Being a rather warm evening we decided to head for water by way of Pennywell Farm and Rattery. Crossing the main Totnes to Avonwick road near Blue Post we took the right turn at Kerswell Cross and then doubled back at Avonwick to a place near Beneknowle where there is easy access to the river.

It was cool and shady by the Avon and we spent a quarter of an hour having fun with sticks and stones. For our return home we followed the lane route to South Brent and then the old road through Harbourneford, with Michael spending much of the time wondering why he couldn’t get access to Google Maps. As he still couldn’t access it at home he presumed the service was temporarily offline.

As George’s birthday was on Monday we let him choose the destination for today’s ride, and that turned out to be the Exeter Ship Canal, or more precisely the Pizza Hut at the end of it. We took two cars to Starcross and then rode past the Powderham estate, where they were clearing up after Thursday’s Bryan Adams concert. The new cycle bridge over the railway brought us quickly down to the very smooth cycle path, which was perfect in every way other than offering a view of the Exe estuary that we had come to see. Several unfriendly signs instructed us not to cycle on top of the bank, which is of course where the view was, and as there were several people walking up there we dutifully followed the instructions.

From the Turf Lock hotel the cycle path again continued out of sight of the canal, but this time there were no unfriendly signs and few pedestrians, so we rode part of the canal path. We were rewarded by the sight of a swan and cygnets who seemed unperturbed by our presence.

Exeter quayside was bustling with people as usual, but out path was diverted as a result of some works on the path near Exe Bridges. It wasn’t far to Pizza Hut, however, and as it was quiet in there today we were soon tucking in to some very tasty pizzas.

After a ride around the park and back along the Exe past the weir we stopped at Exeter Quay to watch the Butts Ferry carrying people across the river for 40p a time. The journey was so short that the ferry didn’t have a motor – the ferryman pulled the boat across by holding on to a cable that was stretched across the river. Quite why anybody would want to pay for the ferry when they could walk a few hundred metres and cross the footbridge we couldn’t understand, but counting the crossings while we were there he seemed to be making a fat profit.

Next stop was the Welcome café, now under new ownership but still serving the same good range of cakes and drinks. As it was rather hot we sat in the outdoor seating at the back and were impressed by the size of the three small cakes deal for just £2.

The ride back along the canal to Starcross was a little more interesting for Michael who was able to ride on a section of the “high bank” as there were no pedestrians around. We got back to the car by around 4pm at the end of a very enjoyable day, finally getting home for around 4.45.

Just seconds after John arrived at the start he realised his tyre was flat. He had taken the bike for a service a while ago, been advised that his tyre was worn out but decided to wait a little longer to get the last few miles out of it. Now a hole had opened up in the side wall and the tube inside had punctured as a result, so home he went to fit the new tyre and tube that had been waiting there for a few weeks.

When we eventually set off just before 11 we followed the old road to Ashburton, then the path along the A38 to Bickington and the Liverton road to Heathfield. We had to negotiate three separate crossings to get around the new roundabout, but we had soon entered Stover Country Park, our first destination for the ride.

The Park isn’t that big, but there are some interesting paths running alongside Stover Lake that kept us amused for half an hour or so. After joining the Teigngrace road we followed the new Stover Canal path from Ventiford all the way to Newton Abbot, then headed into the main street for an enjoyable lunch at Costa.

We wanted to get home before 3.30pm but we weren’t going to take the main road all the way to achieve that, so we rode home on the easy lane route through East Ogwell, Denbury and Broadhempston, getting back for 3.36.

John, George, Jude and Dillan came here for the cycle ride by 10.30. We had a chat in the lounge about the Norway tour, which starts on Tuesday, then left at around 11am. John had a headache and we all needed to prepare for Norway, so we didn’t plan to go too far.

We rode to Peartree, where John bought some paracetamol tablets for his headache, then continued up Chuley Hill. We turned left at Parkfield Cross, then followed the lanes around past the end of the Beaston track and through a very deep pool of water to the Hill House café at Landscove for 12.23. We had top quality cakes there with just water to drink, the rode home the short route for 2.13.

George and Jude came up for games with Dillan while I did some tour preparation. They left at around 4.20.

We don’t often travel abroad for our tours, but this year everyone wanted to visit Norway, and somehow everyone could just about afford it. After more than a week of preparations we met at Newton Abbot at 2pm to catch the 2.32 train to London, which was spot on time. Thus began our most epic adventure since 2013.

Chess and cards kept us amused on the train journey until we arrived at London Paddington a few minutes late at 5.35. Will’s helmet was quite elderly but it was annoying that it chose this moment to render itself unusable. We rode a mile to Pizza Hut Bayswater, as per our tour plan, had a tasty meal there with the bikes securely locked up outside, then rode the short distance to Evans Cycles where Will adopted George’s helmet and George got a new black Specialized helmet.

Continuing again we headed through Hyde Park, stopping at Round Pond to admire this oasis of tranquillity amidst the hustle and bustle of London. The Serpentine, used in the 2012 Olympics, provided another stopping point with good views to the BT Tower. Once we left Hyde Park the roads and junctions were a bit hectic, but we eventually arrived at the back entrance of Victoria Station by around 8.30pm, quickly found the Gatwick Express platform and settled down for the half hour journey to the airport. John couldn’t get his bike into the same carriage as the rest of us and found himself in the first class compartment where, apparently, the facilities were other-worldly!

We arrived at Gatwick South Terminal, so we went in to check out the departure lounge to see where we might be able to dismantle our bikes tomorrow morning for our flight to Bergen. We then took the shuttle to North Terminal which dropped us conveniently near the Premier Inn where we were staying the night. It took a while to check in however, as Michael had to wait at reception for 15 minutes until a Duty Manager turned up to unlock an office on the first floor where we could leave our bikes for the night.

We had two triple rooms with nice showers and air conditioning, but before we settled down for the night we spent half an hour enjoying hot chocolates in the spacious Costa lounge in the hotel, overlooking the airport entrance.

Dillan was not too happy when he woke up at 6.15: he was on the extra bed, fitted between the two main beds, and it was apparently hard and uncomfortable all night. Will had similar problems in the other room, except his bed actually broke! We had got the rooms very cheaply however, and the breakfast was excellent and half the usual price as children under 15 eat free.

We got the bikes out by 7.30, made our way back to South Terminal on the shuttle and then at around 8.10 started the laborious process of dismantling our bikes and packing them into our fabric bike bags. Jude ran into problems when the zip on his bike bag broke completely: he had to bind it all together with bungee straps and hope for the best. John had even more problems as he hadn’t trained his two lads to do their own bikes: they did help of course, but it took him twice as long as the rest of us as a result. We all got very oily hands, and being in full view of everyone entering the departures lounge we received a variety of funny looks and interesting comments.

Checking in the bikes and hold panniers using the automatic passport swiping machines did not work for us but a kind assistant from Norwegian Airlines helped us with our boarding passes, attached the labels and showed us where to take the bags. We then experienced Gatwick’s fully automated check-in, where faces were viewed by a machine and checked against the passport photos – very impressive. The cabin luggage did not go so well for Dillan, however, as he had inadvertently packed his tin of baked beans in his cabin pannier: he was taken to one side and had to watch as they threw it into a bin as it exceeded the 100ml fluid allowance!

Our 10.50 departure was delayed because another flight was late leaving the gate. Then we had to wait for a departure slot, so we were more than an hour late when we finally took off. The pilot made up some time on the smooth flight however, so we were only around 50 minutes late when we flew over the many islands and fjords on the approach to Bergen. I wouldn’t say Michael looked exactly comfortable on the journey, and he did seem very relieved when we finally touched down safely.

Collecting our bikes involved a long wait as they were handled differently to the ordinary hold luggage at Bergen. The task of rebuilding the bikes then took well over an hour, with John running into several problems with his family’s three bikes. We finally got everything together by around 4.55 and as we were much later than planned we decided to grab a coffee and snack at the airport. Michael found some of the Go’ Morgen yoghurts he had been telling everyone about at an airport snack shop, but the prices – over £2 each – were a bit extortionate. At least the nearby coffees were properly made with the right machine even though they were nearly £4 each.

It was around 5.30 and now, finally, we set off for the 11-mile journey to Bergen, which for the most part followed quiet cycle paths by the sides of relatively quiet roads. Despite all the predictions of unsettled weather, today at least was fabulous summer weather with plenty of unbroken sunshine. We stopped briefly on the bridge at Nordåsstraumen, a narrow connection between the Nordåssvannet lake and the North Sea. Our youngsters tried speaking to some local youngsters who cycled past, saying “Takk”, which means Thank you. They responded with plenty of Takk replies.

Michael was pleased to note that a very large percentage of the passing cars were Volvos. His excitement reached a climax when we passed, on the approach to Bergen, the biggest Volvo showroom he had ever seen, with more than 30 new Volvos on display inside. Even some of the Volvo deniers found them impressive, especially the Polestar Blue V60.

Next stop was Lille Lungegårdsvannet, a large lake near the centre of Bergen sporting a very attractive fountain and a great backdrop of expensive mountain houses. We were all impressed with how clean and tidy everything was, even in this city environment.

We continued on to the main shopping square, Torgallmenningen, where we locked the bikes up and explored the Galleriet shopping centre, which we entered by an unconventional route through a tobacco shop. The ground floor was dedicated to a luxurious grocery store where the most delicious-looking desserts were on sale for the most ridiculous prices. We had fun looking at the interesting range of food products on offer in Norway and bought a selection of things to eat at the hostel, including of course Go’ Morgen yoghurts for £1.50 and Freia chocolate for £4.75 for a 200g bar. John got a bit carried away and spent £36!

As it was now quite late we started the three-mile journey up to Montana youth hostel, calling in at the Bergen Storsenter shopping centre by the station along the way for some to use the toilets – the price was £1 per visit, however, with debit card machines on the doors, so they decided to hold it in! There was a fair amount of climbing, but it wasn’t too steep until the final footpath, which proved a challenge to say the least, especially for John.

The hostel was modern and comfortable and boasted some of the best-designed showers we had seen – removable heads, high flow rate, easy modern temperature and flow controls and plenty of space. Michael and Dillan availed themselves of the hot spicy pizzas that were unexpectedly available to order from the reception desk while the others cooked food in the members kitchen. Once we had eaten we all went out to enjoy the fabulous views over Bergen as darkness fell, trying out Michael’s new Vibration-reduction camera to get some interesting hand-held shots in the near dark conditions. It was well after midnight when we finally got to bed.

Our first Norwegian breakfast consisted of a variety of cereals, yoghurts, breads, jams and cheeses – and cold meats and fish for those that were not vegetarian. As we prepared to leave we chatted with an Australian cyclist who had spent the last few weeks riding down the west coast with her husband: it had rained every single day except yesterday and it was forecast to rain again today so they were abandoning their plans to continue south to Stavanger and instead were taking a flight to London to stay with friends. She acknowledged, however, that Australians don’t like rain and that we might feel “right at home” with it! She definitely approved of Michael’s bike and his Stronglight chainset.

Our itinerary allowed us nearly a full day to explore Bergen. It was dry for the moment so we decided to head first for Bergen’s most popular tourist attraction - the funicular railway up Mount Fløyen. There was a long queue so we joined the end with our bikes and then got permission to lock them near the entrance as we passed. The railway was first opened in 1918 but the original cars were replaced three times, the last in 2002. The new cars carry 100 passengers each and have huge glass windows and glass rooves.

At the top conditions were not too bad at all and we could actually see the extensive views across Bergen. Within minutes, however, cloud and drizzle began to descend so we headed to the very large café/restaurant nearby. This proved to be a disappointment as there was no real coffee machine here, just a jug of filter coffee, another jug of cold milk, a set of very small cups and a price tag of £3.80 per cup. John refused to buy anything and Michael shared a cup of coffee with Dillan, but at least it was warm and dry and the cakes were expensive but tasty.

We had hoped the rain might have passed by the time we left the café but instead it was heavier and obviously settling in for the day. Whatever views we had when we first arrived were now totally obliterated by the cloud so after getting John to pose with the Fløyen troll in the rain we headed back to join the queue of people trying to return to Bergen. This time we managed to get front seats on the train and got a good video of the descent.

Next stop was the nearby Bergen fish market, situated near the waterfront. Prices are set at tourist levels but there was a huge and fascinating variety of fresh and cooked fish products on sale. Only George and John were really interested in eating fish, so while it was interesting to see live King Crabs side-stepped around the sandy base of their tank waiting for execution and smoked eel-like creatures hanging from hooks, few of us were tempted to buy anything. The fresh fruit on sale was more attractive, although the prices again were extremely high. Basic fish and chips was available for £16.90 – John could see profit in relocating his chip shop to Bergen!

The relatively new fish market visitor centre offered shelter from the rain but as it only offered expensive fishy restaurants and tanks of live lobsters we didn’t stay there too long. We now split up for lunch, with George and John getting cod and whale burgers respectively from the fish market and the rest of us getting sour bread sandwiches from a “Good Bread” bakery near the funicular followed by some Kvikk Lunsj bars (like KitKats) that cost £2 per bar. John told us later that he didn’t really think it was morally right to eat whale, but he thought he should try it just once in his life since it was there. He described it as rather like beef but with a fishy taste and more tender texture.

Before we started our tour of the shops we had a job to do. We each had our fabric bike bags folded up and strapped to our bike racks, but they weighed 2.5kg each and we didn’t want to carry them all over Norway. We had arranged to post them to our last hostel at Oslo, so we went to the main Post Office in the Xhibition shopping centre, folded them all up inside John’s larger nylon bag, tied it all up with bungies and took the 17kg package to the counter. Michael had checked prices in advance and found that it was £25 if booked online or £29 if paid at the office. We were surprised therefore when we were quoted £39 – apparently there was an £11 surcharge because the package was not boxed! We toyed with the idea of scouring local shops to try to find a large enough cardboard box, but we didn’t really want to spend our limited time in Bergen doing that so we paid the price, arguing that it only amounted to £6.50 each.

But we then had another shock: as soon as Michael had entered the PIN for his credit card he realised the machine was treating this as a cash withdrawal, the only card machine to do so on our tour. That meant another £3 cash advance surcharge on his card plus daily interest payments until it was settled. We tried to get it refunded so we could pay by cash (we had plenty) but of course it was too late now – clearly refunding a payment would have been too much like being helpful, and that’s just not in her job description. This was now the most expensive parcel we had ever sent!

After a quick look around the shopping centre we left our bikes locked outside and did a short tour of the Bergen shops. We called in first at a mobile phone shop, Elkjøp Phonehouse, so the youngsters could compare the prices of the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 phones with UK prices (they were of course a bit more expensive). Just around the corner, on Fortunen, we discovered what turned out to be the most interesting shop of the tour – Outland. It is a premium fantasy gaming store with a relatively small entrance area but a huge basement accessed down stairs at the back. There was a whole aisle of Pop Vinyls and another aisle of mugs – John was tempted to buy the Nights Watch mug. It would be impossible to describe all the sections in this enormous store, but there was a huge Lego section, costumes, paints and some very expensive memorabilia for Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. We particularly liked the gold-plated One Ring to rule them all priced at £45 and the sterling silver version for £130. By far the best item in the store, however, was a life-size replica of Gollum just inside the entrance, available to buy for the giveaway price of £3600! John couldn’t resist posing for a photo when he saw the sign “Do not touch me! Gollum does not like filthy, filthy hobbitsess!!!”

We made our way back to the bikes and rode the short distance to Bergen station by around 16:40, from where we would later catch the train to Voss. The lavatories had a £1 charge here too, but as the charges were levied by machine, three were able to use it for a single payment. We locked the bikes there and spent an hour looking around the Bergen Storsenter shopping centre, buying a few things at the MENY supermarket and enjoying proper lattes at Espresso House. Michael’s was only luke-warm so they had to make him another one, but the youngsters were kept happy during the wait by a rather large version of noughts and crosses on the table.

It’s not possible to cycle from Bergen to Voss because the region is so mountainous that all roads go through tunnels that so long that they are banned for cyclists. It is technically possible to cycle the long way around but that is a 118-mile detour, so we took the 1758 train which took us through some incredible scenery and gave us our first views of a Norwegian fjord. We arrived on time at 1920 and as it had now stopped raining we had a chat on camera about the day’s events. It seems as though Jude plans to turn vegetarian very soon, which would make four vegetarians out of six!

Voss hostel is situated on the banks of Voss Lake which is nestled between very tall snow-topped mountains. It is modern and very comfortable in most respects, but for those cooking their own food it falls woefully short. The Members’ Kitchen was a very small, cramped room upstairs with two or three small tables, poor equipment and insufficient utensils. Some of us managed to cook pasta and sauce in a saucepan but it was not a great experience. After showers, however, we walked on the beach by the lake and were very impressed – we could have used the rowing boat if we had got there earlier.

We concluded our evening with some TV and pool in the common room, watching the World Athletics Championships 2017 from London on Norwegian television before getting to bed shortly after 11pm.

We had expected rain for most of today, but the forecast this morning on the excellent graphical Norwegian weather site www.yr.no was that the rain would not start until 4pm. We decided to make an early start so we could miss all the rain, but as usual our plans didn’t quite work out.

First we were delayed by an excellent all-organic breakfast at the hostel during which we were entertained by a Chinese couple performing yoga together outside on the patio. Then, of course, it was just hard to get everyone out on time, so it was 10.15 when we finally left the hostel. And before we could start cycling we had to stock up with food for the next 24 hours as Google told us there were no shops or cafes all day once we left Voss. We asked the warden which was the cheapest supermarket and she recommended Kiwi, so we went there and stocked up with Go’ Morgen yoghurts, which here were only 80p, lunch, supper, breakfast and plenty of snack food. Jude spent £2 on a packet of Freia Rolos, managed to lose them somewhere at the checkout and decided for some reason not to go back to find them.

We finally left Voss at around 11:25 on a fine sunny morning to the sound of Jude’s headset squeaking whenever he turned the handlebars. The problem was that his headset and fallen apart in the bike bag and had not been the right since reassembly. After stopping to look at the Palmafossen waterfall on the outskirts of Voss, which happened to be opposite yet another Kiwi store, Michael stopped to oil it which relieved the symptoms somewhat so that we could continue in relative peace.

Our route was following the Raundalen valley all the way up into the mountains to the very end of the road. A railway line followed the road, cutting through tunnels where it got too mountainous for an open track. The scenery became increasingly remote and spectacular, with forest-covered mountains, a fast-flowing river, isolated hamlets and high ravines. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with Norway and thought it would be a fabulous place to live. At one point a tree clung on to the banks above a sheer drop to the river below: Jude offered Michael money if he would climb the tree but Michael, who is not a fan of heights at the best of times, politely declined and moved over to the safe side of the road as a precaution!

Here beside the roadside were strange plants that we were sure didn’t exist in England. We were getting hungry, however, and our search for a riverside picnic spot came to nothing until Dillan found a path leading off to the right through the woods. This led us quickly to a rocky beach on the side of the Raundal River, overshadowed by towering mountains, and this turned out to be a near perfect location for lunch. To keep costs down, some of us enjoyed bread with a tube of cream cheese, but Will had fresh raspberries which he shared with the group.

We were using Google Maps for navigation, which kept us informed minute by minute how much further we had to ride to reach the hostel. Some of the farmsteads in the mountain hamlets, such as Skiple, were delightful, and we could imagine that the inhabitants had farmed there for generations and rarely saw people from outside the area.

As we approached Mjølfjell, just 7km from the hostel, we were amazed to find a café and grocery store that Google didn’t seem to know about. We gratefully went inside and found excellent value cakes and coffees together with comfortable sofas and a coffee table. There was some confusion when Michael ordered his latte: they only had filter coffee of course, but the woman pointed to small cartons of coffee cream on sale in a counter-top refrigerator and asked Michael if he wanted one. As the coffee was only £2.50 he got the impression he would have to buy the milk as an extra, so he went out to his bike and brought back his own milk. Only then did he discover that the carton of coffee milk was included in the price of the coffee. And very nice it was too.

Weather conditions had been cloudy and blustery since just before the café, but there was only light rain around as we made our way on towards the hostel. The Raundal River impressed us with a massive waterfall at Mjølfjell Bridge, near the train station, and here the group managed to put on a unique pose for the camera that provided a picture that would have looked good on the front of a fashion magazine.

A little further up the hill, where the rain was now a little heavier, we met a walker from Bergen who told us there was only a little more climbing and then it would be downhill to the hostel at the end of the road. Michael asked if the suspension footbridge that we had walked on in 2004 was still there, he told us one of the cables had broken so it was no longer usable. Apparently the British army used the area for training for many years and as part of their operations they would maintain the bridge in good working order. Since they left, however, things have fallen into disrepair. After going down the hill we found the bridge and were able to confirm all that we had been told.

This was the end of the mountain road, and here was Mjølfjell hostel. The hostel was described in the hostelling handbook as having a heated outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, hot tub and gym, common room, games room with pool table, café and restaurant on site and its own HEP generator. It sounded very much like a luxury hotel in the mountains and we couldn’t wait to get there. Things turned out to be somewhat different to our expectations, and perhaps we should have been alerted when they told us before the tour that a week’s notice was needed if we wanted evening meals.

The hostel itself was a magnificent old mansion, situated near the river with mountains all around. It appeared deserted however, and for ten minutes we could get nobody to answer the bell at reception. Eventually the warden turned up in his truck, switched on the lights and took our payment, also selling some special handmade chocolate to Dillan. He showed us across the courtyard to our rooms in the sleeping block and then answered some of our many questions. We were the only guests at the hostel tonight. He had recently taken over the running of the hostel from the previous warden who had allowed it to fall into poor maintenance. The hot tub was in the process of being moved to the river and was currently half-way there and out of use. We were welcome to use the swimming pool but it was not currently heated as it would be too costly to do so. The sauna could be used if we would like to switch it on. And the restaurant was closed as we had not booked our food a week in advance. So we set about making the best of the facilities available.

First we used the showers, then the sauna in the adjacent room once it had heated up. Then, of course, four wanted to try their luck in the swimming pool. They all jumped in but came out again in less than ten seconds as it was so cold, running back to the sauna to warm up. Michael was ready with the camera for their second visit, catching them on video and his high speed Nikon camera as they dived and jumped into the pool. Dillan’s look of terror showed that he knew just how cold the water would be, but I’m not sure what the looks on George and Will tell us!

When we came to cook our meals we ran into a few problems. First we couldn’t work out how to open the oven and had to get the warden to come and show us the concealed release lever. There was no microwave, so we had to cook things in the electric oven once we got it working, although the Rogers family had boil-in-the-bag meals which was far easier. There was no toaster, but we were able to use the grill as a toaster. Then there were only enough cups, plates and cutlery sets for two people, which necessitated a lot of washing up between servings. But it did have two very large wooden tables in the spacious dining area with great views down to the river, so we managed to have an enjoyable mealtime in the end.

We concluded our evening in the common room, upstairs in the main house. There was a pool table, but none of the cues had tips and we had to open all the very old windows in order to get enough room to cue shots on two sides of the table. There was a fireplace, which would have been very cosy if there had been a fire in it, and there was a pack of cards where two missing cards had been replaced by jokers.

When the warden has had chance to get this hostel back into full working order it will be a great place to stay. And yet somehow we all simply loved it as it was, with all its quirks and flaws. We had a lot of fun there and many felt it was the best hostel of the tour.

We awoke to heavy rain, but we had been expecting that. Breakfast was made considerably more difficult by the absence of a toaster and by the fridge having frozen some of our milk solid. Michael suggested a few kitchen improvements to the warden as we prepared to leave: he said he had already bought a toaster but had forgotten to put it in the kitchen for us, and all the other requests would be dealt with soon except for the microwave. Michael asked whether Microwaves were banned at all Norwegian hostels, but the warden said only this one, as he found it hard to disregard the fear of microwaves instilled in him by his mother when he was a child.

We needed to continue the last few miles up the mountain, but apparently the track that went that way was not suitable for cyclists near the top so we were heading 4 miles back down the road to Mjølfjell station. We managed to leave the hostel at 9.32 and rode at a good pace so there would be no chance of missing the only train that would get us to Myrdal in time. Along the way Michael caught John riding on the left hand side of the road – just as well there were no cars around!

There was nobody at the remote station when we arrived but the waiting room was unlocked so we made good use of it until the train arrived at 10.33. There was supposed to be a limit of 5 bikes on these trains but we packed ours in very tightly and nobody complained. The railway line is quite a feat of engineering, passing through many tunnels along the 20-minute journey.

The rain was forecast to stop by late morning, but it was still raining heavily when we got to Myrdal at 10.51 so we settled into the Rallaren café at the station as planned to enjoy pancakes with yoghurt and jam for a very reasonable price along with the now-customary filter coffee. Myrdal is an important station because it is the start of the tourist line down the steep valley to Flåm. The line goes through twenty tunnels, crosses one bridge and is the third most popular tourist attraction in Norway. For cyclists, however, there is a steep track that follows the same route with many hairpin bends – the Rallarvegen. We were deciding over coffee whether to ride the track as planned or take the train. The track had been quite rough when Michael rode it many years ago and John did not particularly fancy a rough track in the rain. The others did not want to miss out on the only serious off-road ride of the tour, however, so John took a few panniers and queued for a ticket while the rest of us crossed the line at the far end of the station and started our downhill adventure.

The first section of the track from the station was every bit as rocky as Michael remembered, but once it joined the main Rallarvegen path things had been markedly improved. The track was indeed twisty with many sharp bends passing some spectacular waterfalls, but the surface was now upgraded to what you might find on any good cycle path. Will couldn’t resist going that little bit too fast near the bottom and managed to come off, but no harm was done and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the descent.

Once the steep sections were completed there was tarmac all the way to Flåm, taking us ever downwards alongside the widening river. We passed a summer cheese farm with scores of goats grazing opposite the entrance, spectacular waterfalls thundering down the sides of the valley and numerous tunnels. We could also see the railway line wending its way down the side of the valley, offering passengers incredible views of this spectacular scenery. Fortunately John was on the train that was heading down so he took some great photos for us of the track we had just descended and the fabulous river valley, although he didn’t see us as we were waiting at the level crossing. It was just as well we didn’t all decide to go by train however, as the train charges tourist rates for the journey – John ended up paying £36 for his ticket and another £18 for the bike!

Arriving at Flåm soon after John’s train we eventually found him among the crowds of people there. The sun was out now so we locked the bikes up near the station and started exploring the cafes and restaurants for a suitable lunch venue. Sadly everything was very expensive and few had any vegetarian food. We tried the Co-op next but that was disappointing too, with mainly tinned and packet food and nothing really exciting for a packed lunch. Eventually John and George bought some hot meaty food from some takeaway stalls in a market area and the rest of us bought hot waffles covered with fruit and jam that were very tasty but came on a flimsy cardboard plate barely larger than the waffle and consequently proved extremely messy to eat.

When Michael was planning the tour we had thought about staying at the youth hostel here, but in the end it didn’t fit with our plans so we were taking a very large, modern, high-speed ferry boat, the Njord, along the Aurlandsfjord to Leikanger on Sognefjord. We boarded the boat at 15:10 with our bikes, having booked our six passenger seats for the hour-long journey in advance for £55. We had been advised to pay for the bikes on board, but we didn’t expect to be charged more for the bikes than for ourselves - £66!

The boat sped along ridiculously fast, giving us great views from the deck at the rear despite the somewhat cloudy and occasionally drizzly conditions. After a while we discovered a small door on the other side of the upper lounge that led to a narrow passenger area at the front of the boat: this provided even better views of the Aurlandsfjord, but the price was non-stop buffeting by gale-force winds produced by the sheer speed of the craft. We were amazed to see a few properties high up on the side of the fjord that seemed to have no visible means of access. The ferry slowed near the Aurlandsfjord waterfall so we could have a good look at it and take some photos.

We arrived at Leikanger Quay spot on time at 16:30, disembarked rapidly and then watched while the boat sped off along the Sognefjord, out of sight within a minute. There seemed to be no cafes or shops in this village so we rode a mile or two to Hermansverk where the large Kiwi store allowed us to stock up with food for tonight and tomorrow (most shops close on Sundays). Michael had also planned a visit to the Fjordkroa café opposite, but it was now 5.15 and we still had a fair way to go so Michael and Dillan went in briefly to share a cup of filter coffee and a cake while John finished his shopping and then we were off.

The ferry crew had told us over the tannoy that the Leikanger area is known for growing fruit. As we rode along the side of the fjord towards Sogndal we passed literally thousands of trees laden with plums and other delicious fruits, some grown right down to the side of the fjord. Our route included cycle detours around two long tunnels that were banned for cyclists but provided peace and tranquillity along the water’s edge.

It was 7pm when we finally arrived at Sogndal. We followed the coastal path into the town and quickly sought out the bus station (Skystassion) where we would need to catch an early bus tomorrow. Next we checked out the supermarkets, calling in to one of them to get some extra provisions, and also checked out the Pizza Bakery that Google Maps recommended as offering good value. It turned out to be exceptional value, with huge, tasty two-person pizzas cooked quickly to order for £14 and nice tables to eat them. Admittedly the choice for vegetarians was limited – of the 28 pizzas on the board, only two were vegetarian - but we all found something we liked and had a good feast there. John treated us all to an interesting drink called Urge, made by the Coca Cola Company of Norway, that was fruity and refreshing.

We were a bit later leaving than we planned because the proprietor didn’t seem to hear John’s order for a third pizza, but once that had been ordered and eaten (by Will and Jude) we set off for the final flat mile to Sogndal hostel, on the outskirts of the town. Expectations were not high when Michael told everyone it was a school for most of the year, but when we arrived it turned out to be very high quality indeed. The “school” was a special kind of college for 19-20 year olds in Norway who want to take a gap year to study a hobby or other interest before continuing to university or college. We walked past beach volleyball courts to get to our sleeping block. The large, luxurious two-bed rooms were arranged in blocks of four with a common lounge, kitchen and laundry. We were very impressed.

Even better news was that the three washing machines and two tumble driers were free to use, so once Michael had paid a visit to the nearby garage to buy a packet of washing powder we sorted all our dirty clothes into piles and started multiple washing cycles to get everything ready for tomorrow. I’m sure this is the first time we have washed our clothes on a tour in such an industrial way, but as the facility was there it made perfect sense. The only downside was that as we were starting quite late, someone had to get up three times in the night to move the washing on to the driers and hang up clothes that needed special treatment. Michael kindly volunteered.