Norway and Artic circle
We will be celebrating a big wedding anniversary summer next year, and fancy doing something different, so thought it would be nice to be at the Artic circle on "our date". We may have to take our dog with us, so my question is, will be easy to get her passport done coming back from this region? I know France has lots of vets that do the passport stuff you need, but I have not heard much about Norway etc.
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There are no car ferries from UK to Norway, Sweden or Denmark so I suppose you will be driving from one of the Dutch ports.
On your way back a Dutch vet can do the worming tablet and sign the dog passport before you return to the UK.
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There will be a lot more to plan for than just your dog.
I went there this year on an Arctic cruise and we went right up to the North Cape (Honningsvag) It is stunning. If you are going right up to the top it will be in excess of 2000 miles. You don't say how long you have got but that is a lot of miles just to get there. You also don't say if you have a van or MH but there won't be much difference in time if any. The roads we saw (not many) looked in good condition but were narrow and mountainous so average speed I think will be very low.You could be looking at a week there and a week back. We saw one camp site in Skoldjen which looked to be quite good and busy in June.
You will need to do some homework to plan this one. Take some blindfolds for sleeping, we never saw darkness in 4 days
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Always enjoyed my time in Norway and Denmark when working there and wouldn't hesitate to say go for it,
I've put some links below that may help you to decide. Don't be put off by the negatives as my research shows that a fair number of caravanners do what you are planning. Haven't got the time to do the trip ourselves at the moment although we are hoping to travel to Latvia with our caravan in 2018. Hope you have a great anniversary celebration.
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http://www.wheelgotravelling.info/CaravanTravels_Norway.html
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/travelabroad/europeantours/scandinavia-and-north-cape/
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Like Harryb, we've been to North Cape on a cruise but continued a further 500 miles north up to Svalbard. As has been posted, it's a long way and the last place of any significance is Tromso and North Cape is another 200 as the arctic skua flies, so probably getting on for double that by road. Kjelln has suggested that travelling further north than the Lofotens is hardly worth the effort.
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Personally speaking, I would leave the caravan at home for that trip.
Flights to Bergen are only £68 each way, the daily ship up the coast starts from there, if you get off at Bodo the Lofoten islands are close by, and from Bodo there are trains back to the south. Airbnb would be my answer for accommodation - Caravans and motorhomes are not the only way.
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Thanks for replies.
We will be travelling with a caravan, towed with a 4x4. Would probably be going for about 35 nights starting early/mid June.
Have heard mozzies are bad in July?
I have done cruises to this area too, but not quite as far as the Artic circle. So know it's a bit of a trek.
There is a tour being done by the C and Camping club next year, so it is doable.
Lastly don't like flying so that's not an option.
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Good luck anothersunrise, hope you do it, I would love to...maybe one day I will.
One regret I have is a member of my family lived in Newcastle for years and we used to say we'd go on the Bergen ferry from there, we never did and the service ended! Then the Esbjerg ferry stopped running, then the Shetland connection went and we still didn't do it, so there's a lesson there somewhere!
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Coming from the north of Norway, we have travelled beyond the Arctic Circle, with caravan, 5 times in all, once to North Cape.
It is a long way, but 35 days is a good length of time.
I would suggest, to see as much as possible, to do a circular tour, one way via Sweden and the other via Norway.
We usually take a ferry to Holland then drive across Germany to Sassnitz and take the ferry to Trelleborg. Then we drive north in Sweden and return via Norway, you could also venture into Finland. The coast road south in Norway is very scenic, but there are lots of ferries and toll bridges, and indeed lots of toll roads in Norway, so not a cheap trip.
From the south of Norway there is a ferry to Denmark, but we generally return via Oslo and into Sweden and the bridge to Denmark.
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We visited, Norway, Denmark and Sweden in 2015 and took 12 weeks - we definitely couldn't see everything we wanted to! We drove up from Hook of Holland, through Denmark, over the very expensive (but amazing) bridge into Sweden, up through Norway as far as the Swedish/finnish border and then back through Sweden and Denmark. Highlights were Copenhagen, Ribe, Odense and Roskilde in Denmark - we only scratched the surface so we're going back next year. Distances were very long in Norway, we really enjoyed Trondheim, Oslo, Tromso and the Lofoten Islands (our favourite place but jampacked with motor homes in May/June!). We took the Skutvik-Svolvaer ferry to the Lofotens which was an attractive cruise. One fun place to stay was the Polar Park, just north on Tromso, there is a small campsite next to the carpark. We spent less time in Sweden, as we were running out of time, but stopped at Mora where there are Dala horse folk art workshops.
We visited in early May-mid july - we were surprised how much snow was around, especially on the passes by the fjords, and it snowed when we stopped at the arctic Circle centre. We loved our trip though, it was an amazing experience
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Thank you for reply. Gives us food for thought. Just need to do more research on sites routes etc. Was it the Malmo bridge? That's on my do do list.
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Thank you KjellNN. That very helpful. I am looking into what sites there are. What sites did you use in the Artic circle area?
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We cheated a bit as we stayed in the garden of my parents' old house south of Bodo, and in my sister's garden at Storvik which is a bit further south, then with my other sister in Rodoy, which is even further south.
Also in the gardens of two of my cousins up north, and my cousin in Bergen, my cousin in Horten and my nephew in Oslo.
Otherwise, sites in Norway we used over the years on a north to south tour were....
Neiden Camping on the way to Kirkenes
Nordkapp Camping, Honningsvag
Alta River Camping, Alta
Narvik Camping, Narvik
Sortland Camping, Sortland
Offersoy, south of Sandnessjoen
Kvisteroe Camping on the way to Trondheim
Atlanten Camping, Kristiansund
Vollsdalen Camping, Aalesund
Uritun Camping , Volldal
Stryn Camping, Stryn
Kjoernes Camping
Flaam Camping
Voelstadskogen, near Stavanger
Sjoesanden Feriesenter, Mandal
Hamre Familiecamping, Kristiansand
Seljord Camping, not far from Rjukan
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We did it many years ago, with our caravan, when one could sail from Newcastle to Gotenburg. We drove up through Sweden, crossed a little of Finland then up across the Arctic Circle into Norway. Travelled to the North Cape by boat, as there was no bridge at the time, and then back down through Norway and into Sweden again by the Silver Road, and back to Gotenburg. We used camping checks for campsites.
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We also used to take the ferry to Gothenburg, back in the 70s/80s, once we met my Mum there and went to Stockholm and took the ferry to Finland and travelled north that way.
Far less driving, which was good when I was still working and such trips could be no more than 6 weeks in all, and only every few years. We went in 1977 and 1980 in our first caravan.
Since then we have only used Hull/Rotterdam or the Channel crossings when going to Scandinavia.
We tried out the day crossing from Harwich this year, so that could be an option in future.
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The Bridge is very interesting and quite a sight, there are viewing points on both sides. The ferry still runs but is no cheaper.
Sometimes you can get a discount through the Camping Key card if you order one from Sweden, cost around £16. You will need one for many sites in Scandinavia, it comes free if you take out Red Pennant, but a UK issued one will not give you any of the Swedish discounts.
The offer we had involved applying for a Bro Bizz thing which is a tag that gives a discount on bridge crossings, and normally you have to pay for it. With the card we could get the Bro Bizz free for 12 months, and the bridge cost was then just over half the normal. So the Swedish Camping Key saved us quite a bit.
We also got a discount on the bridges going across Denmark.
For Norway, you will need a way to pay bridge, tunnel and road tolls, this tag can be used there too, and there was a small saving too, so worth looking into whether there are any offers like that next year.
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Hi, we did this trip in 2012, no dog so can’t answer that part. We did a story on this trip under the link https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/your-stories/travellingpeacocks/norway-trip-2012/
it is a long way, we went up through Holland, Germany, Denmark across the bridge to Sweden and then through Sweden to Nordkapp and back through Norway. Over 5000 miles towing but worth it. Food is expensive in Norway so take what you can. Hope you go it’s worth it.
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Do what the Norwegians do and stock up in Sweden.
All the countries you will pass through on your way there have Lidl stores, Norway does not.
If you like a tipple, stock up on your way through Holland or Germany, but be aware of the restrictions on how much you can take into Norway.
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That's more or less the route I've been looking at. What ferry did you get from Gemany? I have been looking at the Puttgarden to Rodby route, mainly because it's a shorter time, if we have the dog with us.
I will look at story later.
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That ferry goes between Germany and Denmark, then you would still have to use the bridge to go between Denmark and Sweden
If you want to see the southern islands of Denmark, and save a little driving, then it is a good route.
The ferry from Germany to Sweden, or the other way round, will cut out Denmark, and all the bridges and mean you get a totally different route going and coming back.
Probably not a lot in it cost wise though, so decide on the basis of which bits of the country you want to see.
We have gone once going out from Germany to Sweden, all the way north in Sweden, a bit of Finland then to North Cape, returning south through Norway, via Oslo, into Sweden, over the bridge, then south to Rodby and the ferry to Germany.
And once driving from Germany into Denmark, where we spent a while, then east to Copenhagen, bridge to Sweden, via Oslo, back into Sweden and north as far as the Arctic circle using the inland road in Sweden, before going over to Norway. Coming back we took a slightly different route from Norway back into Sweden then the coast road south in Sweden all the way to the ferry from the southern tip to Sassnitz in Germany.
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We'd like to stay at the site alongside the Geiranger fjord. What would be the best route to get there?
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Either the coast road south from Trondheim, via Molde and Aalesund, which would involve a few ferries, or cutting across from the E6 at Otta.
Would depend what the rest of your route was, we came down the coast but bypassed Trondheim (we used to live there) taking a ferry across Trondheimsfjord from further northwest.
A good map that you can spread out on the floor or table is a great help in route planning, there may be some maps and brochures you can get sent from the tourist board, worth asking.
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Wouldn't think you'd want to tow down from the "Eagles nest" road.
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No, bad enough solo, that is why ferries would be involved.
Several if coming from the north past Aalesund, If coming from Otta then you take the road 15 and detour south to Hellesylt and take the ferry that runs in the summer along the fjord.
Not got my map in front of me so hope I have the right road number! While now since we were in that area.
Not a particularly easy place to get to if avoiding the steep hairpins, but plenty of MHs and caravans do get there, buses and lorries too.
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I've been there a couple of times on cruises, and have walked the hairpin road in question. But I seem to remember there is another road that comes in from the other end.
Like has been said there is a campsite there and we have seen both caravans and motorhomes there, so must be doable.
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Yes, there is, I believe it is also twisty, we did not go that way as we were continuing down the coast but you could check it out on Google see if it is on streetview.
We visited Geiranger solo as we used a site further west, so did not have to consider the caravan.
A lot will depend on what you are towing and what with.
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