Week 42 of 2010 was a rather wet one. In fact, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate warned of major flooding in the Rogaland area. I was therefore a bit surprised when this weather forecast for the weekend came up:

It did not take me long to decide to  spend at least portions of the weekend on my bike, and during Friday I finalized the plans in my head and did some last-minute packing for a decent day-trip. Apart from motorbikes, I am also a passionate photographer, and it seemed like the perfect way to spend a beautiful autumn day – on the bike with my camera.

Early departure

I left home at 06.45 in the morning to get on the ferry from Mekjarvik to Skudesneshavn at 07.25. When I got on my bike it was still dark, but I experienced a magnificent sunrise on the way to Skudesneshavn. From there I cruised along Fylkesvei 47 towards Haugesund where I made a brief stop to do some shopping.

From Haugesund I continued along E134 via Aksdal towards Knapphus where I turned and followed Fylkesvei 46 to Sauda. Along the way I made several stops to enjoy the scenery and to capture the moments. As already mentioned, it was a perfect day, both for motorbike riding and for photography.

I bought the Cappelen MC Kart a few years ago, and apart from being in a handy format for your tank bag, this map has labeled roads in Norway that are perfect for motorbike riding. The round-trip from Knapphus to Sauda, Røldal and back is one of those labelled roads, and I must say this is by far the most perfect bike riding experience I have ever had. Excellent and curvy roads, little traffic (at least this time of year), and absolutely amazing scenery! If you haven’t already made this route, mark it off in your calendar as soon as possible! Highly recommended!

After a short lunch break overlooking Saudafjorden ca 8 km from Sauda, I continued towards Røldal. At Slettedalsvatnet I made a short stop to visit the Schiefloe-familiy who offered me coffee and apple cake and good company! From there it was about 30 minutes riding towards Røldal. Due to other obligations the next day, I decided to not stop at Røldal, but rather to continue back towards Sand along Fylkesvei 13. While the road from Sauda to Røldal was rather curvy, narrow and a lot of up-and-down driving, this stretch from Røldal to Sand was cruising-heaven! Wide, open roads – simply perfect!

Map

The map below shows you where my bike ride went this day.

Route details: Bryne – Stavanger – Mekjarvik (ferry) – Skudesneshavn – Haugesund – Aksdal – Knapphus – Sandeid – Sauda – Slettedalsvatnet – Røldal – Sand – Ropeid – Sandeid – Knapphus – Aksdal – Arsvågen – Mekjarvik – Stavanger – Bryne

Total distance: 505 km.

If you haven’t already been to this part of Norway, it is hard for me to explain what it looks like. If you haven’t already experience these roads on a motorcycle, it is impossible for me to tell you what it feels like. The least I can do is to document my experiences on this website, and hopefully encourage some of you to do the same.

Happy riding, folks!

More photos

Please have a look at my Photo Galleries for more photos from this trip.