Norway self guided cycling holiday, Hardangerfjord

Planet

We are a small, private owned Norwegian company that offer trips for an active holiday in various places of Norway.

Community
The trips are self-guided. You receive a guidebook. You meet local staff, the food is local and we’ll use local ferry and bus companies where transport is necessary. As a result of this, the money generated will stay within the local area, and provide local employment. You will get to know local specialities of food. In some of the places the local owner is working at the hotel.

Journeys further afield may utilise public transport and the local economy benefits from our groups purchasing supplies and bikerental directly. We use local transport on all our trips.

Environment
Our biking tours are selfguided and all transport that are needed are local bus or ferry. You stay at private hotels with high focus of environment. Environmental policies are the same in nearly all places you will visit during this tour. The hotels mostly do recycling of waste materials and energy saving. The staff at the hotels will also advise you to turn of the light when you leave the room. Requesting suppliers limit cardboard and the number of deliveries and cleaning materials are ecologically friendly if possible. The hotels advise their guests to use the towels again, and leave it on the floor when it needs to be changed. Most of the hotels also do have the “saving shower” that are reducing the amount of water flowing and they use soap dispensers in the bathrooms.

By biking, you will be a part of the nature in a way, and you don’t destroy anything as long as you never throw away rubbish in the outdoors, and bicycling doesn’t make any sort of pollution itself. Always leave the environment as you would like to find it yourself! The food that you eat in the hotels is normally local produced/local cuisine and some is organic food. The various bicycle tours follow to a large extent existing roads with little vehicle traffic.

The law on the management of nature's diversity (from 1st of July 2009) (Naturmangfoldloven) has been very important for the nature of Norway and also the international perspective to protect the nature and the environment. Different arts in the nature that disappears will disappear forever. Therefore, Norway has a demanding and ambitious goal of halting the loss of biodiversity. This is a new law that will be helpful and taking care of the wildlife and the national parks as well.

This Norwegian law allows you to ride your bike wherever you want, as long as nothing else is announced. This gives you numberless possibilities for exciting excursions! Private ground and cultivated land however, should not be trafficked. The nature must not be damaged! There might be stricter access to protected areas. Stick to paths and roads when you walk/ bike in agricultural and populated areas. Show respect for people and animals.

The conservation law is a general law which includes the use of the environment. "Nature is a national value that must be protected" and that "intervention in nature should only be carried out from a long-term and comprehensive resource optimisation, which takes into account the nature of the future is maintained as the basis for human business, health and well-being." The Act provides further rules on the protection of special natural areas and natural resources (National Parks, conservation areas, nature reserves and nature memories).

People

The trips are self-guided. You receive a guidebook. You meet local staff, the food is local and we’ll use local ferry and bus companies where transport is necessary. As a result of this, the money generated will stay within the local area, and provide local employment. You will get to know local specialties of food. In some of the places the local owner is working at the hotel.

Journeys further afield may utilize public transport and the local economy benefits from our groups purchasing supplies and bikerental directly. We use local transport on all our trips.

Hardanger-route in Fjord-Norway is a trip where you come closely to the beautiful and wild nature. From the saddle you can study how ice and water has built up and grated landscape of the shape it has today.

Hardanger area scores high when it comes to a focus on green environment. The countryside is relatively unspoiled and the landscape are likely to remain as they are today. Hardanger forms a masterpiece of spectacular mountains in deep and held tradition. Many of the villages rent out pleasant cabins, traditional cottages. At the same time the local efforts to meet the current requirements of the standard, there is great awareness to preserve the original. It offers amazing experiences, including activities and culture in a unique natural landscape. On your way you might passes white beaches close to the Fjord, with and changing light and crystal-clear water. An experience you will never forget. One of the most important culture heritages of Hardanger is the fruit end berries.

Artists have always had an attraction to this landscape. In Hardanger, there exist many local industries, with links to art and culture. There are several excellent museums and art galleries. It is possible to visit some of the places along the bike route. The galleries display art collections of renowned local painters, present, and from newer and older periods. You will also find many art and craft local shops.