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HIGHLIGHTS of 2 weeks on the Lofoten Islands, Arctic Norway. Summers of 2022 and 2023.
Lofoten is my favourite destination in that wonderful nation.
You can camp FREE almost anywhere. And most ferries are FREE for cyclists and pedestrians.
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The best way to travel the 500km of roads over 17 islands is by personal vehicle. This gives you the flexibility to go when the weather forecast looks … better. 😀
Otherwise you are limited by the infrequent public buses and ferries. AND ferries often don’t run when it’s too windy.
On the other hand, with a motor vehicle, you pay a fee for every undersea tunnel you drive through, and any ferry you need to take. It adds up quickly.
I went with gravel bike — but was too cowardly to cycle through most of the many narrow tunnels. It is allowed, however. Locals told me they don’t mind bikes in tunnels.
I did cycle 2 of them.
It’s easy to put your bike under the bus — and I did it every day.
BUT the buses run infrequently, especially on weekends and holidays. There are very few locals on them, only a few cheapskate tourists.
If you like coastal scenery, there is no place on the Faroe Islands more than 5km from the seas.
I had a bike shop in the capital do a tune-up and replaced the chain. Bike ran great — until the new chain broke. It was Sunday and there was no bus service. I had to hitchhike with my disabled transport.
Note: A number of the most famous hikes on the Faroe Islands cross privately owned land and have expensive fees. Similar attractions in Norway and Iceland are free.
There are campgrounds, but I’d recommend booking a roof over your head. I had an inexpensive room in a Vestmanna guesthouse, happy to be warm and dry my clothing every night.
The Faroe Islands are great. But logistics are challenging. Book as many days as possible.
The easiest way to hike is with your own motor vehicle. Either rent — or take the only ferry to the Faroe Islands.
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related – 15 things to know before visiting the Faroe Islands
One of the main attractions of the Pacific Northwest is the opportunity to hike and cycle year round.
The climate is relatively mild, even on Vancouver Island.
Getting ready for my hiking / cycling adventures in Europe summer 2024, I put together this video in Parksville, B.C.
Mainly I wanted to test my NEW DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone “follow me” capabilities — as well as the obstacle avoidance.
Does it work? 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube to find out.
The extremely harsh World Championships of Adventure Racing will be hosted by Canada in British Columbia. Host city Penticton.
Adventure Racing World Series Announces Canada as the 2025 World Championship Destination
I’d love to be involved somehow as a volunteer. Perhaps roving VIDEO crew.
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Here’s a good documentary of the 2023 Worlds in South Africa.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (41min)
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
In the temperate rain forest of Vancouver Island you can hike almost anywhere, year round.
It’s fantastic.
One local hike I’d avoided is Roosevelt – Chinook – Channels – Clay Banks near the excellent Englishman River Provincial Park.
I’d heard it was mainly used for mountain biking.
Home made mountain biking trails tend to be rugged, muddy — and not all that hiker friendly.
Turned out that wasn’t the BIG problem.
Very close to the Provincial Park, logging companies have been Thinning.
In this area, they claim to be removing about half the trees so the other half will grow faster.
It’s a kind of salvage logging.
Not clearcut — but still ugly and muddy.
There were a few good moments — but I won’t again be hiking in any area that has been thinned.
At 3 pounds, it’s doubtful I’d carry the Shine ultra-compact wind turbine on a hike.
Cost November 2023 is CAD $400 (US $290).
At this time it’s only available in Canada and the USA.
BUT I’m thinking it might be ideal for bikepacking central Iceland summer 2024.
AND ideal if I were to camp out in one place for a number of days.
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by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Postponed in 2023 … this time I made my reservations 10 months in advance to get the ferries I wanted. And inexpensive accommodation.
I can cancel accommodation at no cost.
If I eventually have to cancel the ferries, I’ll pay 10% of the € 337 total cost for me, my bike, and a bunkbed on the ship.
The Faroe Islands are expensive and in high demand, high season. Far less so if you book long ahead of time.
July 27th – depart Hirtshals (Denmark) on the Smyril ferry
July 28th – arrive Tórshavn (Faroe Islands)
Aug 7th – depart Tórshavn
Aug 8th – arrive Seyðisfjörður (Iceland) at 8:30am
That gives me 9 full days for cycling and hiking. Weather is a factor, of course. Faroe Islands are just south of the Arctic Circle.
The more days, the more opportunity for clear skies. 😀
I booked during the Olympics.
IF it rains 😀, I’ll instead be following the action in Paris online. Indoors.
by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Summers 2022 and 2023 I cycled and hiked the west coast of Norway.
Mostly on the Eurovelo 1. Perhaps half of the Norway section.
On my personal website, I posted 3 trip reports and VIDEOS. Cycling is a great (and inexpensive) way to get to the wonderful hikes in Norway. 😀
Wild camping is free by law almost everywhere in Norway.
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+ Kristiansund & Atlantic Road
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The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains. …
The Pamir Highway, the world’s second highest international road, runs from Dushanbe in Tajikistan to Osh in Kyrgyzstan through the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, and is the isolated region’s main supply route. …
The Pamir Trail is a proposed 1000km+ route. A work in progress.
Jan Baaker, author of Cicerone Trekking in Tajikistan, hopes to connect the entire route in 2024.
We wish him luck. Some of the rivers can be impassable.
To learn more, click through to the PamirTrail.org.
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Moab is one of our top 10 hiking towns in the world.
We had about 30 people rendezvous there over the school Spring Break end of March 2023. Great fun!
You can read my trip report here.
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