Hardangerveien, Norway

A great road for motorbikes, the road along the Hardangerfjord in Norway bring you along the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway (179 km). The Hardangerfjord starts at the Atlantic Ocean just south of Bergen. Here the fjord penetrates in a north easterly direction until it meets the grand mountain plateau of Hardangervidda. The longest branch of the Hardangerfjord is Sørfjorden which cuts south about 50 km from the main fjord. Its maximum depth is more than 800m just outside Norheimsund in the middle of the fjord. The history of the fjord goes far beyond its Viking past, back to the time of hunters on the surrounding mountains, and later on, farming along this fertile area which today is considered the fruit orchard of Norway.