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13 Aug 2015
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From here you get on the 70 and then the E39 and stay on it until Trondheim in 189 km. There are 2 sea tunnels. The first 7 km one is at the exit to the Atlantic road has the only manned tollbooth in the country and the only one that has a fee for motorcycles (61Kr = 10$). They know how to get the tourists! The second is like elsewhere there is no toll. Trondheim is a huge city on the E6 and we got thru with not too much traffic. The E6 becomes a 2-lane highway north of the city and the cars start to thin out.
 DSC02685 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We stopped for the night just south of Verdalsora at the “KOA” campsite. We splurged as the price for a small cabin with power, heat and a small kitchen was 16 $ more than tent camping for 2 people with 2 motorbikes. Ahhh luxury!
 atlantic road 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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The distance from Steinkjer to Bodo is 690 km. There are six ferries along the Fv 17 that are from 10 to 60 min long crossings. The weather is supposed to be improving, but there is no evidence of this yet. It is just another 30 km north on the busy E6 until you turn onto the 17 when you reach Steinkjer, which is the gateway to the Kystriksveien or Coastal route to Bodo.
We started out late at 11 am in the rain again. From Steinkjer we drove the 77 km to Namsos with a fairly heavy traffic. Here the cars and RVs thin out and the road continues with twists and turns another 139 km to the first ferry at Holm. The last 100 km before the ferry it got very cold and it really started to pour. This is the unfun part of overland travel. The days you just want to go home. We had planned to go another 50 km after the ferry. We only had to wait about 10 minutes for the ferry. This is an enclosed boat and passengers have to leave the car deck. This meant a heated lounge and a hot coffee! Arriving in 20 minutes at Vennesund we were thrilled to see a camping site at the dock with small cabins. For not much more than camping we had a dry heated cabin with a small kitchenette. The other bonus was wifi fast enough to get in some Netflix. This was a great break from the horrible weather outside.
 Screen Shot 2015-08-02 at 7.32.58 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2015-07-24 at 9.40.21 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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We were stoked to see only a light rain when we got up and then after an hour or so some sunshine.
 DSC02695 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Today our plan is to head towards Bodo and get as far as we can get.
 Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.44.46 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The ferry schedules are timed here so you can make it from one to the next, but of course we were now out of the rotation. We waited until the rain had almost stopped before we packed up and stupidly we did not consult the ferry schedule. There is a 64 km drive to the ferry at horn, and we missed it by 10 minutes. This meant an hour plus wait for the next sailing. But this did make time for a snack.
 DSC02696 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02698 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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The crossing was again 20 minutes to Anddalsvag.
 DSC02699 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02700 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Then everyone races the 17 km to the dock at Forvik because if you miss this boat the next is in 2 hours. There is a 60-minute crossing to Tjotta with the option to get off at 3 smaller islands on the way if you wish. From here it is another 71 km to Levang, but since we now had the schedule worked out we had time to stop for some groceries on the way. The road here is big sweeping turns thru the countryside. This last crossing today to Nesna was 25 minutes. There is also a nice church and museum on the way. This is the most beautiful of the islands with snow-capped mountains and the road curving along the fjords. There are two 3 km very narrow and poorly lit tunnels on route.
 DSC02702 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02703 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02708 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02716 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02728 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02729 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02739 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02733 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02738 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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Leaving in the morning it had improved to cloudy with occasional showers. But at least we had figured out the ferry schedules.
 Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.47.02 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC02741 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had just a 30 km drive to catch the 10 am ferry from Kiboghamn to Jetvik, which is 60 minutes and you cross the Arctic Circle after about 40 minutes.
 saltstraumen 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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You stay on the 17 north another 143 km of winding road along the fjords to arrive at Saltstraumen. This is a small strait with the strongest tidal current in the world. Up to 400,000,000 cubic meters of water flow thru the 3 km long and 150 meter wide strait every 6 hours. Water speeds reach 41 km/h and vortexes or maelstroms form that are up to 10 meters wide. We went down to see the water flow at the low flow so we were really impressed when we saw it at high slow. The vortexes were so huge they were like volcanic craters.
 saltstraumen 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 saltstraumen 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Lofoten is an archipelago that even though it lies above the Arctic Circle it has very mild temperatures for this latitude due to the Gulf Stream. There is evidence of human settlement here for 11,000 years. There are 6 major islands, several minor, and hundreds of small islands connected by causeways and bridges. We unloaded the ferry to light rain. The islands are known for the coastal fishing villages, high mountain peaks, and protected harbors. The weather worsened, but still we tried to navigate some of the small roads to the remote villages.
 DSC03411 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC03413 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 DSC03414 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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Finally we had had enough by 4 pm and found a campsite just north of the largest town of Svolvaer. We did have some breaks in the rain for a bit of a walk along the shore.
 rotsundelv 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 rotsundelv 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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It rained hard all night, which makes for a poor night sleep. It was still raining hard when we were packing up, which is always crappy. We headed out again on the E 10 north and after about 45 minutes we started to see blue sky ahead.
 Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.53.16 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
By an hour it was SUNNY and even hot. We pulled over to a rest stop and put up the tent to dry it out in less than 10 minutes.
 rotsundelv 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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13 Aug 2015
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Contributing Member
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The day started out with nice weather, but that changed quickly. Within 30 minutes we were riding in the pouring rain. We did however finally see a reindeer today and the Nordkapp sign for 240 KM!
 hammerfest 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 hammerfest 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had originally planned to try to make it near to the North Cape today, but really we had had enough of the cold and pouring rain by 3 pm and we made for Hammerfest, which is by the way the most northerly city in the world.
 Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.55.07 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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Next HU Events
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2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
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Lots more comments here!
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New to Horizons Unlimited?
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Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
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Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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