UK to Nordkapp via the fjords

[mojitomax]

hi all,

i'm planning on riding up to Nordkapp (the northern most point in mainland europe) in late july. If anyone fancies riding up with me drop me a line. Should take about 3-3.5 weeks of leisurely riding.

[James Rothwell]

I did this in Feb '07 and it was amazing!

Enjoy it!

[Indoors]

Went up there last year - had a fantastic time - you'll love it.

Went solo BTW so if no-one replies, don't let it put you off.

Pics are here if you want something to whet your appetite.

Flickr: Triumph trips' Photostream

Cheers,

Indoors.

[roxxo]

Originally Posted by Indoors

Went up there last year - had a fantastic time - you'll love it.

Went solo BTW so if no-one replies, don't let it put you off.

Pics are here if you want something to whet your appetite.

Flickr: Triumph trips' Photostream

Cheers,

Indoors.

This trip is certainly on our must do list.
Cracking fotos Indoors.

Those bars on the Bonnie look a bit high and wide. I really like them.
They're not standard are they?

[Threewheelbonnie]

Did this in 2000. It's fantastic.

If no one else has suggested it, think about new tyres. Roads designed to take months under the snow cause more wear than the UK variety. Don't ask how I know , lets just say there is a very nice BMW dealer in Trondheim.

Andy

[markharf]

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

Did this in 2000. It's fantastic.
lets just say there is a very nice BMW dealer in Trondheim.
Andy

Funny, I know that very BMW dealer! They tried to convince me of the inferiority of my KLR to the 1200GS they had on the floor....but gave me reasonably prompt service before sending me on my way north last September.

FWIW, I found parts readily available on overnight delivery from Oslo at about twice to three times the price in the USA. This fact alone would recommend getting well ahead of the curve on maintenance before entering Norway. I was told that tires and other such are best purchased in Germany, and that many Norwegian and Swedish bikers make regular buying trips there.

The journey itself is as spectacular as advertised. Don't miss the Lofoten Islands, and don't assume lots of high-mileage days: speed limits are low, and fines are reportedly draconian. OTOH, Norwegians seem quite content to toodle along at precisely the speed limit for hundreds of kilometers without making any attempts to speed up or overtake. This tends to bunch them up, allowing easy passing once you conquer your fear of radar traps.

I would add just one caution: the caribou/reindeer herds in the north are the precise color of tundra rocks and sea fog. If the fog rolls in, dress warmly and find some sort of car or truck to follow.

Safe journeys,

Mark

[chuzzwuzza]

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

Did this in 2000. It's fantastic.

If no one else has suggested it, think about new tyres. Roads designed to take months under the snow cause more wear than the UK variety. Don't ask how I know , lets just say there is a very nice BMW dealer in Trondheim.

Andy

a great piece of advice, shredded my back tyre miles from nowhere. KTM dealers a little harder to come by im afraid

[BruceP]

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

Did this in 2000. It's fantastic.

If no one else has suggested it, think about new tyres. Roads designed to take months under the snow cause more wear than the UK variety. Don't ask how I know , lets just say there is a very nice BMW dealer in Trondheim.

Andy

I sort of agree about the tyres.
We did the trip in 2005 on my XJ900F, 2 up. 4100 miles round trip, rear (new on before leaving) was dead on return. I normally get 8-9000 out of them.

Just got back from UK->Estonia->Spain-> trip (yes, silly) and the Lith/Lat/Est roads have also been harsh on the rear tyre.

[nige w]

Hi, I did this trip 2008. Two up with my 14 year old daughter. Its a brilliant trip. it took us 17 days total up and down. Hope your aware theres no direct ferries now from UK which will add a couple of days riding on.

[Norma Snockers]

Nige what did it roughly cost you to do this trip ?

Been thinking about it for a while now but never really got round to planning it. Any advice & pointers will be welcomed

[beaming buddha]

greetings markharf,
I think we met on the ferry from bodo to moskenes in the lofoten islands last september
certainly the islands were the highlight for me together with the fantastic weather. I based myself in henningsvaer in a fishermans hut. then moved up the coast to the nordkapp.your right about the reindeer and elk who sometimes have a fondness for parking themselves in the tunnels so keep a watch out guys but like some of the other members say its a great trip to do and camping should certainly be an option in july as the short summer gets the most visitors

[apapadop]

Hi, we all seem to be off-topic here so I'll just add my 2p.

I did this trip last summer and it was the best I've done so far. 20 days, 11,000 KM. I went on my own but met a friendly Italian on a Triumph along the way (on the boat from Bodo to Lofoten) and we rode together till Nordkapp.

I second the comment about the tyres, mine were almost trapezoid but the time I got back.

For the route and some other pictures check out the report at http://www.moto.gr/forums/showthread.php?threadid=66663 - the writeup is in Greek but the map etc should give you a rough idea of what I did.

Servicing/workshops in Norway were even more expensive than London... I had to change oil and get a replacement indicator (managed to drop the bike and break one of 'em) in Bergen and I had a very rough time convincing myself that I wasn't being taken for a ride.

Extremely kind/helpful people, when I needed help it was all there and for free.

The multiple mandatory ferry rides along the coast are excellent opportunities to meet people, so don't worry about going alone, you are bound to meet someone along the way.

If I may suggest a particularly wonderful piece of road that I think you will enjoy riding: The summer-only 520 (http://wikimapia.org/beta/#lat=59.80...12&l=0&m=h&v=1) from Novlefossen to Haugesund.

Have a great time & don't hesitate to ask anything about the trip!

[Ryan Jensen]

Hey Max.

I will go from Denmark around July 20th up through Norway, going to Lofoten and then Nordkapp. I will go via Finland and Russia home. A friend of mine will ride with me to about Lofoten and then head home.
I don't have much of a plan about when to be where and hope to do a lot of camping and cooking. If possible, I will stay off main roads and mybe do a bit of off road when my buddy has left me. The tarmac seems to be bad for your tires so I dont see why I should ride it all the time. My bike is a 95 Transalp and I have previously done a smaller trip in the Italian alps. Try Ryansrejse.dk and click on "Billeder" I haven't got much text yet, but some of the pictures are pretty good.
if you want to contact me, write to ryan_tjelle@hotmail.com

Greetings
Ryan the Dane

[markharf]

Originally Posted by beaming buddha

greetings markharf,
I think we met on the ferry from bodo to moskenes in the lofoten islands last september

Yah, we definitely did just that, Mr. Buddha. Glad to hear your trip worked out fine. I had an entire hostel to myself, and the owner swore you'd never have found anyplace else to stay....but I supposed I'd have seen your bleached bones by the roadside if you'd not.

From Nordkapp I made it south through Eastern Europe as far as well south in Turkey before swinging around north through Greece, ex-Yugoslavia and Italy to drop my bike in Germany. I'm currently getting ready to head south again, provided I can rent my place for enough money to pay for the bulk of it.

Good luck and safe journeys!

Mark

[beaming buddha]

Namaste Mark,
that was a nice trip you ended up doing and no problems with the klr ?.i remember we talked about sourcing spare parts for the klr.i recall i had to get my spares for my klr from a european kawasaki distributor in holland .my bike was an import from california (A9 model)70,000km when i sold it and so i had to find american spec parts through this company in holland.anyway i stayed out in the lofotens for a week and rented a fishermans hut in henningsvaer.got a discount as it was out of season and had a great week touring around the islands.weather was fantastic but with cold sharp mornings with heavy frost until sun got high enough to burn it off.spent a few days in the nordkap region basing myself in honningsvag.took a road down over the finnish border and it was refreshing to bike through the forests and lakes after the artic tundra and cold northern winds.i then drove down through rain and sleet into northern sweden and eventually took the ferry from trelleborg in southern sweden to sassnitz in germany.thinking of heading down to turkey in september 2010 for four weeks did a bit of volunteer work there in `75.be nice to tour there again after thirty five years.in the meantime happy trails Dave