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Where am I?:^mistymornings-->Cycletouring-->2007-->Scandinavia.-->Route notes 2.

A few short notes about the route. Norway.

The 13 from Dragsvik to Vik (Vikøyri) and then to Voss.

The ten kilometres from Dragsvik to Vik is in terms of scenery wonderful although the road itself is not especially nice cycling. The first problem is that the road is quite narrow in places and heading south from Dragsvik to Vik puts you close the a reasonable drop into the fjord with little room for manouver. The second problem is that traffic on the road comes in concentrated bursts as ferries arrive at Dragsvik.

The 13 from Vik to Voss is a wonderful if rather taxing road with generally light traffic. What traffic there is though comes in bursts from both directions. We have now done this in both directions and can say that it is easier to do it from Vik to Voss. Going south you start with a continuous fourteen kilometre climb with a pretty consistent gradient. Once at the top (by the Storehaug tunnel) you basically stay at that level although this is a mix of descent and climbing until you pass the end of the Skjelingavatnet.

From there on it is pretty much a continuous descent to Voss. Take care as the first few kilometres including the hairpins are very steep and the road is rather bumpy. You should be able to exceed sixty kilometres an hour if you have enough courage. However it is not an especially good idea to go all out on this section if the road is busy. There are not just cars and campers but also large coaches and heavy lorries running along the 13. There are also some fairly major drops on your side of the road as you descend.

Once past Vinjo the road is busier but the flow is more consistent. The main road is generally a good two vehicles wide all the way with short sections where it is narrower. We don't remember having any particular problems with close shaves on this section. Closer into Voss a continuous if at times rather bumpy cycle track appears which makes for more relaxed cycling. Coming into Voss itself can be a bit confusing as it is not clear where the cycle path has gone. We ended up, like the locals cycling on the pavement, which can make for slow going.

There are a couple of campsites on the way in from Vinjo plus one in the centre of Voss. This can be extremely full during the summer peak season, although surprisingly quiet. The campsite is close to the Tourist Information Centre which had free internet in 2008 (you do have to get a login code to use it).

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