From Oslo across the south of Norway, all the way to Stavanger. With commercial photos for a hostel and grocery shopping by canoe.
Now I was near Oslo and „had to“ be near Stavanger within a week. Google works out 580 km for the route, with about seven hours’ riding time. For me, as a by-now self-proclaimed touring rider, really a leisurely Saturday afternoon to knock that out. But since I had seven days, I planned in the odd sight along the way.
Near Larvik, a little south of Oslo, I gave Bunk-a-Biker another go. I called Eyvi. He answered immediately. I briefly told him my plan, asked about somewhere to stay, and he offered to call me back a short while later. A few minutes later he welcomed me warmly and told me I should hurry a bit, because the family would be starting the barbecue in about 1½ hours. Quickly back to the bike — I was sitting further away in the sun — and off onto the road towards Ulefoss. After a ride with lots of bends, through mountains, past lakes, I was standing in front of Eyvi’s house. Or so I thought. A woman, who was of course a bit puzzled and obviously wasn’t Eyvi, was then able to tell me where he lives. So on to the next house! Still not Eyvi’s. The young man was a bit confused too, but also knew Eyvi and pointed out that I’d already ridden past him twice! Now I was finally in the right place, and I was completely sure when I saw two motorbikes in the garden! After my call, Eyvi had „just quickly“ screwed together a big bed in an empty room for me! Once again I was very surprised by the hospitality!
Before dinner he wanted to show me the area. While his wife drove off to do the shopping, I went with him and his son to a boat lift (Hogga Lock) from the year 1700. Important to know: if parts of the boat lift have to be replaced due to, say, old age, they may only be swapped for parts from the same period. I assume that has something to do with heritage protection. By boat it takes about 1 hour to pass through the locks. Once a year, Eyvi told me, there’s also a squeaky duck race here. You can bet money on a particular duck and win.
Eyvi fired up the grill to metal music. He grew up in Iceland but then moved to Norway. He’s always ridden motorbikes! The music switched between Icelandic and Norwegian, but Rammstein was in the mix now and then too. So there I was, sitting at the table with a family I hadn’t known two hours earlier. And yet I had the feeling I already belonged! Realising that is wonderful.
In the evening we planned my route for the next day. Eyvi recommended his favourite roads in the area!
In the morning I said goodbye and set off through winding roads to Kristiansand, in the south of Norway. It wasn’t actually my destination, but I wanted to keep riding along the coast.
I also passed the Lindesnes lighthouse. Apart from the fact that it had rained non-stop and I thought for a while my camera had water damage, I took what is so far my favourite photo of the trip there.
A signpost also showed me that it’s really not that far to the North Cape anymore…
Via the FV44 (an absolute road recommendation) I carried on to the Månafossen waterfall. There I got to / had to camp in the car park. Apart from the fact that, once again, it had rained non-stop, I also had to move very carefully in the tent so as not to wreck the tent floor on the gravel. After a short hike you can see the waterfall in its entirety:
Now it was only two days until the start of the Workaway job at the hostel! So I looked on bunk-a-biker for somewhere to stay in Stavanger and planned to ride through the Ryfast tunnel the next day. (The Ryfast is 14.3 kilometres long and connects Solbakk in Strand with Hundvåg in Stavanger. The tunnel is the longest underwater road tunnel in the world.) But something only came up for the day after next, which was no problem either! So I spent another night in brilliant sunshine on the North Sea.
Since Espen, whom I’d contacted via bunk-a-biker, had to go to China for work, his girlfriend May offered me her son’s room. But she was only home from the afternoon on, so I spent the day in Stavanger. Even near the city some roads were partly closed and my sat-nav no longer knew what to do with itself. Neither did I. One advantage of travelling by motorbike is, luckily, that you’re not as wide as a car. So despite the barriers I got right up to the harbour! There it turned out that the Tour of Norway was on (the Tour of Norway is Norway’s national men’s road-cycling tour) and that this was, moreover, the final lap. So I waited about 30 minutes for the finish! The cyclists shot across the line!
Watched the victory ceremony briefly and then carried on to May’s. We arrived at her place at the same time. She’d just come from the airport. After a shower and sorting out my clothes, I sat down to dinner with her and a friend of hers. She travels a lot by motorbike too and had already been as far as the Lofoten Islands. So we swapped notes about campsites and places where you can best see the midnight sun. In the morning I said a warm goodbye and set off through the Ryfast tunnel to Tau, to the hostel!
As I rode onto the grounds I wasn’t sure I was in the right place, because the setting was insane and the size far too big for something that sounds like an ordinary hostel. If you’re ever in the area, you can book here:
Pulpit Rock Hostel Vaulali <- click
But I was in the right place. Espen greeted me and immediately showed me my room in the separate house for the staff. At the same time he pointed out that lunch was on right now and that I should head straight over to the hostel. So there I was, sitting in the dining room of the hostel in my motorcycle trousers and without shoes. With me, a group of older men who volunteered to take care of the hostel’s caretaker duties. Today the lawn was mown and the windows cleaned. And, of course, cooking and eating together. Afterwards I helped straight away with the washing-up in the kitchen. Once everything was put away again, I moved into my room.
In all, I wanted to stay there for 4 weeks. I’d figured that would be a good amount of time to get a bit more into the Norwegian summer. During the first week I mostly helped in the kitchen and, alongside that, already put together a shot list for the photos I wanted to take. It was good to spend a bit of time indoors again for once and not have to worry about where you’re going to sleep tonight, or where to pitch your tent…
The first week flew by. I started on the photos on the rain-free days and helped out in the kitchen in between. At this point the hostel was still a kind of youth hostel, you could say. School classes and kindergartens, for example, came and stayed a few days. And on the first weekend there was also a confirmation group. They wanted to hike to Preikestolen on the Sunday. (Preikestolen, or Prekestolen, is a natural rock platform in Ryfylke in the Norwegian province of Rogaland and a tourist attraction with a wide view over the Lysefjord and the surrounding mountains. The rock plateau is about 25 by 25 metres.) Since the hostel is called „Pulpit Rock Hostel“ (Preikestolen Hostel), I of course needed photos of it too. So Espen arranged a seat on the bus with the confirmation group, and after breakfast we set off for Preikestolen.
The weather was amazing and after about two hours we (or rather, me and the slowest of the group) reached Preikestolen.
After everyone had gathered on the pulpit (Prekestolen (Norwegian for the pulpit, or literally the preaching chair)), Alain (the pastor and leader of the group) began a ceremony and the group set to singing enthusiastically. Among all the tourists that was of course a very unusual sight, but also a fun thing. A few Bible verses later, everyone’s forehead was anointed with oil and little wooden crosses were handed out. After a small lunch we quickly asked the tourists to step aside and took a group photo.
Quick personal tip in passing: if you ever hike to Preikestolen, best not on a Sunday in good weather. It’s a bit like the walk to the main stage at a festival, or walking around the Haan funfair in nice weather.
Together we then set off back to the car park and from there back to the hostel. In the evening I prepared the photos from the hike for Alain, since he wanted to use them for a little newspaper article. The next day the article was already online:
https://www.randaberg24.no/kultur/i/OrK7l3/magisk-konfirmasjonshelg-paa-tau
In the second week Domen, aka Spoons, arrived. He’d taken the train from Slovenia to Tau. He’s staying the whole summer season and looking after reception. I went hiking with him and we also did a funny canoe shopping trip to Tau!
Over the weekend I met up with Luca. He was on a 6-week tour through Norway in a VW bus. Together we wanted to hike to the Kjerag Bolten (Kjerag, or Kiragg, is a rock plateau in the Norwegian municipality of Sandnes on the Lysefjord. The highest point of the plateau is at about 1,020 m above sea level. In the western part of the plateau lies the Kjeragbolten, a monolith of about 5 m³ wedged in a rock crevice 1,000 m above the Lysefjord). When we met in the evening at a spot he’d found on Park4Night (https://park4night.com/?langage=de) it was already very strange, after 1.5 months by now, to meet a familiar face so far from home. Parked next to us was also Pia, who wanted to hike to the Kjerag Bolten the next day too. Together we started the hike the next day at around 8:30. After a short while Jürgen, who was also on tour on his motorbike, caught up with us. So then there were four of us.
Because of the weather we were also, at first, the only ones who wanted to hike to the Kjerag Bolten. In between, sadly, visibility was repeatedly limited to just a few metres. After a short while it was raining hard. First from above and then more and more from the side…
After a lot of water from above, we were now near the Kjerag Bolten. Sadly it was just so foggy that we couldn’t find the rock! We wandered in circles for a few minutes… and the supposed path was also covered by a large, undercut layer of snow. So rather not great to walk over. So together we set off back.
When we’d already walked about halfway back, the sun came out for a brief moment. We wondered whether we wanted to give it another go… but then decided against it. Luckily! On the rest of the way back it started pouring again. After we’d warmed up in the restaurant at the car park, we said goodbye to Pia and Jürgen and, after lunch, decided to ride to the Manafossen waterfall for one more night. Luca hadn’t seen that one yet, you see.
The next morning we made a little detour to the hostel together. Since I didn’t have a drone with me, Luca lent me his, and so I was able to take a few more aerial photos of the hostel.
Espen then treated us to a warm lunch. Then I said goodbye to Luca! He took the ferry back to Denmark the next day.
At the end of the week Elizabeth arrived. As already mentioned, under Espen’s management the hostel was a youth hostel. With Elizabeth the summer season began, and tourists could book the hostel as accommodation. So over the weekend we prepared for the summer season together, tidied up and decorated everything a bit.
The following week Domen and I picked up Eva and Johanna from the bus station. They’re supporting the hostel kitchen for three weeks. Shortly after, Samantha, Raquel and Queralt joined too.
On 20 June, St John’s Day was celebrated at the hostel. Lots of people from the area came to the hostel. A big fire was made, there was barbecuing and singing! Actually, in Norway it’s midsummer night that’s celebrated. But since the hostel has a Christian bent, St John’s Day is celebrated here two days later.
The last few days flew by. Hiking, canoeing and also visiting the Stavanger Food Festival (Gladmat is organised, during the four days it lasts, across large parts of Stavanger city centre. The festival is regarded as the kick-start into the Stavanger summer), washing the bike… I also still had to get to the barber! But since that was relatively expensive in the area, I decided to have Domen cut my hair under the carport. Three millimetres — much more practical for the onward journey!
1 July was then departure day! Even though, honestly, it was harder than expected, I wanted to move on. I mustn’t lose sight of my goal, after all. And looking at the map, I hadn’t got all that far yet either…
Looking back, the time was perfect! It was really good that I spent another month in southern Norway to wait out the summer a bit. And when I think about the fact that on the day I set off I never believed I’d find such a cool job — or rather such an opportunity — it was all really amazing! The first two months couldn’t have gone better!
Below is a selection of the images I created for the hostel:
Onward, heading north!
