The Atlantic Ocean Road

The Atlantic Ocean Road

The Atlanterhavsvegen was voted the world's most beautiful road trip by The Guardian, and it runs just minutes from the house. The road itself is 8,274 metres — eight bridges and a chain of causeways carrying you from Vevang on the mainland out across skerries and open sea to Kårvåg on Averøy. It forms the heart of a 36 km National Scenic Route that runs from Bud to Kristiansund, and it has been toll-free since it opened in 1989.

The centrepiece is Storseisundbrua, the longest of the bridges, which curves dramatically over the open sound. In still weather it seems to end in mid-air above the sea. In a storm — and the westerlies come in hard here — waves wash clean over the lower causeways and spray reaches the road deck. The road was built in some of the worst weather Norway could throw at it; there are photographs from the construction years that look like the end of the world.

Start early or stay late: the road is always open, and the light at the shoulder of the day is something else. Park at Eldhusøya for the short coastal walk around the island, or stop at the Storseisundet viewpoint and watch the sea move. Drive it once, come back in different weather.