By Boreal Yachting crew, Skippers and guides, Tromsø
Publication date not available
Bike and sail uses the boat as transport between island trails that have no shuttle and often no road. Bikes come aboard, the yacht moves overnight, and each day starts at a different landing. The season runs from June to September.
Can ski-and-sail work for mountain biking? A group of riders set out to find trails on the remote islands of Northern Norway, reachable only by boat. Working through scrub and marshland on Ulloya and Reinøya, they found singletrack descending to the Arctic Sea, with a yacht waiting in the harbour below.
The concept of bike-and-sail is new and still experimental. Unlike ski-and-sail, where the mountains provide obvious descents, mountain biking in Northern Norway requires more creativity. The terrain above the treeline is open and rocky; lower down, birch forest and marshland create natural obstacles. Between these zones lies a sweet spot of rideable terrain.
Our exploratory trips have identified several riding zones. The islands of Ulloya and Reinøya in North Troms offer technical singletrack through heather and rock gardens, with descents ending at the water's edge. On Senja, old fishing paths and sheep trails form natural flow trails above the sea.
The yacht works as a support vehicle. Bikes, tools and spare parts are stored on deck. After a day of riding, riders return to hot showers, a warm meal and the saloon, and by the next morning the yacht has moved to a new island and a new set of trails.
This is riding with no trail maps, no GPS tracks and no other riders: unmarked terrain, and trails riders make themselves. It is not always tidy — the scrub can be brutal — but few people have ridden these islands before.
Bike & Sail trips run from June to September. We provide yacht and skipper; riders bring their own bikes, or we can arrange rentals. Groups of four to six riders work best, allowing flexibility and plenty of time on the trails.
Related experience: Mountain Bike & Sail.
Where this sails: Sailing Senja.
About the author
Skippers and guides, Tromsø
Written by the Boreal Yachting editorial team using operational knowledge from the skippers and guides who sail Northern Norway and Svalbard.
Between November and January, herring wintering in the fjords near Tromsø and Skjervøy draw humpback whales and orca. Sailing to them keeps engine noise low and lets the animals decide the distance. Water is around 4°C, so a drysuit or thick wetsuit is required.
The Lyngen Alps rise straight from the fjord, so a walk here starts at sea level and gains everything on foot. Between June and September the boat anchors at the foot of a ridge in the evening and the group walks from the shoreline in the morning.
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