The vacation is over for this time and I treat myself a little detour on my way home from our cabin. The RS feels so agile today, as it is as if it is asking to be taken for a ride …
The mountain Haglebunatten is still enveloped in clouds when I put on my helmet and roll down the slopes to the main road. Usually I ride via Eggedal down the Sigdal valley going home. Today I take to the right towards Bromma. As I start on the slopes down to Hallingdal, I get a reminder to take it easy. There are sheep on summer pastures in the mountains, and they can appear anywhere and at any time, maybe around the next turn.
I have just started my ride as I pass the Svangtjernmyra nature reserve, and although it’s tempting with a short stop just to enjoy the silence and watch the fish wake it is too soon to stop – I have been riding for less than 10 minutes. A little further down road I can enjoy the view of the Hallingdalen valley and Brommafjorden, which in fact is a river. Now I know for sure that this is going to be a fantastic day.
In Bromma I turn left on road 7 and ride towards Nesbyen where I drive into the “city centre” and continue road 214 in direction of Tunhovdfjorden and Roedberg. Rukkedalen offers entertaining and varied riding, it is a little bumpy, the RS is handling well. I pass Synstevann and Buvatn. While I had a good backwind between Bromma and Nesbyen, the waters are as mirrors her in the mountains.
At the junction by Tunhovdfjorden, I turn left on to road 120. Still, there are some sheep on the road and makes sure I’m constantly alert. I take a little stop at Tunhovdtjoenna, and while taking some pictures some curious sheep comes at me. Suddenly, one of the lambs takes a good run and races around me, then hiding behind it’s mother. I have seen dogs taking a run and racing around, but that a lamb should behave like that was a surprise and fun and see.
I have seen the Tunhovdfjord with less water than now. Sometimes when I’ve driven here, the water level has been at the minimum. I like it better when there is some water, the rocky shores that appears when the water level is low is not pretty. I stop at Tunhovddammen. The dam is 275 meters long and 37 meters high and was rehabilitated in 2013-2014 with a nice stone filling. It is made of large stones, and it is not just tipped out, every stones are laid neatly in a smooth slope. The dam has become very nice and there is plenty of space to stop at the dam and at the parking on the north side. Read about the new facility here.
I stay on the main road in the direction of Roedberg. The descend towards Roedberg starts at Raagrend and I’m going through 9 hairpins before I’m down at the Nore I power plant.
I have nearly finished the decent when I stop for a photo and a closer look at the old waterpipes that have lead the water from Tunhovddammen to the power plant. Today, the water is lead to the power plant via a tunnel in the mountain and the old waterpipes are protected. flows into a tunnel in the mountains and the two pipes are protected as a cultural heritage.
In Roedberg the road twist past the power plant and the railway station to road 40 and the centre of the community. I take the opportunity to refuel before continuing to Uvdal. I ride along the Uvdal river and pass the Foennfjord lake.
At Bjoerkeflaata I turn left on to road 124 towards Imingfjell and Austbygda. The road starts climbing the side of the valley. During the next 6 kilometres, it will climb 400 meters up to Soenstevatn and the Soenstevatn dam. On my way, I have a great view of Uvdal.
At Soenstevatn I am met by yet another newly renovated dam. The Soenstevatn dam provides the power plant Uvdal I, which lies in the mountain further down in Uvdal, with water. The new dam is beautiful and was awarded Damkrona 2015 for outstanding building and landscape design.
The road passes over the dam and continues along the Soenstevatn lake and then turn south over the highland. The highest point is at about 1150 meters and has no shelter, but some there are some cabins here. Before getting there I pass the county border between Buskerud and Telemark and the road number now changes from 124 to 755. Apart from a part of the road from the dam to the border the road over here is a bit bumpy and this continues down to the Tessung valley.
When I have finished the 60-speed zone, I have a nice ride on good asphalt down towards Austbygda. The road follows the river Austbygdaa and I make a stop by the river before I drive down to the village. I buy myself a cheese burger before I continue my ride. I am no on road 364 towards Kongsberg. This road is one of my favourites; with lots of turns, a bit bumpy and with some spectacular views. Today I concentrate on the road and am impressed by how well the RS is handling over the bumps, especially over those in the middle of the curves. I should have stopped and taken some pictures of the amazing view of the lakes Tinnsjoe, Heivatn, Tovstjoenn and Bjortjoenn. I am hungry and would like to get to Hovin Brygge, a pier by the lake Tinnsjoen.
The small detour down to Tinnsjoen is four kilometres. You follow the signs for Hovin Brygge and Hovin Kirke (Church). Some 400 meters before the church there is a gravel road to the left, follow it to the end. At Hovin Brygge (Pier) is quiet, perfect for a lunch break. This was the centre of Hovin in the time before the small community got a road connection. Today there is no commercial activity here. Only the songs from the birds and the sound of the waterfall when the river Skirva run into the lake is heard. I enjoy my burger, the silence and the view.
After Hovin the road continues to entertain and I enjoy the ride. I take another stop at Maele bru in the south end of the lake Sandvatn. The beautiful bridge was completed in July 1896 and was in use until 1939. Today it is used as part of the cycle path around Sandvatn.
The road is still a bit bumpy, but the curves and the scenery is overwhelming and the trip passed Bolkesjoe to Kongsberg is over too soon. I do not want to finish the trip yet and choose the main road through Kongsberg and follow the E134 towards Hokksund. Then I take road 286 (the old main road) towards Darbu. In Darbu I keep right again on my road 70 towards Hakavik, and drive along the lake Fiskumvannet, across the bridge over Fiskumvannet and Eikeren and continue to road 35. Here I turn left to Vestfossen. Now I decide that the trip is over and drive to the roundabout at Hokksund and follow E134 to Mjoendalen where I cross to the north side of the river Drammenselva and finish the trip along the river promenade in Drammen. The transport on the E18 to Oslo is exactly that – transport.
Normally I drive home from the cabin in just under two and a half hours, today I had a perfect six-hour trip. Some parts of this route can easily be done in one day with Oslo as base.
Other trips in this area:
Imingfjell
Tuddal and Gaustatoppen
Sigdal and Eggedal
Svangtjernmyra natur reserve