Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KYSTRIKSVEIEN
-
THE
COASTAL
ROUTE
Longer, yes, more expensive, yes (gosh, those ferry tolls mount up). But if you've even a
dayortwotospare,divertfromtheArcticHighwaylemming-runandenjoytheemptyroads
and solitary splendours of Kystriksveien, the coastal alternative. If the whole route seems
daunting, it's quite possible to cut in or out from Steinkjer, Bodø or, midway, Mosjøen and
Mo i Rana. It's one to drive; don't even attempt it by bus or you'll still be waiting when the
first snows fall.
Off the coast are around 14,000 islands, some little more than rocks with a few tufts of
grass, others, such as Vega, supporting whole communities that for centuries have survived
on coastal fishing and subsistence agriculture. The sea was the only highway and the liv-
ing was harsh year-round - especially between mid-January and Easter, when the menfolk
would be absent, working the fishing grounds off Lofoten for cod.
Information
The splendid free
Kystriksveien
(Coastal Route) booklet, distributed by tourist offices and
many lodgings along the way, is a mini-Bible. Its website,
www.rv17.no
, gives even more
detail. For greater depth, invest in
The Coastal Road: A Travel Guide to Kystriksveien
(Nkr298) by Olav Breen.
Click on
www.rv17.no/sykkel
for a recommended 12-day bike-and-ferry journey along the
full length of the Kystriksveien. The free brochure
Cycling from Steinkjer to Leka
has de-
tailed maps, and lists highlights and bicycle-friendly accommodation.
For information on the southern part of Kystriksveien,
Click here
.
Brønnøysund
POP 7650
Brønnøysund is flanked on one side by an archipelago of islets and on the other by rolling
farm country.
