Last Updated on: August 17, 2023

Day touring in Vestland county can be an experience you’ll remember. Especially if the weather is as good as it was this weekend. 

It might be an experience to remember if the weather is bad, although not quite as fondly possibly. Though perhaps with a smile? I have such memories, of monsoon or torrential rain while on a motorcycle.

We woke up to sunshine and all blue sky. More likely to occur if you come to this part of Norway in the later half of June. That has been the trend has been of later years. And Vestland can be a wet place!

Day touring – across mountains

Snow and mountains, Aurlandsfjellet June 2023

The day touring plan was to do parts of a route we did back in 2021. But with a slightly different twist, since our base was in Aurland. We began with riding across Aurlandsfjellet (Aurland mountain) from Aurlandsvangen over to Lærdalsøyri. The route I had taken two days before, in the opposite direction.

Around noon the temperature was still below 10C up there, 8-9C actually. We stopped once to marvel at the nature, the snow and ice. Then carried on down to Lærdalsøyri, where we took Rv5 towards Sogndal. Not the most exciting of roads to be quite honest. But it is one of few alternatives if you come this way.

A “somewhat exposed”, roadside toilet.

Past Sogndal we carried on northwest. While on Rv5 climbing up I spotted a roadside toilet of the unusual kind. Well the toilet wasn’t as unusual as the place we found it. Just there, roadside.

Some people quite literally, give a shit. And dump their shit wherever it suits them.

Gaularfjell and back to base

The reason why we came this way and decided on the direction for our day touring, was Gaularfjell. A shorter route would have been to either take the ferry from Hella or Vangsnes. But both of us fancy coming over the mountains to Gaularfjell from the north.

The view from Gaularfjell vantage point. is pretty spectacular.

As you come down to Gaularfjell vantage point “things” opens up. And you are being greeted with the above view. I the weather is good. A pier lets to walk out to take in the view.

The pier at Gaularfjell vantage point gives you a perspective.

From the vantage point on Fv613 down to Dragsvik and the ferry over to Vangsnes. This ferry runs between three stops. We could have hopped off at Hella, but that would have meant winding up in Sogndal, and the same road we took northwest, back to base.

The Dragsvik-Hella-Vangsnes ferry is electric. Quietly it glides across the fjord.

Instead, like last time, we rode across Vikafjell and down Myrkdalen to Vinje. Where we had teamed up the day before. I like coming over Vikafjell and into Myrkdalen. There is something about the upper part of this valley, it’s atmosphere.

View of Myrkdalen from Rv13

Maybe it’s because of it’s bowl shape, the surrounding mountains. Combined with the fact that there hardly is anything here. Save a few cabins. Further down things becomes more developed, more touristy. A ski resort, with hotels and a village of flats and houses.

From Vinje it was E16 back to Aurlandsvangen and then to base. It had been a great day, around 400 kilometers worth of a day tour, in fantastic weather. Below the route, or most of it.

For next post in the series, go here.

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