The picture above is the MapQuest route between two cities 476 miles apart. It shows the short route in one direction, but not in the other. According to Snopes (snopes . com/computer/internet/mappoint.asp):

...the trip from Haugesund to Trondheim is an arduous two-day journey that involves crossing the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Baltic Sea; traversing seven different countries (the U.K., France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden); and traveling a grand total of 1,686 miles - all to get between two cities less than 500 miles apart in the same country...

That actually sounds like the much more fun route.