Motorhoming in Lapland in winter with children.
“Go Motorhoming With The Kids” and “Visit Lapland in Winter” are entries on many people’s Dream Lists but not many families would put the two together. Would they?
Our family of four have just returned from a Winter Wonderland tour in a Bailey Approach Advance motorhome: 4000 miles, 40 days, 7 countries, and two small children. Stocked with winter clothing, blankets, chains, antifreeze, and 10 boxes of mince pies for friends we’d be visiting along the way, we set out for our Arctic Adventure at the end of November for a Dream Journey that would take us to the Finnish Arctic Circle and then on to Bergen in Norway for Christmas.
From the frozen waterways of the Netherlands, where we arrived after disembarking from the Harwich-Hook of Holland ferry, to Santa Claus’ Post Office in Finnish Lapland we encountered snowscapes and frozen lakes, enjoyed plenty of sledging with the children, and sampled delicious food and warm hospitality from families all around the Nordic countries.
Travelling by road in the snow and ice isn’t everyone’s idea of fun but it’s not as daunting as it might first appear, and the Christmassy feel of the journey helped fuel our enthusiasm. To the delight of our children, aged 5 and 3, it even felt like we were chasing down Father Christmas himself as we headed further and further north. We discovered Sinterklaas on Dutch chocolates at an old-fashioned bakery, and der Weihnachtsmann amongst the kitsch Christmas decorations of Luebeck Market after a night at the Kluethseecamp & Seeblick campsite. We spotted Santa Claus sauntering down the street near where we camped in Holbaek, Denmark, sack slung over his shoulder as he and his nisse (elves) handed out packets of sweets to children, and we saw him almost everywhere we went in Rovaniemi, Finland, where hotels are named after him. Finally, the children got to meet Father Christmas for real at his Post Office in Finnish Lapland before we headed back south through the stunning Swedish scenery, the mountains that form the border with Norway, and down the rugged West Coast and the fjords to friends near Bergen for Christmas. On New Year’s Eve we were treated to an hour of non-stop fireworks displays from cabins and chalets all around the Haukellifjell ski station where we had hooked up for a few nights. We didn’t see the Northern Lights, as conditions weren’t right, but the Scandinavian skies didn’t disappoint – winter sunrises and sunsets in this northern corner of the world are spectacular, and worth a mention in their own right.
We had plenty of little adventures and Dreams Come True on this arctic tour, from kicksledding and skiing, to visiting the world’s largest Gingerbread City and driving around a roundabout in a tunnel in a mountain in Norway. However, the 24-hours we spent in the Arctic itself was undeniably the most adventurous part of all. With temperatures plummeting to -27 degrees, cold even by local standards for this time of year, we decided to push ourselves and the Bailey motorhome to our limits by wild camping by a frozen lake. Wrapped up warm and benefitting from the van’s propane-powered heater, we survived a night under the bright full “moon before Yule” by the shore of Lake Olkkavvaara. The next day we played on the ice, made snow angels, explored the woods, and lit a fire in a traditional laavu, or wilderness hut where we warmed some of the minced pies we had brought from home, and drank hot chocolate in the snow. Being entirely “in the moment” surrounded by, quite literally, breathtaking views and cold crisp air is an experience none of us will forget.
Now we are back in England, we are enjoying telling people about our Arctic Adventure. Friends and family are amazed that it is possible to travel to the Arctic in the winter in a motorhome, and there’s a part of me that can’t quite believe that we did it, either. We hope our story will encourage others to get behind the wheel for their dream journeys. Every mile of winter road, and every frosted sky we slept required a certain amount of endurance from us and reliability from the van but together we made the dreams come true, every last frozen one of them!
