Ride around lake Engenbrevatnet
Cycle along the road to Svartisen – Norway’s second largest glacier. You can park your bike and walk up to the ice and then enjoy a meal at the Brestua café while admiring the turquoise lake Engenbrevatnet and the Svartisen glacier. This easy bike ride is full of experiences.
Ride around a glacial lake at Svartisen
Route description
The wonderful Engenbreen, the most accessible part of Svartisen – Northern Scandinavia’s largest glacier – is situated in Meløy municipality. Below the glacier are the turquoise waters of lake Engenbrevatnet. To get to the road around the lake, you ride/drive to Holandsvika in Meløy and then take the shuttle boat “Isprins” across the Holandsfjord.
A scheduled service across the fjord operates from May to September. The crossing takes no more than 10 minutes. You can bring your own bike or, if you don’t have one, you can rent one on the other side.
The road into and around the glacier
When you have made it to the other side of the fjord and got a bike, you can set off on the road towards the glacier. The gravel road winds its way through the beautiful landscape between mountains, lakes and the magnificent Engenbreen ice tongue, which stretches down between the mountains.
The bike ride around lake Engenbrevatnet is not demanding. You ride mostly on a flat surface with only a slight ascent. The circuit around the lake is about 6 km.
You can stop for lunch outside in the sun at the Brestua café before riding along the winding gravel road.
Explore Svartisen – Norway’s second largest glacier
Experiences at the Svartisen glacier
Naturally we recommend taking a break from your bike and wandering up to the glacier. It’s a nice walk on gravel paths and rocks. Be careful and don’t go too close to the glacier without a professional guide.
The Svartisen glacier is an amazing sight and an experience you don’t want to miss.
When you are back at your bike, you have the option of taking a refreshing tip in lake Engenbrevatnet before riding back to the boat for the return trip across the fjord to Holandvika.
Tips for your bike ride:
- 55 Forførende friluftsmål (enticing outdoor destinations) – often 55FF – are specially selected, attractive hiking destinations in Salten ranging from easy walks to more demanding hikes. Read more about 55FF here.
- Change your cycling direction and time of day to suit the weather and other wishes. Remember it’s light 24/7 here during the summer. You can always turn back or replace stages by express boat (if possible).
- Bring a bike pump, tyre lever, extra bike tube and multi-tool suitable for your bike. There are few bicycle operators in the district.
- Bring a water bottle. The water from mountain streams is mostly drinkable.
- Check the opening hours of the grocery stores you plan to use before you set off.
- Leave as few physical traces as possible and always dispose of your rubbish responsibly.
- Remember you are not permitted to camp closer than 150 m from an inhabited house or cabin.
- Special rules may apply for camping in nature reserves.
- Be considerate to other traffic (even though there is not much).
- Greet people you meet and stop for a chat.
Bike rental
You can rent bikes in Bodø at the following places:
Opplev Nord AS
Konrad Klausens vei 4A
+47 901 92 636
ola@opplevnord.no
www.opplevnord.no
Sport 1 Sentrum
Sjøgata 17
+47 995 08 001
bodosentrum@sport1.no
(250 m from Sentrumsterminalen)
You can rent bikes in Meløy at the following places:
Meløy Adventure
+47 915 40 866
post@meloyadventure.no
They deliver bicycles anywhere in Meløy
There is also bicycle rental at utstyrssentralen in Ørnes (Meløy library) and at Gildeskål volunteer centre.
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