Fyresdal to Oslo isn’t a very long ride. Probably something like 230-240 kilometers. But then you have to take the main roads.
Consequently my plan was to take an alternative route which involved all sorts of smaller roads. And gravel, dirt based of course. Then later onto E134, from Notodden via Kongsberg, to Drammen.
After a normal, slow morning, with a ditto slow breakfast, packed up and left Fyresdal Bed & Breakfast. It’s a great place to stay. Unfortunately the price has gone up considerably this year. Not the only place that has upped the prices post-Corona.
Fyresdal B&B mostly have double rooms. As a result of it’s no longer a sensible option for solo travellers on a budget. Which is a shame. Last time I checked they wanted NOK 1400 for a double room for one night. That’s too steep for me.
The entry to the gravel road is through thick woods
From Fyresdal through the woods
A colleague at work, who’s family is from the region, tipped me about a road that runs over the low mountains/hills, between Fyresdal and Nissedal. It felt like a much better choice than pavement, which I’d done several times before. So down south along Fyresvatn for a bit, then into the woods.
The road is private, but the gate was open. I believe it is open as long as the road is ok. I don’t know for sure but reckon they close it during winter. This is the norm for most of Norway’s gravel roads. Or at least those not public roads.
Below video is a clip from the first two thirds or so.
Once out of the woods and down on pavement, nice road that too by the way, I continued up to Fjone.
Fjone Ferry
It’s the smallest in the country. By far. The Fjone Ferry is a cable ferry that runs across lake Nisser. If you are in the region consider to take it! There is a cafe on the Fjone side. A place to wait if needed.
On Fjone ferry over lake Nisser
The ferry is operated by the municipality, and and run by a Dutch guy. His wife runs the cafe.
Over on the other side I took the road up to Vrådal. This is where you find Straand hotel. A (IMHO) seriously overpriced hotel that takes pride in calling themselves a motorcycle rider’s hotel. This is true actually. as a matter of fact lots of riders wind up here while in Telemark. Not those on a budget though!
If you think Fyresdal B&B is pricey, then this is not a place for you.
A bit of Telemark & home straight
From Vrådal I took Kviteseidvegen or Rv41 over towards Kviteseid. It’s a pretty scenic experience, and it offers some hairpins as well.
Pretty scenic route, and very typical Telemark
At the bottom of the road there’s a road on the right hand side. It’s called Fjågesundveien and runs along Kviteseidvatnet (lake Kviteseid). It’s also where I had an accident June 2020. Reason being gravel and sand on pavement in a left turn. While it’s a great road to ride it is also notoriously famous for motorcycle accidents.
Back at the scene of the accident in June 2020
Riding it now saw no sign of gravel on the road surface. Have heard the road authorities pay more attention to maintenance of late. If I were to give an advice, ride carefully. And pay attention to the road surface in the curves. There are plenty of sharp turns where you have minimal sight of what comes around the corner. Which by the way ir rather characteristic for a lot of roads in Norway.
Past Fjågesund I rode to Kilen, took a gravel road (nice one by the way!). From Bø in Telemark main road back to Oslo. It had been a great couple of days. Am sure I’ll ride back through Fyresdal again. Not the least because of the gravel roads.
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