I went on a Nordic Road trip with the entire family with Harry Potter bridges and waterfront campsites
OVER a family dinner at home, I had a proposal for my teenage son.
If I organised a road trip round north-west Norway, would he leave that ruddy mobile phone behind?
A few months later and I’m driving our family of five on the Atlantic Ocean Road, ticking off Storseisundet Bridge from my bucket list.
The name might not be familiar but you’ve probably seen the bizarre, twisty structure in photos — or perhaps in James Bond film No Time To Die.
It is the longest of eight bridges on the five-mile highway, which connects a chain of tiny islands.
Search for it on Google Maps and it looks like the road simply runs over water.
To soak it in, almost literally, we stopped to hike along a coastal path and then over a pedestrian bridge, with the fierce ocean lapping just a short distance below.
“Ooh, this is a bit Top Gear!” said my wife as we then continued our drive, through a succession of dramatic bends. She wasn’t wrong.
Norway’s north-west coast is a seriously fun place to drive.
We’d borrowed an electric Polestar 4 car, which was very much at home in a country where electric vehicles now outnumber petrol motors.
It’s much sportier and roomier than our own family car, and packed with 007-style features.
At one point the display flashed “Front radar blocked”, prompting my ten-year-old to speculate that the weapons system had been disabled.
Less excitingly, it was just dirt on an external camera. Audible speeding alerts were welcome, given most roads had a modest 50mph limit.
The drive from Alesund to mountaineering capital Andalsnes includes a long coastal stretch, some epic bridges, sweeping bends and extra-long tunnels.
But with late-afternoon darkness and driving rain, it was a relief to arrive at our accommodation — a snug and cosy wooden cabin at Andalsnes Hytteutleie.
Deer stew
Next morning, my wife and kids enthusiastically tackled indoor climbing walls at the Norwegian Mountaineering Centre.
We’d borrowed an electric Polestar 4 car, which was very much at home in a country where electric vehicles now outnumber petrol motors
Just next door was the entrance for the Romsdalen Gondola, a cable car which took us up through the clouds to the Nesaksla Mountain, some 2322ft above sea level.
Relaxing in the Eggen Restaurant at the top, we were treated to views of the valleys way, way below.
We feasted on local produce including fish soup, deer stew, Angus meat burgers and delicious apple juice.
From Andalsnes runs the Golden Train on the Rauma Line, described as “Europe’s most scenic train journey”.
Instead, we used our glossy white Polestar to follow the route.
Parking at the base of Trollveggen (Troll Wall) we marvelled at the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, a mighty 3,600ft.
Soon after, we passed by the Kylling Bridge — the majestic railway crossing featured in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.
As we approached the village of Bjorli, we explored the banks of a fir tree-lined river, with a mountain backdrop and the ground beneath us covered by a sprinkling of snow.
It was a scene so magical, I half expected an appearance from Father Christmas himself. Our onward journey to the city Molde, on the banks of a fjord, included a hassle-free ferry trip.
When there, we based ourselves for a few days at the Kviltorp Camping site, staying in four-bedroom “sea house” overhanging the water’s edge.
Over breakfast, fog peeled away to reveal spectacular mountains across the fjord. Just beautiful.
At the Molde Salmon Centre we learned about the science behind large-scale fish-farming and then cooked a salmon dish in the large kitchen. For our MasterChef-loving kids, this was an unexpected highlight of our week.
Over breakfast, fog peeled away to reveal spectacular mountains across the fjord. Just beautiful
A trip to the Aker Stadium to watch local football side Molde FK — former home to Man City star Erling Haaland and once managed by Man United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, didn’t disappoint either.
We rounded off our trip back in Alesund, where an exhausting walk up 416 steps to Viewpoint Aksla is almost mandatory — and great for photos.
I never did convince my son to leave his phone at home — but at least it’s now filled with hundreds of pictures of beautiful Norway.
