To the ocean
I rode to the ocean and got fantastic motorcycling as a bonus. The trip from Straumen on Inderøya to the coast of Trøndelag is 280 km of curves and brilliant sceneries.
It’s Saturday morning and I wake up with the sun shining on the bedroom window. My original plan for today was to repeat my first ever motorcycle trip; anticlockwise around the Beitstadfjord, via Vanvikan and Mosvik and returning to Inderøya. But I haven’t seen the ocean in a long time and change my plan. I check out the map and choose Lauvøya as today’s destination.
After breakfast I am on my way. I have the road almost to my self as I leave Levanger on E6 north. At Røra I take road 755 towards Straumen and Den Gyldne Omvei (The Golden Detour). There will be no detour this time, just a short stop in Straumen to visit the Nils Aas art workshop.
Straumen has charming hauses, an art gallery and somewhere to have a meal.
The Skarnsundet strait is my next stop. This strait connects the Trondheimsfjord and the Beitstadfjorden and formerly there was a ferry connection between Vangshylla on Inderøya and Kjerringvik on the Fosen side of the strait. Now there is an elegant bridge connecting Inderøya and Fosen. When it was opened in 1991, the Skarnsundet bridge was the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge made in concrete. In 2008, it was the protected as cultural monument. From the bridge you have a wonderful view of the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord on one side and into the Skarnsundet to the Beitstadfjord on the other side.
Skarnsundet brigde.As I join road 720 I turn left. Although the pavement is not perfect, I enjoy the ride through the lush valley. There is still little traffic. I think I have met less than ten cars since Straumen. When I arrive at road 715 I take right up the hill. The road winds along lakes and through the woods in beautiful and sometimes challenging curves. With the sun from behind the riding conditions are ideal. I’m in the zone. This is motorcycling at its best, and it lasts all the way to Åfjord. I am already looking forward to the return trip.
Along my route there are many alternative destinations and several entertaining roads to choose from, but today it is road 715 is my route and I keep a steady course for Åfjord.
An Åfjordsboat at Dragseidsundet.The breakwater to Lauvoya is almost 10 kilometres long and is an experience in itself. Lauvoya is low and the road around the entire island is about 3.7 km long. I run counter clockwise and take a detour to the harbour in Kabelvaagen. I park the bike and walk to the seaside of the reef and I enjoy my lunch. The ocean is calm and long waves caress the rocks in steady long swells. A tern is hunting for small fish, while some seagulls are arguing on a skerry nearby and are accompanied by the distinctive sounds from the eider ducks . This is the silence for the archipelago. I take a small nap in the grass before I start the ride back home.
At Lauvoya you are close to the ocean, and it is a big chance you are all alone as well.
I have some entertaining miles ahead of me. I quiver with eagerness and am anxious to get started. I ride the same route as I came; with an exception. Rather than riding along the Verrasund I now ride road 193 to Mosvik and directly to Skarnsundet. The return trip is as entertaining and I am mostly alone on the road, with the extra freedom this provides. The roads them selves are entertaining and in addition they are the spiced by magnificent views. This is prime motorcycle roads.