Therefore you can either hitch a ride through the tunnel or ride back to Halsa.

Bike from Halsa to Enga/Engavågen along the shores of the beautiful Bjærangsfjord. Also if you want to take an express boat further north to Ørnes, turn off here and ride out to the island of Grønøy. If you would prefer to take the ferry from Vassdalsvik to Ørnes the continue straight ahead on the peninsula. If you opt for the latter, you will pass Verdens ende (55FF). You can walk on the well-developed path out to Verdens ende (World’s end) and see the outdoor photo exhibition.

Check the ferry and express boat timetables on reisnordland.no

Ørnes, the municipal centre in Meløy, offers all services including a branch of the Wine Monopoly. You can take a detour by bike or bus from here to the Glomfjord, Glomfjellet and the Instagram-friendly Fykantrappa Stairway (NB: The actual stairs are closed due to unsafe steps!). If you still want to experience the stairway, you can do the longer hike to Nedre Naver (55FF), which goes over the mountain. This takes you to the stop of the staircase, so you get the beautiful view and Instagram photo without needing to climb up the staircase.

Continue the route by riding to Reipå, where there is camp site and a nice rustic shelter down by the fjord. If you want to spend time at a beach, we recommend Stia or hiking out to Hornneset (55FF) with coastal rocks, beaches and a wonderful view of the archipelago.

The route continues from Reipå towards Inndyr. You will pass Ureddplassen – an architectural gem often referred to as the world’s most beautiful public toilet – and the beautiful beach in Storvika.

When you reach Storvika, you can relax on the beautiful beach or take a detour and hike up the mountain  Finnesfjellet (55FF) and take a photo of the iconic Finnesjura rock formations on the way up.

On the ride between Storvika and Inndyr, you will pass the  Artscape “Den glömda staden” (“The Forgotten Town”) and a small Thai house.

We recommend stopping along the way at FOGG Gildeskål, where you can buy lovely locally made hats and other woollen garments inspired by and made for life along the coast.

If you want to avoid the Storvik tunnel, we recommend cycling the old road over the mountain pass.

You will pass the Artscape «The Forgotten Town») between Storvika and the Skauvoll intersection. From Storvika, you can either follow the old road over Storvikskardet (slightly overgrown) or cycle through the tunnel (3.1 km).

From the Skauvoll intersection, you can continue riding on route no. 17 through several tunnels or turn off to Inndyr and take the short ferry crossing over to the island of Sandhornøy. We recommend the latter. It’s important to plan well because there may be a few ferry departures between the places. The ferry landing near Inndyr is called Sund, while the ferry landing on Sandhornøy is called Horsdal.

You can spend the night at Inndyr or enjoy a good meal at Heimsjyen. If you want to enjoy the view, we recommend hiking up to Høgfjellknubben (55FF). Along the shore of Inndyr, Andklakken is a popular place for bathing and excursions. You will also discover a lot of rare and interesting botany here, including the fly orchid.

Things to do in Inndyr:

The road from Inndyr to the ferry landing at Sund winds through lush Nordland nature full of history. Stop at the  church site on the way and see the medieval stone church.

Check the ferry timetable on reisnordland.no

To get to the island of Sandhornøy, take the ferry from Sund to Horsdal. While you are on the island, you can hike up Sandhornet (55FF) and enjoy one of the best views in the region.

Further north on the island, you will find a memorial for the poet chieftain Elias Blix (Våg) and the chalk-white beach Langsanden (55 FF), which is a 2 km long and 300 m wide.

Explore Sandhornøy:

From Sandhornøy, follow route no. 17 to the world’s strongest tidal current, Saltstraumen, where you can experience the spectacular natural phenomenon, enjoy incredible fishing and learn about the local history from the Stone Age and Viking Age.

Saltstraumen is the region’s no. 1 attraction, so stopping here is an absolute MUST. Remember to plan your visit so you are there when Saltstraumen is at its strongest.

Experience Saltstraumen

Bike from Saltstraumen to Godøynes on route no. 17. As soon as you cross the Godøystraumen, you should follow the old main road to Løding. The route from here into the city mainly follows pedestrian and cycle paths or roads with little motorised traffic.

When you arrive in Bodø, you will find lots of indoor and outdoor activities, restaurants, accommodation, museums, shopping centres and many other urban offerings.

All activities, accommodation and places to eat nearby