Kystriksveien - from Trondheim to Bodø along the Helgeland Coast by Motorhomefrom Trondheim to Bodø along the Helgeland Coast by Motorhome

Trondheim is Norway's third-largest city and the place where the country became Christian: the Nidaros Cathedral, built above the tomb of Olav the Holy, is Scandinavia's largest medieval church and still the destination of the pilgrimage route from the south. Furthermore, there are the colourful warehouses along the Nidelva near Bakklandet, the Kristiansten Fortress hill, and the Trampe bicycle lift that pushes you up the Brubakken. The motorhome site is located by the fjord north of the city, with a bus to the centre; Værnes airport is half an hour away.

Inderøy is located on a peninsula in the Trondheimsfjord and, with the Gyldne Omvei, offers a 70-kilometre loop past farm shops, a cheese dairy, a cider farm, glassblowers, and the Muustrøparken museum. It is farmland with water views, and the place to stock up before heading north. The motorhome site is located by the water at Straumen; many farms allow motorhomes to stay overnight after a purchase.

Torghatten is the mountain with the hole: an opening 160 meters long straight through the massif, large enough to walk through, and according to legend, shot by the troll king Hestmannen. The climb to the hole takes twenty minutes along a paved path with stairs, and through the opening, you look out over the skerries. Brønnøysund at the foot is the only real town on this part of the Fv17, with supermarkets, a harbor, and a campsite; it is the logical place to stay overnight before the ferry to Vega.

The Vega archipelago consists of more than six thousand islands and skerries, and is on the UNESCO list for a reason that exists nowhere else: here, for over a thousand years, people have built wooden houses for eider ducks, collected down from the nests after breeding, and lived from it. The E-huset in Nes tells that story. You can climb Ravnfloget with the new cable car, boat trips sail past the bird islands, and a cycling route runs across the main island. The ferry departs from Horn; the motorhome site is located near Gladstad.

The central part of the Kystriksveien between Sandnessjøen and Nesna is the core of the route: the road is squeezed between granite walls and water, crosses the Alstenfjord with views of De Syv Søstre, seven mountain peaks that together form a 1000-meter wall, and transitions into short ferries that follow each other within an hour. Drive slowly and stop at the viewpoints; there is hardly any traffic. Overnight stays are possible at the campsites near Sandnessjøen and Nesna, both located by the water.

Mosjøen is located at the end of the Vefsnfjord and with Sjøgata, has the longest row of preserved wooden warehouses and residential houses in Northern Norway, over a hundred buildings from the nineteenth century, now full of galleries and cafes. Behind the town stands the Øyfjellet, with a staircase of almost four thousand steps to the top for those who dare, and a cable car for those who don't. The campsite is located by the river, within walking distance of Sjøgata.

Svartisen is Norway's second-largest glacier: the Engabreen tongue descends to twenty meters above sea level, closer to the sea than any other glacier on the European mainland. From the parking lot at Holandsfjord, a small boat takes you to the other side in ten minutes, followed by a three-kilometer walk over smooth, polished rock to the ice edge; allow half a day including the boat crossings. Do not go onto the ice without a guide. The campsite is located by the fjord with a view of the glacier tongue.

Saltstraumen is the strongest tidal current in the world: four times a day, four hundred million cubic meters of water force their way through a 150-meter wide strait, with whirlpools ten meters in diameter and speeds up to forty kilometers per hour. From the bridge, you look straight down on it; the tidal table at the visitor centre tells you when it is at its most intense. The campsite is located by the water with a view of the current, and the white-tailed eagles above are part of the experience.

Bodø is the capital of Nordland, flattened by bombs in 1940 and rebuilt in concrete, and in 2024, a European Capital of Culture: this resulted in a vibrant art scene in a city that looks unassuming from the outside. The aviation museum is located in the old radar tower, sea eagle safaris sail on the fjord, Mjelle beach has red sand, and the ferry to the Lofoten departs from here. The campsite is on the edge of the city; the airport and train station are next to each other in the city center.