Around here you meet lots of touring cyclists. Cars are temporarily abandoned in parking lots. The owners may have picked up fishing rods or diving suits and clambered down to the nearest islet. Some may just walk over to the nearest bridge to catch the salty taste of the ocean that floats in with the wind.

Dubbed by The Guardian newspaper as "the world’s most scenic drive", the Atlantic Ocean Road (Atlanterhavsveien) crosses eight bridges between islets and skerries where the ocean washes against the northwestern shores of Norway. The road opened in 1989 and has since been expanded, from Bud in Fræna Municipality to Karvåg on Averøy Island in Møre og Romsdal County.

The beauty - and power - of nature

Along the Atlantic Road, there are also opportunities to enjoy the coastal environment. You can hire equipment to go fishing or diving, join local fishermen for a trip out to sea or find places to stay overnight.

But nature also has its harsh side. The diving centres at Hustadvika tempt customers with the many shipwrecks on the seabed. And during the six years it took to build the road, the workers experienced twelve hurricanes, which really tested the road’s foundations and quality.

Popular attraction

The close contact that visitors get with the sea here, along with the unique design of the bridges, has attracted attention well beyond The Guardian. This eight kilometre long stretch of road is one of Norway’s national tourist routes and is listed as a cultural heritage site. It also ranks among the country’s most popular nature-oriented attractions. Several major advertisements have also been filmed here.

The closest Hurtigruten port of call to the Atlantic Ocean Road is Molde.