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. It stretches 18 kilometres across skerries and open sea, connecting the mainland to Averøy through a series of eight bridges and causeways built on a scatter of small islands.

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.