A six-day, five-star tour around Norway’s Sunnmøre Alps serves up fairytale scenery, flawless roads and near-total absence of traffic
It’s my first visit to the Sunnmøre Alps on Norway’s west coast, a 55-minute flight north-west of Oslo. Etched from glaciers millions of years ago, the fjords plunge as deep as 679m, and the snowy peaks soar up to 1,700m, sometimes near vertically from the water. Despite the late-May days being already long, and quite warm, one of the locals I ride with recounts his nearby skiing outing of the day before. It’s obvious this is an adventurer’s paradise.
On the second day, after a leisurely, hearty breakfast, I roll out from the hotel at around 9am for the short ride to the Magerholm-Sykkylven ferry, which crosses the Storfjord. These ferries are a fixture of the scenery, plying the glassy water between islands. The bridges – such as those of the nearby Atlantic Ocean Road, as featured in– are a more striking sight. It’s a bluebird day, just some high, wispy cirrus clouds.
The RIB slices effortlessly through the glassy water; the pilot, Maria, whose family has lived in the area for several generations, eases up every so often to point out landmarks. Among them is the UNESCO-protected Geirangerfjord, considered one of the most scenically outstanding fjord areas on the planet. Numerous waterfalls cascade down sheer walls. I’m genuinely spellbound.
My third and final day should technically be the Queen Stage, which sees guests hop into helicopters for a thrilling ride to the approach of the Trollstigen. Famed for its dramatic profile and hairpin bends, Trollstigen is an 18km-long power-ride with a climb of 850m. But late-May is still early in the season, and the road is still blocked by snow. I ride an alternate route – which is eventually cut short by fierce torrential rain.
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