The beauty of the Mjølkevegen

After the popular Rallarvegen, the Mjølkevegen or ‘Milk Way’ has long been on our list of things to do in Norway. After spotting it on BikePacking.com we thought we’d see if we could ride it on our visit.

Before setting off for Norway, we had planned to ride as far up the Atlantic Coast route as we could but following recommendations and our interests, we have changed our minds almost every other day and wiggled inland. Although we knew about the Rallarvegen and the Mjølkevegen routes, they wouldn’t have fitted well with our initial Norwegian plans and the 90-day limit in Schengen.

Now we’re so glad to have made this decision. Being mostly car-free, we can relax into the riding and enjoy the views - which have been stunning. On our ride from Gøl to Vaset today, we have taken more photos than on any other day of riding. We wanted to share with you the beauty of this route (day one of an expected four) and if you’re interested in cycling, give it a go and if you like landscapes, there’s something here for you too. Also, the Mjølkevegen is named after the summer pastures for the cows so expect a bovine or two (great if you’re a cow fan (BECK)).

We also always meet other cycle tourers on our rides. Today they have included Jan (who we both agreed was both really lovely and the hippest tourer we have met yet, with his self-made frame bag) and then a father of two children (riding independently) on a remote gravel road, who had the most touring luggage we have ever seen on a bike.