Norway - Finland
 

Hi all,

I'm thinking about doing a trip from the UK, through Norway, down through Finland and then back to the UK through northern Europe. Not sure whether I'd be doing it on 2 wheels or in some clapped out car. Is it possible to do this in a bog stock 2WD? Any tips?

Thanks.

You could do that trip in a Ford Fiesta if you wanted. The nordic countries have a pretty well developed road network, even in the north ;) The only "issue" might be bumps due to frost heave but it's nothing any car can't manage. Depending on where you enter, I recommend the Sognefjord area on the way up. It's really beautiful and very fun, twisty roads, even the E-roads. The issue in Norway is likely to be the death defying Norwegian drivers that regularly drive 20-30 km/h above the speed limit.

do it on two wheels, you won't regret, especially for the norwegian part :)
roads are well mantained as ohlala said, so no problem, except maybe for some in Poland

Norway is the best riding country in the world bar NONE.

Excellent road surface, brilliant twisty sections for mile after mile, courteous drivers and the MOST mind bogglingly beautiful scenery you could ever imagine.

Hear Hear!
 

My run up to the 'Circle' was amazing, even when the tunnels were blocked taking the detour over the tops has to be some of the most dramatic scenery I've seen!
Two wheels definatley... I did it on an XT and even plodding with that was a great ride. A car will be a chore but a bike will be a thrill!

Im from norway and I took a trip last sunday. This is coming down the mountain close to Odda on the coast.
http://a.imageshack.us/img836/6206/image209.th.jpg

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This is between Odda and Eidfjord:
http://a.imageshack.us/img339/690/image210jb.th.jpg

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It gets even more twisty then this, its an incredible ride, i return there once a year.
http://a.imageshack.us/img717/6237/image217i.th.jpg

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Really? In Norway if you're caught at 20-30k's over the limit they take your driving licence away and throw you in prison. In fact the fines for doing 5 k's over the limit are huge, so in my experience everyone sticks to the limits.

Norway is a beautiful country, especially around the fjords with stunning views everywhere. The weather can be a bit dodgy there but even so it's a great destination. The only problem is that now the Bergen ferry doesn't run it's a pain to get to. I just got back from 3 weeks in Sweden and Norway and the trip from Holland to Denmark is just a motorway dash with lots of roadworks. Even then your miles from Norway. So 2 weeks is not enough time these days, which is a shame. Petrol is about the same as the UK, 11.5 NOK (£1.25), camping is around 150 NOK (£16), although I found some for 80 NOK (£8.70)on the E6. Cabins are 350-400 NOK (£38-£44). If you get your food and beer in the supermarkets it's not too bad either. It's the poor exchange rate at the moment that's making Norway expensive but it's still worth the trip.

Since DFDS have taken over Norfolk line, they have too many ferries running to Holland/Belgium and Northern France and at the end of this year are to re schedule the routes that they are currently running. I did ask if they would be running a route from Newcastle to Norway/ Denmark / Sweden or Hamburg and was told no routes have been decided on at present ( I think these companies must work to long schedules so they probably know already) and customer demand both Commercial and Passenger were part of the review of routes. Time for everyone on both sides of the pond to start contacting them suggesting that they re-open routes UK/Scandinavia. It certainly can't harm. It must be hellish for the big lorries to drive the routes overland from Holland to Norway/Sweden instead of direct by sea.

This is exactly the trip I want to do in 2011.

I plan to go via the tunnel and drive up through Germany into Denmark because I have friends there. From there over the bridge to Sweden and crossing over into Norway to go up the coastal side. Somewhere near the top I'd like to cross over to Finland and back down that side. Quite a trip. I plan for 2 months to make it a more relaxing journey.

Last time I was at the top of Norway it was thick snow, freezing temperatures, and I was behind a dog sled for a week! Be nice to see what it looks like without the snow, and with some horsepower rather than dog power....

I was there last month,
I loved every minute of it, I wouldn't do it in a car though. You use lots of Fjord ferries and tolls allthough some of the bridges and tunnels are free for bikes if you were in a car it could be expensive.
As for speeding the locals do fly around but thats because they know where the police hide with the speedguns and they have speed disrupters so give a negative reading when flashed. You soon get used to the sedate pace and for most stretches it's more than fast enough.
Tips for the journey; all over Norway you will see roadsigns with the four loopshttp://img2.photographersdirect.com/.../pd2050513.jpg
these are high interest tourist markers, some are not that interesting but most are worth a venture off the normal road to visit them. The Dalsnibba is a toll road to the tip of a mountain overlooking the Gairanger fjord, a shale serpentine track that is a must (not my photo).
Stop off in supermarkets, most have free coffee for shoppers and a hot deli counter that’s way cheaper than anywhere else.
Right to roam and camp, there are no trespassing laws in Norway, you may roam and camp where you like as long as you stay more than 150meters away from houses and don’t make fires, off road driving is not allowed though.
I managed to find B&B for 200NK about £20, if your brave go there it’s so rustic it was beautiful, that was on the Lafoten islands. I also used a cabin which are all over the country and great to dry off, I paid 180NK for the night, apart from that I camped rough bar one night on a site for 80NK.
If you have the time you can find the bargins.
There are loads of fuel stations but most are unmanned you will need a credit card and a PIN
I would go again tomorrow but probably only as far as Lafoten
More photos here

http://picasaweb.google.de/SnaphappyXL/Norway201002?authkey=Gv1sRgCJm79r2Xl5uZtgE#

I'm halfway between Calais and Hirtshals if you need a place to stop over

Also, check out the advices for budget travel in Norway :-)

Budget travel in Norway - Minutes of a Motorcycle Addict

Great site, thank you ....

I hope to make it north next year....

Cheers
Matt

Arctic for cancer
 

Planning and preping for a run to Norway. I will take in 16 countries and have allowed 6 weeks should be time enough. Cant wait to get going, but lots to do. I have heard mixed reports about speed fines in Norway in particular, but I dont intend to hurry. Check out this web. Solo Bike Tour for Cancer with Julians Restaurant, Hoylake :freezing:

Sticking to speed limit has another advantage, you use less fuel. As this is expensive and can be a little too far apart in the far north (2 litre can useful, mortgage sized tank on your GS not required type distances) this isn't a bad thing.

Not sure about taking a Ford Fiesta. While this will get you to the North Cape on the main North-South Roads and back through Finland to the Autobahn, the East-West Roads can be gravel. Miles and miles of beautiful gravel :mchappy:.

Andy

Sounds a great trip - definitely do it on your motorbike.

I used this route, back in 1999
Ferry to Bergen (from Newcastle I think)
Up the west coast through the fjiords, including Sognefjord as recommended by ohlala - stunning.

North Cape, then into Finnish Lapland, going south taking in the Finnish Lakes, to Helsinki.

Go to the Valamo Monastery, Russian Orthodox, guest rooms, (cheap single rooms with wonderful views) ,eat with the Russian chef and monks in the dining room, and all pretty cheap. It's on a very scenic route close to the Russian border. There you'll see how wedded to beer the Finnish are. In the guest quarters, climbing the stairs, there's a bottle opener hanging on a string on every landing and half-landing, and a couple in your room!

Estonia, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Austria, Germany, ........ Calais.
On the ferry to Estonia you'll also see how serious the Finnish are about their dancing tradition!
And they're serious about saunas too of course, try out the wood-burning ones in Lapland. It's where everyone meets up. (And all speak English if necessary, but they are also very defensive, and serious, about their own language).

All on a Yamaha XT225 Serow. (I even got a parking ticket on it somewhere in the Finnish Lakes, good souvenir).

It's all you need. But I had plenty of time, 3 months for that.

I didn't take a tent and was a bit worried about the prices of rooms in Scandinavia. But I found Youth Hostels everywhere.

I left UK beginning of June to reach North Cape by the 20th, for the solstice. That's out of season and almost every hostel I stopped at was empty. Certainly, all the dorms I used were empty. And the out-of-season prices were pretty good. Most hostels are attached to large hotels and you can use all their facilities, mainly restaurants which didn't seem expensive. I remember finding the largest and certainly cheapest salmon filets I've ever encountered.

If you're going south from North Cape through Lapland in late June, that's the height of the mosquito season and you need precautions. Most people wear head-nets out-of-doors, I wished I had one, it's a good idea, you feel conspicuous without one. Lots of spray repellant needed.

The highlight for me, I'd recommend it highly, is definitely Knivskjelodden, as shown on indu's website here: Budget travel in Norway - Minutes of a Motorcycle Addict

It's slightly further north than North Cape, so really, you've got to do it.
Start from the car park by the road to North Cape. Read the precautions (clothing, unpredictable and variable weather, detailed map, water, etc etc)
When I arrived at the North Cape gates the weather was brilliant and settled, so I decided to do this walk straightaway. Best decision of the whole trip.
I started about 9pm from the car park, arrived at the headland around midnight(!!). Most wonderful hanging sun due north over the Arctic Ocean, with just enough cloud to make massive fiery furnaces across the sky. I decided then and there, whoever wrote in the Bible about chariots going up to heaven in fireballs must definitely have been here! A big bonus was I was absolutely the only person there.
So I stayed about 3 hours, didn't really want to leave. Amazing marine bird life as well, masses of it. And they let you know, in no uncertain terms, if you scrabble too close to their nests on the rocky headland.

By the time I left it was about 3 am on the 21st, so I saw it on the solstice.
I stayed at the hostel just before you reach the gates of North Cape. That was the only time on the trip I shared a room.
Then went into the cape for the evening of the 21st. You need a big checkbook for the entry fee, and on this day it was heaving with coaches outside and tourists inside.

But the sun had gone, cloud everywhere, so absolutely no chance of seeing the midnight sun. Was I glad I took the walk the evening before!
Inside I saw an interesting aspect of human nature. I stopped for tea and chatted to the waitress.

The place was full of visitors, and there was quite a sense of displeasure, irritation and even anger everywhere.
The waitress seemed to be happy to dally a bit serving my tea.
"It's the same every year," she said (in good English). "It's all cloud everywhere, not a hope of seeing the sun, and they all take it out on us staff. They blame us for the weather! Ask us why they can't see the sun! They insist they are only here this one evening, so we should do something about it!"

I've read a few reports (including on the HUBB) where visitors have said they were dissappointed about the commercialisation of North Cape, so prepare to be dissappointed, but it's what you make of it. Knivskjelodden is the key - but you definitely need the luck of good weather!

Norway in June
 

Anybody know what sort of temperatures I can expect in Arctic circle in June and July am and pm. I am camping all the way because of tight budget. My trip is on Solo Bike Tour for Cancer with Julians Restaurant, Hoylake . Getting some practice in at the mo in N Wales , the odd night under canvas. Last week -4 c uncomfortable. Thermarest mat not very good.

Check out (for example) BBC´s weather averages... for Inari, which is way up north in Finland, it says June is normally between +6 and +14 Celsius, July between +9 and +17. And record lows are -2 for June +2 for July.

There are great variations every year, though, so it is more or less impossible to predict, what the exact weather will be next summer. The last one broke our all-time heat records, and now winter seems to be a severe one, both indicate a ´continental´ effect on our weather, with winds coming from the east. That usually means cold winters and hot summers, but there´s no guarantee it won´t turn around within the next 6 months.

edit. If I had to guess, when will be the warmest period in the Arctic summer, I´d probably put it somewhere around the latter part of July, or early August. It often seems to be quite cold up there all the way until around mid-June, or even the end of June. But like I said, it varies almost every year.

Hi McCrankpin,

I don't suppose you'd fancy repeating your Serow tale over on XT225/250 Rider's Group, as I'm sure many of our clan would relish reading such a report and if there's any photo's then even better?


And by the way, I've loved my trips around Norway, wonderful people, superb vista's, great snacks at the fuel stations and a stunning receptionist at a Whale watching place on the Lofoten Islands!

Regards

Reggie

Hi Reggie,

Yes I'd like to do that sometime, I have quite a few photos but they're on paper so need digitizing first.
I also already have an account of that trip on this computer somewhere, but it doesn't mention biking very much, mainly the midnight sun in Norway and Finland and the solar eclipse a couple of months later in Hungary. I wrote it for an astronomy magazine. Maybe I'll add some bike photos to it and post it on the Serow site. I think I have a log-on there.
It'll take me a little while though.

Someone here asked about temperatures in June/July.
Well, I wasn't camping, but be prepared for the long road tunnel that joins the mainland to the island where North Cape is situated.
On my trip the weather was sunny and warm, so I wasn't wearing much when I entered that tunnel. Big mistake!
Don't remember how long it is, but after riding into it for 2 or 3 miles or more, it was seriously cold and I was chilled to the bone. It's narrow and dark and hardly lit, so it didn't feel safe to stop to put on more clothes. I was colder in that tunnel than I'd been in a long while. Put on your winter woolies before riding into it!

Happy New Year.

Hi McCrankpin,

I like the idea of combining the Astronomy write up with a bike tour but can't quite picture Patrick Moore on a ride out with Austin Vince. Would make for an entertaining evening though!

As for temps, well I've been up to Nord Capp in May and your needed your thermals then, that's for sure! In fact we free camped on the very first night at Lillehammer and when we awoke in the morning even my sheepskin seat cover was frozen solid!

And talking of tunnels, please ensure you have a quick way of raising sun glasses etc, as it changes into total darkness in some of them and many have sharpish turns as well.

Happy New Year to all

Regards

Reggie

And Guess which fool took summer gloves and a summer sleeping Bag :oops2:

I don't think I have ever been so cold.

That was a cracking trip Reggie. I will have to return with Leigh to show her just how Beautiful and remote Norway is.

Next time I will have the correct sleeping bag and gloves with me...:innocent:

Happy New Year.

Dazzer

Greetings Dazzer,

'twas a fabulous trip and left a mark, that's for sure!

I remember my sleeping bag to be perfect!

I'm sure you said you'd stuffed your sleeping bag into your ears, to try and protect you from the loud snoring. I never heard it as I was sound asleep!!!!!!

Regards

Reggie

Heading up through Norway to Iceland on our trip in June. What a useful site!!

Thanks!!!

I agree! I'm doing a trip from Tallinn to St. Petersburg to Nordkapp and south through Norway, setting off in a couple of weeks.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...rth-cape-58379


cheers
Chris

Hello


What's Norway like in October?

I have to take a bike from London to Tallinn in October and thought about Norway-Sweden-Finland, but it might be too cold?

D

I'd advice against riding in Norway in October. Not necessarily because it's too cold, but it might be ice on the roads in the early mornings and evenings. Which indicates that it's too cold, I guess... ;-)

Dirt roads and Bushcamping
 

I notice Snaphappy mentioned the 'Right to roam & camp' in Norway but what about Finland and the Baltic States? The idea of spending 16 quid on a campsite makes what hair I've got stand on end!

Is there much in the way of off-road routes?

I'm on the road in South America at the moment so don't have access to maps, hence the 'dumb' question...sorry. Just thinking ahead!

Cheers

Adam