Kanalruta – National Cycle Route 2
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Occasionally along a busy road
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Kanalruta is signed with red signs from Ulefoss to Dalen. You can download a digital map in your smartphone.
1800 m. Designed for the adventurous and experienced, this route will test your stamina with its sharp inclines and rigorous climbs.help_outlined
Kanalruta is National Cycle Route no. 2 in Norway, and follows the Telemark Canal. This more than 100 years old waterway was carved into the mountain and was an important transportation route between upper and lower Telemark. Today it´s a very popular tourist attraction, both by boat and by bike. The locks are a crucial part of the canal system. The boats glide into a chamber, the gates lock behind and water are filled until the boats rise to the next chamber. As a cyclist you cycle over one of them!
The cycling here is a combination of tranquil gravel roads in the forest, over fields, along the canal and some cycling on low traffic asphalt roads. In summer time it´s great to combine the cycling with the Canal Boat trip. Make sure to book accomodations, and plan for limited availability (groceries and goods) on parts of the route. The terrain has quite a few hills. Even though it´s called the Canal Route, there are few flat parts – and you should have some cycling experience to do the whole trip. The route is signed with red signs from Ulefoss to Dalen.
Public transport: You can travel by train to the starting point Skien. See vy.no for more details.
Tickets Canal boat: See booktelemark.no for more details.
Time: 2-3 days cycling
Surface: 70 % asphalt, 30 % gravel
Safety: Medium safe
Difficulty: Challenging – some hills up and down
Stages (3)
15 km in Vestfold og Telemark-
Stage 2: Lunde – Vrådal
53 km in Vestfold og Telemark -
Stage 3: Vrådal – Dalen
45 km in Vestfold og Telemark
