Driving through Helgelandskysten – the scenic route in Norway

During the summer in the lockdown I had experienced almost the best journey in my life – I was traveling in Norway. I could write a book about my whole journey which lasted for 17 days, but to start with, I will share my drive through the most scenic route in Norway – Helgelandskysten. If not the most scenic, then it is the longest road for sure.

This is definitely the more beautiful (but much longer) choice if you need to travel by car to Bodo from somewhere south, like Steinkjer or Trondheim. Nature is totally different than driving the highway (E6), and those fjords… They just invite you to stop for photos or fishing at every corner… But to start from the beginning, enjoy reading my experience driving through this magnificent road.

About the scenic route

The route is marked in Google Maps as FV17, and originally it starts in Holm, although you need to take a turn out of the highway after passing Steinkjer. The end of it is almost in Bodo, the close town of Godøystraumen. The total length is 433 km, but if you count full road from Steinkjer to Bodo, with a short but mandatory detour to Torghatten, the full road takes more than 700 km. 700 km of magnificent views – who would skip that?

Helgelandshysten will also take more time than you can guess from Google’s assumptions – 14 h? Nooo… There are 6 ferries along the route. And then it depends, if you are traveling in season – there will be a lot of tourists and long lines to the ferry, so you might need to wait for one or two. On the other hand, if you are traveling off-season – there will be fewer ferries, so you might end in a similar situation. The best advice – dedicate more time to the route than you think initially. For me, the whole journey took 4 days, but I would suggest a full week for it.

There are lots of islands along the route, which requires additional ferries and additional time, so we skipped them. But if you have more time, I would suggest doing some island hopping. Vega archipelago is a must if you have time – UNESCO protected area, Leka – also something that needs to be experienced. All of them are full of hiking/cycling options and just embracing the island life.

Torghatten

The first stop along the route was Torghatten. It is a mountain, famous for the natural hole in the middle of it. The mountain itself looks spectacular from far away, but it also looks even more amazing when you are “in the hole” which is 35 meters high, and 20 meters wide. There are few hikes up to the hole, from both sides each ~20 mins to go up (the shorter hike is the steeper one), and one hike around the whole mountain. All are amazing and the views are spectacular.

Just a few steps away from the mountain there is a large camping area Torghatten camping, very convenient for early morning or late hikers. The camping is full of amenities and clean, just the most expensive that we experienced in Norway ~33 EUR/night (tent). It happened so, that we arrived at the place almost at midnight and decided to hike the mountain immediately. This was the best decision, as the views of the pink sky (it is always pink when you look to the other side than the sun) were breathtaking! And yes – all was clear as day, as it was July.

Seven sisters

After spending the night in the companionship of Torghatten mountain, another adventurous day is ahead. The peak of the day (or I could say seven peaks) is the Seven sisters mountains. The first view from far away is from the Forvik ferry station, where you see the full mountain range with its snowy peaks. By the way, this was quite a popular ferry, we skipped 2 ferries and waited for almost 2 hours.

But there are few necessary stops along the way. You should visit the area of Alstahaug church – one of the well preserved medieval churches in Northern Norway. The area is great for stretching the legs as the surroundings are beautiful. There is also an interesting building where the Peter Dass museum is situated, it is dedicated to the heritage of the priest and poet Petter Dass. We haven’t been inside as it was closed during our visit.

Now, about the sisters…

I was determined to reach the top of at least 2 of them, all because I’ve read that beginners do that. Some people reach even all the 7 peaks in one day. But all resulted that I didn’t even start to climb. The Norwegian mountains are wild. Too wild for a “city girl”, that came here expecting to find paved and marked routes to the peaks. Starting from the Seven Sisters, I realized what Norwegians really mean by saying “we like to find our own path to the mountain…”. But I did a lot of research which I still would like to share with you, and prepare myself for the next time I’ll be back in Norway.

All the sisters have their names: Botnkrona (1072 moh.), Grytfoten (1019 moh.), Skjerdingen (1037 moh.), Tvillingan (980 moh.), Kvasstinden (1010 moh.) and Stortinden/Breidtinden (910 moh.). The legends say that these mountains are troll ladies turned to stone by sun….

For experienced hikers it’s not a big problem to reach all the seven peaks in 13 – 14 hours, the total route lasts ~27 km and the altitude combined is around 3 km. For beginners, just choose one and it will be challenging enough. The smallest mountain Stortinden takes around 4 hours to go up. There are few parking lots marked and seen from the main road. But the best way is to do your research before hiking or visit the Tourist info for detailed maps.

Arctic circle and Svartisen glacier

From the Seven sisters, we had a long drive with some stops to gaze o the fjords and mountains and some fishing. All of this resulted in missing our last ferry to Jektvik… So that night we stayed in one more camping – Polarcamp. The experience is really good for the price (~25 EUR for a tent). And the best was that the camp was full of Reindeers just walking by, minding their own business.

On the ferry to Jektvik, which is a bit longer and lasts almost 1 hour, you will pass the Arctic Circle. Well, this was when I made the decision, that we will not sleep in a tent anymore, because our tent and sleeping bags are more suited for the South, not the North.

Norwegian ferries are great as they let you know when something interesting around happens. I.e. they give you a notice when you pass the Arctic circle, not to miss the mark. On the other ferry, they informed us that whales are swimming in our area. Not just simple transportation, but also some fun.

After more driving, one more ferry, scenic views, and fishing spots, something unexpected came our way – the Svartisen glacier. Actually, one of its so-called “tongues”. As we did not expect to find the glacier at this part of our trip, only on our way back from North, we didn’t take the boat trip. So we just enjoyed the view from another side of the fjord. I have a separate post about my adventures in the Svartisen glacier. But for the start, I could say, that add to your trips this glacier as a full day activity. You will have lots of fun and extreme when meeting glacier. Read my full story bout the successful visit to the Svartisen glacier: Visit Svartisen – one of the biggest glaciers in Norway

Saltstraumen

Moving along you’ll see even more amazing views. Nature is breathtaking in Norway, especially in the North. One more stop that can’t be missed is Ureddplassen. This is a rest area stop with the most unique toilet. But that is not the main reason why to stop there. You’ll find views of an open sea, and this is one of the best places to observe the midnight sun. And that is not all this place also has a historical meaning. It is a place of a war memorial dedicated to the people who died in the Norwegian submarine Uredd, which hit a mine in Fugløyfjorden during World War II.

And the last place where you want to stop, and not just stop, but maybe stay and enjoy for a few days – Saltstraumen. Some say that here is one of the strongest tidal currents in the world, others say that it’s the strongest current. Well, it is strong. This is a fisherman’s dream place. Or anyone who enjoys easy fishing, like me, will enjoy every bite. But it’s not so easy to take out fish, they’re big here.

We stayed in the camping again, although I said no more tents over the Arctic circle, the evening was not the coldest. Our choice for the night was Elvegard camping. It has direct access to the water and one of the best places for fishing. The night cost less than 30 euros. Actually, now I think I could live in campings for a long period 🙂

When we just arrived the current was so strong that seemed like water is boiling. But when I decided to take pictures – the next day – it was already weaker. Maybe the time was not right. The tide comes two times per day at a certain time. And the fish comes then;)

End of the road…

And so, just a few kilometers forward, there’s Bodo. This city ends the scenic route in Norway of Helgelandskysten. We spent driving here only 3 nights and 4 days. But I will repeat myself, that it’s worth to dedicate almost a week to this beautiful adventurous road.