Scandinavia 2008
 

Hello to everyone, another newbie here!

I and two other bikers are off to Sweden in May/June this year.
We have about 16 days for the trip leaving via Harwich - Esbjerg (Denmark) and returning the same way.
The plan is to spend about 5 -6 days travelling up to Stockholm, 3 -4 days in and around the capital then 4 - 5 days travelling back, we are aiming to stay in as many cabins as poss maybe camp a little.

Can anyone give me some info on the roads, weather in late May / early June, prices (although I already know it is quite expensive!)
Anyone local en-route feel like having a few beers and a chat etc
What are the most scenic places worth visiting?
Possibility of heading over the border to Oslo for a day or two?

The bikes consist of two 2004 Honda VFR's and one 2007 Honda Hornet (chilly!)

Your help is much appreciated

All the best Adam

Hi! everyone,

just discovered this forum and the site and I am happy to be around :)

For the people that travel to Romania, we have a good (very detailed!) digital map of the country (including also some off-road routes) . It is available in our shop (or dealers) from Bucharest, which is the representative office of GARMIN (GPS and maps producer). Please visit our site for more details: (click on the links bellow)

http://www.romaniadigitala.ro/en/index.php

http://www.garmin.ro/

cheers! and ride safe!
Cria

Hi Adam, The weather generally will be warm and if you're lucky fine that time of the year. As Denmark and Sweden are pretty flat or at least low lying you will not have any problems with snow in the mountains. I'm presuming you're going straight from Esbjerg to the Malmo bridge (£13) this is a good run on motorway type roads. Most roads in Sweden will be perfect for your bikes but they have a large network of gravel roads which you could manage on a VFR. Most are smooth dirt/small gravel and not too hard on the bike. I've done hundreds of miles on these roads on ordinary road tyres. I've met locals on Buells and even a V-Rod on gravel so if you find yourself on some just try it out. As for places to go. Oland is a nice place to visit and camp. Follow the coast up to Stockholm, there are some lovely spots. For camping in Denmark and Sweden you'll need a camping card. They always ask for one anyway and they cost about SEK125 (£10). You can order one from the UK online Here. Camping Card Scandinavia - Camping.se - SCR
If your travelling together just get one between you. They send you the card and you pay at the first campsite you stop at. On your way back try the Gothenburg- Frederikshavn ferry and travel down the West coast of Denmark. Beer is not too expensive if you buy cans from supermarkets. There are loads of Lidl's stores now and I head for them. Fuel is about the same as in the UK so don't worry about that. They have a lot of card only unmanned pumps over there. Once your used to them it's easier than queing inside. You can usually get the instructions in English by pressing a few buttons. If in doubt, ask a local.

I wish I was going, Sweden has the best camping anywhere. Have fun.

'Flyingdoctor'

Sounds like a good choice then!

Not too worried about the cost of everything, some things just cost more!
Do most campsites have these cabins as with three of us they should be fairly cheap!?

You are correct - we are going direct from Denmark via the bridge!

Although Sweden is generally flatter than Norway, are there still a few scenic passes / viewpoints etc with some bends in?
Not that keen on jsut fast flat roads!

Thanks in advance

You will be able to get cabins almost everywhere but if you turn up late, say 8 - 10 at night there may not be any left. quite acceptable to turn up very late on campsites in Scandinavia in the summer. If it's raining then everyone wants a cabin so stop early. Also on the east coast south of Stockholm at the weekend cabins may be pre-booked. Think about stopping Friday and Saturday night in the same cabin if you get a nice one. Expect to pay £30 -£40 for a small cabin, 4 beds and a hotplate to cook on. There's usually a fridge for your beer too. As for the scenery, Sweden is a lovely place and there are plenty of good biking roads. Like everywhere though if you stay on the main roads you will be treated to mile after mile of straight roads through pine forests which can get a bit boring. That's why I hit the gravel and cut across country. If you want spectacular biking roads you must go to Norway, they're breathtaking. By your choice of destinations you sound like you want to sample city life and that's fine. I like to get out in the wilderness and avoid cities like the plauge. Luckily you can do both within hours over there. Scandinavia, one size fits all.

We want to spend a couple of days in Stockholm (purely to have a few beers and a dance maybe!

I would prefer to spend as much time as possible on the bike and will therefore look for some good biking roads I assume not all of the 'off the beaten track' roads are gravel? Some tarmac aswell hopefully?

Would like to go to Norway, it was just the cost of everything that put me off!
Are cabins available in Norway?

Sorry for the '20 questions' - your info is of much help!

Ad

If your camping, the cost of a trip to Norway is no more expensive than Sweden. Fuel, camping and supermarket food is about the same. There are cabins everywhere in Scandinavia so Norway is the same. There are plenty of good biking roads in Sweden but they've hidden all the best stuff in Norway! It's your first trip to Scandinavia, you're going to love it wherever you go. Just enjoy it. You can't do everything in one go so save Norway for another trip or pop over on your way back to the ferry. The south of Norway is really nice and often overlooked. Most people get the ferry to Bergen and then head north.

What map do you have? I've toured using just the Michelin 711 Scandinavia/Finland and it's adequate for most roads. I also have a large scale map showing more of the backroads but you won't need that for your trip. GPS is great but it's easier to share and plan with a map and you get a better idea of where you are.

Dont know if it is still the case but I was told I couldn't use my Swedish bought camping card in Denmark, though Using one bought in Denmark was fine for Sweden??? (2001 I think), coming from Sweden I drove through Denmark and subsequently camped in Germany instead as I was in a huff about that!:stormy:

Each time I've been up that way I have travelled in a loop by utilising the ferry service between Newcastle and Bergen/Stavanger, this might give you a little bit of time in Norway as well though one thing is certain, you will be going back:clap:

I hope to be there for Midsommer this year and introduce the experience to my Brother as his first foreign bike jolly, can barely wait

If you wish to do some wild camping remember that the "All mans right" can be used in Sweden and to some extend in Denmark.

It simply means that you have the right to camp "anywhere" you like. BUT you cant camp in someones garden offcourse and you arent allowed to trample crops and so on.
But if you come by a nice forest (many of them in sweden) you can just pitch your tent! Remember that lighting a fire should only be done with great caution in the summer time.

Places like Soederaasen and Hallandsaasen in sweden is riddled with free shelters (with toilets and many with running water) in nice spots, many of them accesible by motorbike.

The same right was introduced in denmark a few years back, but we have very little undeveloped land so it isnt as easy to use. Most state forests have free camp grounds though.

Alcohol is much cheaper in denmark than in sweden and in sweden you can only buy light beer and no spirits in the shops. So when passing through Denmark you should at least stock up on decent alcohol.

Some nice scenery in Denmark could be found by avoiding the highway and just sticking to secondary roads. Maybe go a little up the coast from Esbjerg and then cross over jutland on small roads instead of just taking he beaten path.
If you feel like party, it is also much cheaper in denmark and the big cities are much smaller and more accesible than you are used to back home. Aarhus and Copenhagen are party centrals and even though Copenhagen is the capital it is easy to navigate and very safe. There are campground close to the city and many nice things too see.

Have to go.

Good luck.

Generally everyone understands english and speak some-to-very good.

Thanks so much for you input guys, twas much help!:thumbup1:

I now really cannot wait to go - just the 18hr ferry crossing to dread - which will inevitably be rough being the North Sea :helpsmilie:

The last 8 trips across the north sea have been like a mill pond for me. Have some faith. I wouldn't like to do it in the winter but the summer is usually ok. A few beers, watch the onboard band in the evening, a good nights sleep and a shower in the morning. What's not to like. The 18 hours will fly by.

To be honest it's not so much the time on the boat that bothers me, however, despite being a qualified powerboat instructor - I get seasick on a large rolling boat!
:funmeterno:

Bergen - Nordkapp thread
 

If you go to the Bergen - Nordkapp thread, you'll see Jan K's post and the link to his trip, complete with useful advice and stunning photos. Although he went north, he came back through Sweden and Denmark. It should really whet the appetite.

I lived in the north of Sweden 20 years ago and am in the early stages of planning a trip back, maybe taking in Norway and a bit of Finland too (back via the Vaasa to Umea ferry).

Weather in May/June will still be a 'little' chilly and I always found southern Sweden a bit flat but any lake or seascape is worth a look and Stockholm and Copenhagen are both great cities to explore. Enjoy.

And if you meet a Swede who doesn't speak English, take a photo, they're rarer than a Yeti.

Andrew.

Margueritrute in Denmark
 

If you want to find nice roads in Denmark, look for the "Margueritrute". Nice scenery roads all over Denmark, signposted with little signs with a daisy (Marguerit) on it. On my report of my trip to Denmark you can see some examples ( Jan Krijtenburg homepage (Travel pages) ).

Sweden
 

Hi!

I'm from Sweden and think I could give you some tips. First of all, Norway is approx 20-50% more expensive than Sweden.
The south(Skåne) is very flat, almost no forest and pretty boring nature but plenty of good MC roads.
If you go along the west coast you must se the beautiful beaches between Halmstad and Falkenberg. The beach in the small village of Haverdal is my favorite. I'll lived there before.
Now I live in Rättvik, whick is about 250km north west of Stockholm. Up here there's more mountains and more forest and almost every house is red with white "corners"(don't know the word in english), real Swedish idyll.
If you hedding this way you can camp in my yard if you want to. I'll get you some swedish meetballs or whatever you english thinks exotic:thumbup1: I can also give you some tips or show you around in Dalarna if you want. Want nothing but a smile in return.
I've a lot of biker friends in Halmstad as well if you want to meet some good people there. They will love to show you around.

In June there's a big motorcycle meeting on Gotland. I've been there a few times, a lot of bike fun and party! But I won't go there this year, saving money for my overland trips.

Skip the big straight roads, and head for the smaller ones.

Here is a link to a page which shows the best motorcykelroads in Sweden!
Only good, curvy roads are marked. Vägtips - Bike

Feel free to ask anything or if you want help with translation, always glad to help an overlander!

I hope you enjoy Sweden! :scooter:

Ronnie,

Many thanks for your above info, the link is most helpfull.

Your offers of a place to camp and of course your time to show us around is very kind of you and once we have confirmed our route (hopefully by late March) I will contact you and let you know our plans!

Many thanks

Adam:thumbup1:

Amazing country
 

I concur with "INDOORS" I spent 3 weeks in Sweden and i found only one Swede not fluent in English. Now keep in mind this Kiwi was in Kiruna, 250 km above the Arctic circle in Feburary at 10pm in -minus bloody cold looking for the northern lights and this old fulla ambled alond with his ice skate/walking frame.. must have been all of 80 years old! Everyone else i spoke/dealt with spoke great english and were always very helpful!
Amazing country!

Well thats good, although I do try and learn a little bit of the local lingo when travelling - Swedish seems like a particularly hard one!

Cant wait now, I hate having to work all the time in this sodding country, why can't we just spend our lives riding our bikes! Oh the pain of realism!

Actually, Swedish (and Norwegian) is pretty simple with a lot of words similar to German and English. And it helps to remember the three extra letters and the soft sounds. For example, Jonkoping (my keyboard won't do the dots over the o), isn't pronounced John Coping, but more 'yearn sherping'.

Anyway, it's all a bit of fun to make a fool of yourself for the amusement of the locals (better than falling off), or you could just nip round IKEA before you go and get in some practice (though you might find you've bought a sofa by the end of it).

Now Danish: once famously described by John Cleese as not a langauge, more like a throat disease.

Indoors (who's still got to sell the Harley and find something more manageable for those gravel roads).

Nothing wrong with the Harley. I passed a guy on a V-Rod last summer in Sweden on gravel. Those Swedes, they're crazy!

Sod the gravel for this year, haven't had the VFR long so will be staying firmly on the asphalt!:cool4:

Come again?! 20-50%?? I know it's a bit cheaper in Sweden, but 50%?? Please show me! I'll be over in a sec!

However, you need to realize that it is as all else in life: You get what you pay for. Sweden is cheap - Norway not ;)

If you don't mind me saying guys, I think both countries are rediculously expensive - however, that is not going to stop me visiting them as I hope their tranquility and beauty linked with some great biking roads will more than make up for the expense!:thumbup1:

Just to re-open this thread briefly - Does anyone know where I one can get practical sized maps for biking, i.e ones that fit in a map pocket on a tank bag?

I used a binder style one for France which was fantastic, however, finding one for Scandinavia is proving difficult - they are either huge and simply not practical or tiny witha stupidly large scale and therefore show know windy 'A' type roads just the main highways?!

Your help is as always much appreciated!:thumbup1:

Hi Adam,
On the back of my 1: 1 000 000 Michelin map is listed:-

752 Norway
711 Scandinavia and Finland
753 Sweden

etc

Yeah this is similar to the one I have, however, it doesnt fit in my tank bag map holder without screwing it up into an A5 - A4 sized ball!!

Anyone know of somewhere that does an A5 sized one with a binder like spine?

Maps
 

If you're near London (or Bristol), pop into Stanfords map shop which has maps for everywhere in all sizes and scales.

I did a quick search of their website, this was the only spiral-bound one I could find, but it might be too big.

Scandinavia Road Atlas: Freytag & Berndt - Road Atlases from Stanfords


Or maybe this: A3 Spiralbound Road Atlas 1129: Europe 2008

Indoors (who's in a good mood because Spurs are on their way to Wembley!!)

Thanks so much for looking mate, I think the best bet is going to be to buy a Spiral version of just sweden and take a fold up of the remaining countries incase we venture into them!:thumbup1:

Adam,

No probs, only took five minutes.

Just a thought, but if you have a scanner, why not copy a foldup map onto your computer and then print out the bits you need onto sheets of A4, then it won't matter if they get scrunged up in a tank bag and you can bin them when you've finished with them? Plus foldup maps tend to be cheaper than spirals.

Indoors.

Sweden, Norway
 

When you come to Sweden. Please visit us. We live in Gothenburg and also can give you a lot of tips regarding roads. Why Stockholm??? There is so many other and better ways to drive. We made a one-day-trip to Oslo (653 km) from here. Oslo is (and Norway) a very scenic country. You should spend moore than one or two days there.

Drive safe and welcome!

FJR Sweden

Juha

Norway
 

Norway is a scenic country... Oslo a scenic town.... ;-)

You might find the following websites useful?!?!

Camping in denmark (I stayed in Ballum, Silkeborg and north of Copenhagen)...Map of approved campsites in Denmark

Then there's Sweden....
Camping and cottages in Sweden - Your guide to Sweden - Camping.se - SCR

and finally Norway

Untitled Document

For huts/cabins, it's often to call in the morning to reserve, otherwise they can fill up......some have running water, some don't, ditto cooking facilities

The 711 is fine for touring. If you cut the card cover off and protect the creases with selotape it is quite sturdy. You will be able to make a new map fold where you want it to so you'll be able to get it in your tankbag pocket.
I use an Ortleib A3 document pouch (100% waterproof) and put the Freytag & Berndt ring bound map in there and strap it on top of my tankbag. The lower latitudes are in 1:250,000 and the more northerly parts are in 1:400,000. This is a superb map for the little roads. I still use the 711 though for covering distance as you soon run off the page on the large scale map. If you can afford it (£20) I'd get the big one. ISBN: 3-7079-0424-5 for planning even if you don't take it with you.

I've tried that, a few years ago - I think it was 1200 x 600 dpi - and the quality was not great; not good enough to carry on doing it.

So, I stuff the maps into the tankbag top, usually folded up and out of the way because I scribble a quick "roadbook" for each day onto post-its and use these to navigate (until they blow off the windscreen, on occasions!) - it works, most of the time, and you get a better appreciation of the maps, the detail they can reveal, and the country that you are passing through.

Yes, I have also scrunchted up the maps into a new folded shape (and there is sellotape on many of the orginal folds) and shoved them into the bag - handy sometimes for a quick check without dismounting - the maps are covered in high-lighter pen markings as well; places on interest en route etc.

FJR - Many thanks for your offer, I will be meeting with the two other chaps sometime in the next few weeks so will then know exactly where we will be going and for how long?

We fancied Stockholm purely for a couple of nights, a few beers see if the locals are interested in having a dance etc!
We will definately want some nice scenic roads with nice campsites to sit and chill, over a few beers and good food so, I am sure the others will be more than happy to explore as much as we can in two weeks!

Again thanks a lot for everyones helpful comments

:thumbup1:

The Swimmers
 

When the Vikings came raping and pillaging etc (nice work if you can get it) in England years ago, their last act was to grab the women and head back to those Viking longboats for the big row back over the North Sea.

On the way back, with time to spare, they were able to grade the women and select the ones they wanted to keep; those who were not up to standard were chucked over the side to make their own way back to England - hence, to this day, Scandinavians refer to UK women as "Swimmers" - the ones they threw back!!

That's how all the good-lookers ended up in the north of course.
(This chatup line works every time).

Is that why to my (limited) knowledge and from photos I have seen, many Swedish woman are absolutely stunning?
Do they find the Englishman attractive though? Or do they just take a look at the standards at football matches and the likes walking the streets and assume we are all lager drinking, pub brawl, tatooed thugs!!

Sorry, the Swedish vikings went eastwards, to Russia. The Norwegian vikings where the ones who plundered the British isles.

Oh right!
Still there are a lot of stunning Swedish woman either way!

Right, time to re-light this thread!

The route 'plan' is through Copenhagen & into Sweden. Head up the west coast of Sweden and around Lake vanern.
Then head into Norway to Oslo and spend a few days in the capital. The idea then is to head down through Norway to find some decent mountain roads and eventually end up in kristiansand for the Kristiansand - Hirtshalls ferry!

Cant wait 3 weeks left now!

Anyhow we do have a slight problem, I booked the ferry with 'Colorline' on Tuesday and despite calling Norway 3 times and emailing them 3 times I am yet to receive my booking confirmation and receipt.:nono:

From speaking with others, Colorline have always proved very goo but as far as I can see they are bloody terrible!

Has anyone else had any difficulties with them? Any idea how to get what I need from them? :helpsmilie:


Your help is much appreciated