An archipelago pedal: e-bikes and islands in northern Norway

With its fast ferry network, quiet roads and jaw-dropping mountains, the Helgeland archipelago is the perfect place to try e-bike touring

I balk a little at the idea of riding an e-bike for our multi-day trip across the Helgeland archipelago in northern Norway. Bar a brief pause in my 20s, I have ridden a bike most days of my life without electrical assistance. And we’re only set to average 22 miles (35km) a day, albeit carrying a week’s worth of clothing, which I don’t usually do.

“You’ll enjoy it more this way,” says Maylinn Storjord at the tourist office, where my friend and I are hiring bikes. “It is flat, but Norwegian flat.”