Today was the start of our epic tour of Norway, a country we last visited in 1989. Travel arrangements were complicated, and made more so on the morning when Julian and Michael were told at Newton Abbot that their booked 9.29 train had been delayed by a lightning strike at Totnes. They were advised to take the earlier 9.15 train instead, so when Tao and Eliot turned up to see them off, the platform was deserted.

By making a hasty telephone call at a station on the way up they managed to alert Nick and family to be at Reading station earlier than the 1152 planned time, so then there were three travelling on the London Underground with bikes.

Kieron and Graham were waiting for us at King’s Cross, and since we were not allowed on the earlier train we reverted to the originally planned 1330 train to Newcastle which turned out to be very crowded. We arrived on time and after finding our way through the extremely busy streets we eventually got onto the road to the Tyne Tunnel and reached the ferry terminal at North Shields by around 6.00.

As we waited in line at the quayside in the evening sunshine we were able to see just how enormous the ColorLine ferry was. The 20.5 Gigaton MS Color Viking is the only ferry crossing between the UK and Norway and brings a lot of welcome trade both to Newcastle and Bergen. Strangely enough our passports were not checked, and soon we were loaded onto Deck 4. We watched from the upper decks as the ferry left port at 7pm and headed out to the North Sea on its 24-hour crossing. This was indeed the beginning of another great adventure.

The boat had around 13 decks and more than three restaurants as well as numerous shops. There was even a swimming pool on the lowest deck for those who could afford it. We ate our packed food on one of the upper decks, explored the ship inside and out while the sun set on the distant horizon and then settled down to get what sleep we could in the reclining chairs (we had not booked cabins to save on costs). This proved rather uncomfortable however so we moved to the carpeted floor nearby where we could stretch out. It was good to be near the outside deck in case anyone felt ill – or in case the ship sank!

We all seemed to get enough sleep somehow despite not having beds. Our first problem was how to use our packed breakfast cereal to make breakfast and thereby avoid the rather high prices for breakfast in the restaurants. The answer was to buy a glass of milk from the restaurant and take it back to our seats –we had all brought bowls and spoons.

The day had dawned sunny and bright so the views over the North Sea were breath-taking. We were not due to reach Norway until evening however so we had all day to amuse ourselves on this rather large boat. It turned out that there was a cinema on board, so we enjoyed a couple of hours watching the film Richie Rich, then bought some Norwegian chocolate from the duty-free shop and finally carried out an extensive exploration of the whole ship. Somewhere along the way we ate the packed lunch we had brought with us.

We got our first views of the distant Norwegian coastline around mid-afternoon, and by 5pm we had docked at Stavanger to drop off a few passengers. The ship then wove its way northwards along the coast, passing between islands and under bridges, until we reached Haugesund, another drop-off point.

We were feeling a little hungry by now, so we selected the most affordable restaurant on board and bought some very tasty pizzas for £4.20 each. Now that we knew our way around the many decks fairly well Nick helped do a guided tour of the ship for the video – we had to leave out some of the footage, including the lowest decks, as it would simply have made the video too long.

We arrived at Bergen, Norway’s second city, by around 9pm. There was plenty to see during the long docking process, and then it took a while to unload all the cars and our bikes. Nick was a bit anxious that his passport hadn’t been signed, but it was all OK in the end and finally we were riding around the delightful and spacious city with its parks and fountains and many wooden buildings. It was still light at 10pm and there were people bustling everywhere, yet the atmosphere was very relaxed. We took our time looking around, picking out places we would visit tomorrow morning before moving on.

Kieron struggled a bit on the two-mile climb to the hostel, but when we arrived it was very modern and comfortable. The hostel overlooked the whole of Bergen so we got some amazing views from the grounds after dark. What was perhaps most amazing was how quiet this large city was. This felt like the beginning of a very special cycle tour.

Norwegian-style breakfast was included in our overnight stay at Bergen hostel. There were cereals, huge bowls of yoghurt, herring, cheeses, cold meats, breads, jams – all very tasty and generally very healthy. The verdict from our group was a definite thumbs up.

We were using a train today to get us up into the mountains, so after descending to Bergen we quickly found the train station, picked a train and booked our bikes on it. We had plenty of time before the train was due to depart, so we left out bikes at the station and began our detailed exploration of the city, once Norway’s capital.

A shop selling fleeces and stuffed animals was the first to catch our attention, reflecting Norway’s strong hunting tradition. We saw some of Bergen’s famous cobbled streets and could see why Bergen is said to have the largest number of well-kept colourful wooden houses anywhere in Europe.

The fish market on the harbour side was definitely the most fascinating spectacle of the morning. Norway has a huge coastline and a very great love of fish, so the range of produce on offer was staggering. Live lobsters waddled around in tanks waiting to be bought and dropped in boiling water, and hundreds of crabs were laid out on display. At one point we came across slabs of flesh that looked remarkably like whale-meat, confirmed by a little picture of a whale nearby – that made us feel a little uncomfortable.

We returned to the main shopping square and browsed ordinary shops selling electrical items and outdoor clothing, then moved to a huge shopping centre with a Viking boat hanging from the roof. There was time for a very enjoyable café stop, where Julian enjoyed cream cake on the tables outside, before we headed back to the station and boarded the 1.30 electric train for Myrdal.

The railway line we were taking is known as the Bergen Line, a single-track line built in the 19th century to cross the Hardangervidda plateau at a height of 1237m above sea level. It remains the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe and offered us spectacular views during our two and a quarter hour climb.

From Myrdal station near the top we had considered the possibility of using another train to take us down the steep Flåm valley, one of the most scenic areas of Norway and very popular with tourists. But there was a track going down and in the end we decided to give it a try – after all, the weather was good and it was all downhill.

The first half was very rough and steep with hairpin bends – Julian was not too impressed as he was on his road bike, but the whole valley was very attractive with its fast flowing mountain rivers, snow-topped mountains, tunnels and high wooded sides. The rail track that was weaving around our track all the way down was an incredible feat of engineering. A simple wooden cross with the name Philipp written on it made us wonder whether it was for a dog or a child.

The second part of the journey had a tarmac surface so then everyone was happy. It led us to the tiny village of Flåm, situated in a picturesque location on the edge of the Aurlands fjord. Our hostel was in the camp site close to the fjord. It was grade 1, the simplest kind in Norway, but we had a wooden chalet all to ourselves with three two-bedded rooms each equipped with table and kitchen facilities. Once we had settled in and eaten our food we played Frisbee by the fjord, enjoying the absolute tranquillity of this beautiful place.

After a makeshift breakfast put together from bits we had in our panniers from Bergen, milk we bought from the camping shops and bowls we had brought with us from England we set off along the edge of the Aurlandsfjord towards Aurland, stopping to look at some very expensive, very amazing cruise ships along the way. The many linked roads around Aurland explained our one wrong turn, but we were soon starting up the hairpin climbs of Bjorgavegan that would lead us over the mountains to the Sognefjord.

This incredible road reaches a height of 1306m at the summit, the second highest climb of the tour, but almost at the first hairpin Kieron was having breathing problems. He wasn’t used to long cycle rides and he was having some breathing difficulties on the climb. We pressed on, enjoying some of the most spectacular views of the tour: this was the definition of Norway’s scenic beauty, and these views alone almost made our whole trip worthwhile.

We gave Kieron all the support we could, but it was soon obvious that he would not make the top in time. Fortunately we managed to find a friendly driver who gave him a lift to the top while the rest of us cycled, pausing briefly to chat with a couple of cyclists from Oslo.

Despite the soaring temperatures and buzzing flies there was snow lying all around as we neared the top, a very unusual sight for us in the middle of summer. We couldn’t resist playing on it for a while – snow fun without the disadvantages of cold fingers.

Reunited with Kieron we rode along the top of the mountain and then enjoyed the longest most exhilarating descent most of us had ever experienced, dropping 1300m to the fjord in a distance of just a ten miles with a few rather hair-raising hairpin bends along the way.

It was now getting quite late and we still had to ride seven miles along the fjord to the ferry at Revsnes. On arrival we watched as an enormous double-decker ferry opened up for the lower deck in way we never expected. Fortunately for Michael, who was very thirsty, there was a café on board which allowed us to pass the time very pleasurably for the short journey to Kaupanger.

From the ferry terminal there was a short climb to the town of Kaupanger followed by an enjoyable long descent to Sogndal, location of our next youth hostel, and I think it’s fair to say we were all very pleased to arrive.

This was a grade 3 hostel, but we were in rooms that were away from the hostel again. This time it was an accomodation block used by school students during term time, so it was quite comfortable. There was a problem in the kitchen department however: we couldn’t find any pans or other kitchen utensils, then noticed a sign that said we had to bring our own! It would have been slightly awkward carrying cooking utensils on the bike even if we had been told in advance. Anyway, we made the best cold food we could without utensils and then settled down to watch television – they were showing the BBC comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo, which made us feel a little better.

We slept quite well in our school dorms, but as we got ready to leave Julian was very unhappy with the colour of the tap water which was a shade of grey, no doubt straight from the mountain streams.

We looked around the town of Sogndal but unfortunately, being Sunday, everything was shut. At least we could browse the bikes on display in the cycle shop window.

Our route today was mainly flat. We rode around Barsnesfjorden and then came to our first tunnel, Aroy, only 403m long but still an event for us. After riding around Hafslo lake we climbed a little and then dropped down to picturesque Marifjora where we found a convenient seat overlooking the fjord for lunch. The weather today was perfect so we spent an enjoyable hour, with Graham describing a strange new clear Pepsi drink called Crystal Pepsi, Michael getting excited over Norwegian chocolate and everyone rocking around on a nearby floating jetty.

We still had a fair way to go, so we pressed on around our sub-fjord through Gaupne and then followed the main Lustrafjord right down the northern edge. Part-way along we saw a strange swirling vortex in the middle of the fjord: we never managed to explain what it was, although we suspected there was a hefty stream of water somehow flowing down under the fjord from the opposite mountain.

The hostel at Skjolden, which was grade 2, was situated right beside a huge river as it cascaded into the head of the fjord – the amazing sound of the water made this a very special hostel that most felt was the best of the tour. There were tables and chairs on the grass between our rooms and the river, so we spent most of the evening there taking drinks, eating meals and writing postcards.

There was some amusement when Graham, who had bought a microwavable Chilli Con Carne ready meal, decided to cook it in a saucepan of boiling water in the absence of a microwave oven. The result may have turned out better if he had avoided un-sealing the film cover before boiling it.

Breakfast by the river was delightful this morning, but we had a long climb ahead of us so we packed our bags early, stocked up with food at the local store and then started the huge climb over the Jotunheim Mountains that would take most of the day.

It was hot weather for a uphill cycling, but fortunately we were following an icy mountain river all the way up which offered plenty of opportunities to cool off in the waterfalls and pools. Julian soaked his shirt in a stream on several occasions, Nick enjoyed ducking his head under the glacier water and Graham just did some wading.

The road wasn't too steep, but as we neared the upper reaches there were multiple hairpin bends that kept the gradient easy - too steep and the road would be useless to cars in winter.

When we reached the 1000m sign there was plenty of snow to be seen on the nearby mountain tops and some fabulous views from the viewpoints. This was the Hurrungane mountain range, having some of the most alpine peaks in Norway, with 23 over 2000m. Galdhöpiggen is Scandinavia’s highest mountain at 2469m. An information board by the road pointed out the names of the nearby peaks. As we climbed past 1100m we could see our first glaciers in the high mountains.

After a lunch stop in the shade of a wooden hut we pressed on past 1200m and now found deep snow lying by the side of the road, offering plenty of fun in the hot sunshine. In the final stretches to the peak at 1434m the sights were just totally amazing - incredible glaciers not far from the road, massive lakes with icebergs and mountain peaks touching the clouds. We took a fair few photographs of this strange and wonderful landscape.

The last part of the day was certainly the easiest, with a long 18-mile downhill ride all the way to the hostel. The hairpins near the top were a bit treacherous in places but it really was the best downhill ride of the whole tour. Snowy peaks turned to forests and fast flowing glacial rivers.

When we finally reached the grade 2 hostel it was nothing special, a rather dull building by the side of the road, but it was comfortable enough inside.

Nobody was in much hurry to get up this morning after yesterday's tiring ride, so we watched the young toll-collector opposite the hostel taking money from visitors who wanted to travel up the mountain road to Raubergstulen, a base camp used by explorers of the Jotunheim Mountains.

When we eventually set off, another 12 miles of downhill riding through the fertile agricultural land at the base of the valley brought us eventually to the tourist village of Lom where a very attractive café provided us with excellent drinks and exceptional chocolate cakes.

We then spent some time browsing the many shelf-loads of trolls in the gift shops. Nick couldn't resist buying an attractive Norwegian towel and a "reindeer leather" bookmark as a gift for his family at home. After lunch by the water feature in the town square we had a look around Lom's most famous building, a wooden Stave Church built in 1158, although we couldn't get inside. Before we left the village we were amused by the Norsk Fjell Museum which had grass growing on all its roofs: several garden sprinklers were working flat out to keep the grass happy in the dry weather.

The remaining 11 miles to Mogard, Skjak were generally flat and agricultural so we were not too late arriving at the hostel. This was a grade 2 hostel that consisted of a range of separate 4-bed wooden cabins, each with its own basic kitchen facilities (well table, chairs and a fridge), sandwiched between farms. It was a great place to spend the night with the large river nearby and the backdrop of tall snow-capped mountains.

Kieron had some difficulty cutting his loaf of bread at breakfast time, seeing as there were no knives provided in the "kitchen" - he hacked at it with a pocket knife and the result was not particularly successful.

With a long ride ahead of us and a ferry to catch we were doing our best to get Kieron ready to leave by 9am, but since the main hostel building didn't open until 9 it was 9.05 when we we finally set off. It actually turned out to be a bit of a trick, because once Kieron was on his way Nick just couldn't resist trying out the swing that was positioned tantalisingly by the exit posts, and Michael couldn't resist popping into the hostel reception building with his camcorder - it was more like a café than a reception.

One of the intriguing sights we saw in the early parts of the climb was an agricultural shed containing a pump, presumably for bringing water up from the river, but the roof was another of those strange affairs with grass on top. Maybe they needed to camoflage the pump house during the war.

At the Donfoss bridge we just had to stop to look at the River Visa: it was terrifyingly large and fast and made a tremendous noise as it crashed its way over the rocks. We wandered along the side of the river to get a bit closer to the action and felt awed by the power of the water. We don't get rivers like this in the UK.

Our road followed the river right up into the mountains so we had more chances to get close as we progressed. The next opportunity was at Pollfoss, a steep-sided ravine where the water crashed with even more vigour down over the rocks. Here there was, amazingly, a little viewing shelter on the bridge where Julian and Nick signed our visit into a Visitor's Book!

At Vuluvatnet we passed what looked like a North American ranch, although in reality it was just an unusual settlement of wood-built houses.

Just when we thought it unlikely we would find anywhere up here in the wilderness for refreshments, the Grotli Hotel and Cafe came into view, so we use the opportunity wisely for coffee and cakes to keep us going to lunchtime. Well we had already done 26 miles uphill before coffee, so we thought we deserved it.

Continuing onwards and upwards we soon reached Breiddalsvatnet where the water was crystal clear on both sides of the road and the abundance of what looked like cottongrass was striking.

When we had ridden 34 miles we were not far from the top of the climb, and as it was definitely lunchtime we stopped beside the beautiful Langvatnet for lunch. With snow on the surrounding mountains this was indeed an idyllic spot, 929m above sea level. We couldn't resist the opportunity to climb the nearby snow-covered hill to get a better view of the lake, and from here we could also see the Oppljos tunnel disappearing into the mountain, only completed in 1978.

A warning sign by the road told us of the Geiranger road that was about to take us rapidly down hill by over 1000m. Shortly afterwards we reached the Breiddalen Valley Lookout at 1026m above sea level where a reindeer was obliging the tourists by posing for photographs. Up here the scenery was pristine and unspoiled, with the spectacular Djupvatnet making the perfect photograph with its floating icebergs. This was the high point of the ride in more ways than one, at a height of 1033m above sea level.

From here it was pretty much all downhill to Geiranger, with breathtaking hairpin bends all the way down and equally-breathtaking views of what many consider to be the most beautiful fjord in Norway. Michael took video of most of the descent, and we stopped periodically to admire the spectacular views.

When we eventually reached the bottom we bought ice creams and took our seats on the cruise boat that was going to take us along the length of this incredible fjord. The cruise did not disappoint, and the captain gave a running commentary to tell us about the various waterfalls and isolated farms high up on the steep sides of the fjord.

When we eventually reached Hellesylt at the far end of the fjord, we disembarked and rode the short distance up the hill to Hellseylt youth hostel. This has been the longest ride of the tour, and we were very glad to use the showers and settle down for a restful evening of hot meals and relaxation.

(No notes were written for the second half of today's ride at the time, so part of this report has been written in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)

We weren’t in any particular hurry today as the ride was fairly easy, which was just as well after the long ride we did yesterday. Several of us seemed to have collected a number of insect bites yesterday which were now causing some irritation. We had to cross the yard to the main hostel building to make our breakfast on a rather cloudy and dull morning, then we eventually set off quite late for Hornindal.

The ride was fairly uneventful and grey for the most part, involving a gradual climb and then a gradual descent. The road was quite rural, so we passed Norwegian cows and sheep and saw signs of traditional haymaking where the hay is laid out on racks to dry. The most interesting place was Hornindal school, which boasted a full size athletic track that looked like it was built to Olympic standards! We wondered how they could afford such excellent facilities.

Lunch was at Hornindal village, where Julian posted his postcards at the Post Office, then we pressed on the last few miles through the longest tunnel of the tour so far, Kjøshammar Tunnel, which is 800m long. It didn’t say we weren’t allowed to cycle through it, so we did. The road was not that busy so it was fine, as can be seen from the video.

The weather was still overcast when we arrived at Stryn and settled into the luxurious grade 3 hostel there. We still had to self-cater for our evening meal, but it was very comfortable.

(No notes were written for today's ride at the time, so this report has been written in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)

We had a very comfortable night in the peaceful hostel at Stryn. After we had made our breakfast in the basement kitchen the youngsters sensibly found time for some frisbee fun on the front lawns, with mountains and the Innvik fjord visible through the trees.

After a slightly late departure we visited the shops in Stryn to stock up with provisions for lunch, then when Julian had corrected a problem with his bike we set off for our 36-mile ride to Byrkjelo. The weather looked much more promising, and soon the sun came out and stayed with us all day.

Innvik fjord lived up to all the hype, proving it is indeed one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. We stopped briefly at Olden where Nick gave us a guided tour of a Norwegian telephone box for the video, then we pressed on to near Innvik itself before stopping for lunch right on the edge of the fjord. We spent an enjoyable hour there in the bright sunshine, enjoying our Go-Morgen yoghurts and trying to persuade Kieron to stop hurling big stones in the fjord in his attempts to get everyone wet!

We continued on to Utvik, and then started the big climb of the day to a height of 630m. Actually it wasn't that bog compared to other climbs we have done in Norway, and the views back to Innvik Fjord were tremendous. Once we reached the top there was a long downhill run to Byrkjelo, a farming village and the location of our next youth hostel.

After showers we were treated to our second provided meal of the tour, the first being at Bergen. This was very much appreciated and made a pleasant change from the usual routine. Most of the group had ham and various vegetables in typical British style, but Michael being vegetarian was given fish in a cheesy sauce.

After the meal we took some cold drinks with us and walked past the nearby farms to the school playing field, where there was another full-size athletics track and several students doings some sport.

Our room at the hostel was at the back, right beside the river with great views to the mountains.

(No notes were written for today's ride at the time, so this report has been written in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)