Bikes loaded on to the boat, we sailed on to our next destination each evening. Credit: Andy Lloyd

Riding bikes in the Arctic Circle with MBUK – video

Sailing through the Norwegian fjords to explore a wilderness of barely-ridden trails – this is a bike holiday with a difference

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Ed Thomsett

Published: January 6, 2018 at 8:00 am

When planning a bike trip abroad it's easy to get fixated on the same destinations – the Alps, Spain, Whistler. Don't get us wrong, those places are rad, but last summer we fancied something a bit different. Mountain biking in the Arctic Circle isn't widely known about, but we'd heard from various sources that Norway's secluded northern reaches were a potential Mecca for bikes and home to a scene that's tipped to grow over the next few years. Not to mention that the landscape is stunning and in midsummer there's nearly 24 hours of daylight, with spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

The best way to negotiate this mountainous region is by water, so we chartered a boat complete with skipper, got in touch with some locals to guide us around, brought along some Norwegian biking talent and set sail into the fjords in search of singletrack, stunning sunsets and general fun on two wheels.

Below is a rough cut of our GoPro highlights and a flavour of the images we got from the trip. You can read a full feature about our adventure in the January 2018 edition of MBUK, which is on sale now.

Yacht sailing through the Norwegian fjords
Our home for the week, the Arctic Aurora. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Lying on the deck of a yacht in the Arctic fjords under the midnight sun
Setting sail from the port of Tromso under the light of the midnight sun. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Snowy mountains and fjords in Norway
Arctic Norway is a truly wild and breathtaking place. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Two mountain bikers following each other in a lush green woodland
Thomas Klingenberg chases down our Ed in Djupvik on the first day of the trip. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Reindeer in Norway
The locals are pretty friendly too. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Thomas Klingenberg and Ed Thomsett ride along a cliff top in Norway
There's clifftop singletrack and views aplenty – just don't stray too far from the trail! Credit: Andy Lloyd
Smiling and waving in a dinghy in the Norwegian fjords
This is how a week of sailing and riding in Norway makes you feel. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Ed Thomsett and Thomas Klingenberg ride through the clouds in Skibotn, Norway
Snowy mountaintops serve as a reminder that at these latitudes winter is never far away. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Thomas Klingenberg rails a berm with a view over the fjord
Thomas rails a berm on one of the rare manmade trails we rode on the trip. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Bike on a yacht and a view inside the cabin
Boat life. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Sunset over a fjord in the Arctic Circle
Sunsets in the Arctic Circle need to be seen to be believed. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Ed Thomsett and Thomas Klingenberg ride a singeltrack trail in Lyngseidet
A snaking line of soil through a carpet of lush green – it doesn't get much more pristine than this. Credit: Andy Lloyd
Bikes lying on the jetty next to a yacht in Norway
Battered, bruised, dirty and sleep-deprived but smiling at the end of the trip. Credit: Andy Lloyd

Thanks to the following for their help organising this trip:

Boreal Yachting

Visit Lygenfjord

Visit Norway

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Ed Thomsett

Contributor

Former Mountain Biking UK features editor Ed Thomsett is a downhiller at heart but has been riding bikes of all types since a young age. He's raced both nationally and internationally in downhill and enduro, and has spent several summers living in the Alps and Canada, riding, roadtripping and living the dirtbag lifestyle. Now Ed calls upon his years of experience riding bikes to the limit as a writer and reviewer for MBUK and BikeRadar. He's also an avid trail builder and has scraped out numerous steep and technical lines in the woodlands of his native North Yorkshire. These days Ed will happily turn his hand to any discipline and believes the sign of a good week is when every bike in his shed ends up muddy by the end of it.
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