Go West!

Porsangerfjorden is North Norway’s greatest fjord and, by area, the largest in Norway. My day starts by retracing the route along the Porsangerfjorden to Olderfjord. I am amazed by how much seems new by just having a different perspective on it. I am sure there is a philosophical parallel to life that could be drawn here, but this connection is for smarter men than me to make.

At Olderfjord, I head west and begin the steep winding ascent through a tree-filled valley on to a bare and uninhabited plateau. The strong crosswind on the upland makes it difficult to simply ride in a straight line!

I descend to Skaidi where Route 94 branches off the Arctic Highway to follow the Repparfjordelv through its wooded valley. The river meets the fjord, which Route 94 continues along the edge of until Kvalsund. Kvalsund Bridge is an impressive sight and one of Norway’s longest suspension bridges; crossing it takes me to Kvaløya (Whale Island), the home of Hammerfest.

Route 94 continues to wiggle its way along the western side of the island. For the most part, the road has a concrete guardrail but many other parts do not! The views are amazing but, again, it is one of those times where I really have to focus on the road, so that I do not fall off it ;-)

Hammerfest makes the dubious claim of being the Northern most town in the World although Honningsvåg (my starting point for today) fails to claim this title only by virtue of its late official classification as a town – so I am told.

I arrive in town and notice there are two visiting liners, so I drive to the top of Salen, Hammerfest’s own mountain to gain a bird’s-eye view of proceedings. As I jump off my motorbike, I hear the boom of a ship’s foghorn – one of the liners is departing. I perch on the summit of Salen to watch the breathtaking spectacle of this huge mechanical monster elegantly manoeuver its way out of the harbour. As the liner reaches the mouth of the harbour it emits another blast of its foghorn, which this times bounces around the fjord like squash ball around a court.

With the performance over, I grab a spot of lunch and retrace my route to Skaidi. I again marvel at what the new viewpoints bring to the same scenery.

Shortly after leaving Skaidi I have a Mexican standoff with one of the most stubborn reindeer I have encountered. Oh sure he lets out a little bit of wee when I eventually sounded my horn, but I am not too sure if this is out of fear or defiance. He pigheadedly does not move until the bus heading in the opposite direction sounds its horn too.

The valley narrows into a gorge as I follow the Repparfjordelv upstream to the Senna vidde. I am buffeted by the wind as I cross the plateau. There are no trees, no habitation, simply bare rock, patchy grass and bog as I head towards the dark grey clouds on the horizon. I reach the edge of the plateau and experience first hand relief-rainfall in action. Thankfully the downpour lasts for a few miles on the steep descent to Alta.

The town’s single biggest attraction is the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rock art of Alta is the largest known collection of rock carvings in Northern Europe and are between 2000 and 6000 years old. There are a huge variety of figures and scenes. Some are relatively naturalistic; others are more geometric. Stone Age graffiti rocks! :D

To end the day, I leave the Arctic Highway and follow Route 93 along the same path as the Altaelva (one of the best salmon rivers in the world!). I will be laying my head at the famous Gargia Fjellstue. The lodge has been here for almost 150 years and is delightfully situated amongst the trees.

After dining on a sumptuous bowl of Bidos (reindeer stew) I race to my cabin in an effort to outmanoeuver the mosquitoes.

Distance: 222.6 miles