Arctic Trip in about 7 weeks, help please!?

Firsty, Hi!

I have been a member on here for a while, but I am more of a background viewer than a talker, until now....

Me and a good mate are going to head into the artic circle in Norway leaving on the 9th Sep 2010. We are going for the adventure and hope to raise a few quid for help the heros and a local cancer hospice along the way.

Can anyone offer any advice on this type of trip, at this time of year? I have done a search, and read about winter trips and the extremes of tempretures. I am hoping that we will be avoiding this, but also might get to enjoy the northern lights.

The vehicle is my trusty 3door 300tdi (panic at the) disco. She has done 176k miles so is well run in.:doh: And prep has been going well, including basically a major service and check over to see that I haven't missed anything obvious with it. I even pressure washed the mud from the inside after billing, yesterday.

We are hoping to do as much camping as possible, because its a good laugh and we are, like most, on a very tight budget.

If anyone can shed some light on these questions that would be great:

• How much is diesel in Norway and Sweden?
• Any route experiance? At the moment we are going the (very) long way around as the ferry to Norway I am told was cancelled, and the one to Denmark is about £700. So we will be driving from Dunkirk, up Norway and back down Sweden.
• How much are campsites? What are the rules and views on wild camping and how much are hostels/basic b+b type places?
• I intend to email some Norway LandRover clubs and introduce myself, any spring to mind?
• Has anyone got any contact details or maps with LR friendly garages on? Or parts supply?

I am sure there is lots more, we are fairly experienced and comfortable outdoors, but any advice on specific kit/supplies/things to watch out for would be very greatfully received.

I have also heard about the cost of beer in that part of the world, so all remaining space will be filled up with cheap lager. Even if we have to take a trailer.....

Thanks very much for any help at all,

Richard.

pretty darn cold springs to mind. September, in my mind is leaving it a bit late, especially to camp. make sure you have very, very good sleeping bags. how far past 66N do you intend to travel?

I did have a few links somewhere as I briefly looked into this trip, but not on this computer. Search the Norwegian Tourist Board through google, lots of info there. I believe they have a similar structure to our YHA's that are open across the country, cheaper than hotels but good enough all the same. Everything in this part of the world is expensive. Accomodation, food, beer etc.

Probably worth looking at the Horizons Unlimited forum (the HUBB) as they have specific posts for these kinds of trips.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

G

- www.nlrk.no (Norwegian LR Club)
- www.dlrk.dk (Danish LR Club)
- www.slrk.org (Swedish LR Club)

Barbara from 4x4 Overlander gave a talk on Scandinavian travel at the recent RGS Overland workshop. It may be worth trying to get hold of her.

I think wild camping is legal in most Scandinavian countries, not sure of exact rules though (distance from roads, private land, etc.)

Griffdowg - thanks for taking the time to reply.

Upgraded sleeping bags are on the (ever growing) list, I will double check with tempretures and have a good think. Even if we only camped in the more southern parts of our trip and then resorted to hostels when the weather started getting much colder, that would hopefully save us some money. I still need to find out how much we should expect hostels to be.

Our aim is to actually just get inside 66N and not much further on this trip, hopefully further in the future.

Mozzi - thanks very much for the links and info, I will have a look through and try and contact Barbara.

I forgot to mention, that we had intended to go sooner, and hopefully enjoy their summer a little more, but with work commitments and selfish mates getting married, it has been pushed back, but there is no way we are waiting till next year....:doh:

Hi Richard,
Brendan here (Barbara's partner in crime in 4x4Overlander). We are off to that part of the world again shortly.

Where to start?

The Swedish and Norway clubs (listed above) both have English sections and the lads there are very helpful.

Wild camping is legal in Scandinavia subject to a few commonsense rules i.e. not agricultural land/peoples back garden etc. Minimum distance from any housing of about 150/200 metres. Be warned in the forests it can be difficult to find suitable spots. Also rooftents/racks can make travel in the forests more 'interesting'

Temperatures can drop quickly when the sun is down.

Fuel used to be about same price as UK until you got far up north. Many fuel pumps are pay as you go. Some only accept local issue cards. They accept cash but don't give change. So don't put in a 100 kroner note if all you want is 10 kroners worth of fuel. Keep good condition low value notes to one side and use them when just topping up tanks.

Be aware of the Scandinavian 'mile' It is not 1,760 yards! It is 10km.

Norway is a long country and travel can be slow. Find the old roads etc where the new roads/tunnels etc are and use them. Much more interesting driving. Sweden roads are better and faster.

Fresh food gets more expensive and quality decreases as you go north.

From Dunkirk there are many ways up to Scandinavia. From top of Denmark (Hirtshals sp?) you can catch a ferry to Bergen. Or a couple of other ports IIRC. Possible cheaper route is Copenhagen and bridge/tunnel to Sweden

Remember offroading is strictly illegal in Scandinavia. Damage caused by tyres the further north you go can take years to recover.

Vehicles should be well maintained and properly serviced. See if you can borrow a spares kit from your local LR dealer. Don't overload your vehicles.

HTH

If you want to see where we have been, Barbara has a link to a map on our website


Brendan

Barbara here now
Just a few things to add to what Brendan said.
Lots of campsites further north have cabins (which are like insulated garden sheds with windows) which were quite reasonable and if it drops cold might be worth the extra. When we got really north and high up, the problem was not sleeping as we were always toasty warm in bed but the evenings when you were sitting around after dinner as we did not have the sort of gadget you could light a fire in. You might consider getting a braai or something similar.
As Norway is long and thin, it is worth keeping an eye on the map and proximity to towns with shops in Sweden. We tended to zig zag up and pop into Sweden when food was getting low as prices are cheaper in Sweden.
The weather is unpredictable to put it mildly, take layers of clothes so you can peel them off if it warms up during the day. We have photos of us in shorts and t-shirts inside the Arctic Circle at the end of Aug.
Enjoy and if you get as far as Lofoten I will be jealous as we made the decision not to go there on our trip north and I have regretted it ever since.
Regards
Barbara

Ok..Hi, where shall i start...

Unless you really enjoy massive detours dont do the copenhagen-sweden route via the 2 bridges. The 1st one, although stunning and 17km long is £25 each way, the 2nd about £15. More importantly you add 100's of miles onto the journey and the only thing you will see is 200 miles of danish motorway. The south of sweden is hardly exciting either...and to get to the north of sweden is a massive journey.

Take the Hirtsals-Kristiansand ferry..very cheap that time of year..pm me i'll send you a link, i'll forget otherwise and i'm on my way out..very quick crossing and the scenery from the second you get into norway is breath-taking..believe me.

Buy any beer and smokes in denmark, they are at least twice the price in norway (I pay about £3 for a pack of 20 here in denmark). Fuel is a cheaper than the uk at the moment..a litre of diesel about £1. I think its about 20p more in norway.

I don't think you'll be too bothered by the weather, late summer is good in scandinavia, we get a lot longer days than the uk, although it will be chilly at night but not really cold yet.

Take a good repair kit with diesel pipes, bulbs etc..garages and part dealers are few and far between.

If i think of more i'll add...enjoy the trip...it really is gorgeous up there!!

Brendan and Barbara - thank you so much for taking the time to register on this forum and share all that excellent information with us all, I have certainly read and digested it and it has already been an huge help in planning our adventure.

Storm, thanks for the route specifics, I was unsure with route to take from Denmark so that has really helped, I will PM you for that ferry link for sure.

Forgive my ignorance, but which diesel pipes would you reccomend on taking? I am largely unsure on what spares to take apart from a few bulbs and stuff, because I always think that you will never have the right part?! That might sound slightly negative but you know what I mean.

I will of course be taking some tools, duct tape, zip ties and the like....

Thanks again,

Richard.

Try

Book cheap ferries to France and across Europe | ferrysavers.com

Hirtshals to kristiansand should be about £70 single, 2 adults and a landy in september.

I always take diesel pipes to my N/A after one got a leak in norway and left me buggered for 2 days. Take a basic kit, think of jobs you can do yourself and take those parts..

From experience fifteen years ago, take inner tubes and a hi-lift jack to break the bead lock, they were not obtainable north of Tromso. If you get further than Kirkenes keep a good eye on map as, if you are on minor road south of main road you can end up in Russia and they were not too friendly, maybe now they will be. Best negotiating currency by far is good label Vodka,£52 a bottle there now!

This thread may be of use to you:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f15/overland-scandinavia-88268.html

If you can make it as far north as Tromso (350km into arctic circle) thats a great acheivement. It's one of the largest cities in the arctic:

Visit TROMSØ - where your Arctic Adventure begins
Tromsø - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Everything is expensive, especially potatoes, bread and beer. Diesel is only a little bit more than the UK (if i remember correct).

You may want to fit extra driving lamps to your disco if you haven't got them already. All the cars have them there and they drive constantly with lights on even in midsummer.

I doubt you will see northern lights at that time of year but you may get lucky if you go far enough north and stay long enough.

Have fun and dont forget to post some pics when you get back

Hi Richard. We're heading to Norway for a month, leaving UK on 6 Sept. Planning to leave Dover and drive up through Denmark where we'll get the Hirtshals to Kristiansand ferry (thanks Storm) and from there explore the West coast - see how far we get! On our return we plan to take the Esbjerg - Harwich ferry as it's loads cheaper that way so we'll save time and fuel! https://booking.dfds.it/seaways/English#POS
Maybe see you on route...What vehicle are you driving?
Jonnie

Hi Jonnie, your trip sounds great. A month will be fantastic. We leave on the 9th and only have 2 1/2 weeks so if your taking your time a little, and we are pushing on we might well catch you up.

Are you in the white 110 in your sig? I am in a rather old 3door 300tdi Disco1 that is Coniston Green with black wheels, you can spot the factory number plate as it ends in KAC.

Should all the last minute repairs and gasket replacing go to plan, hopefully we will see you out there.

Storm has been super helpfull with lots of handy hints and tips, but at the moment I feel we are miles behind on the planning, due to having to do so much last minute stuff! Sure it will be ok when we are rolling though, I hope so at least.:doh:

PS - sorry, thanks to all for any hints and tips, keep them coming, they are very much appreciated.

Richard. Yup, that's our 110. Will keep an eye open in our mirrors for any approaching KAC. Hope the planning goes well - just need loads of food, beer and Kroner!
Jonnie

Just back from 3 and a half weeks in Scandinavia, which has jogged my memory about a couple of things.
One thing we took with us this time which turned out really handy on the chilly wet evenings (the weather alternated between a day of glorious warm sunshine and a day of torrential rain) was some of those wrapped sawdust logs you can get in the supermarket, they don't take a lot of room up, are not messy and saves trying to acquire dry firewood.
If you stop for a coffee in a service station or cafe, don't be tempted to have a latte or cappucino, just go for standard coffee, cheaper and you get a free refill.
If at all possible avoid the E6 it is boring, busy with everything heading north and you see nothing. Last time we were there we headed up the E6 through Sweden to Norway just to save some time, this time we explored the area it goes through north of Gothenburg - Bohusalan and it was wonderful but short on wild camping.
Not sure if it is of any use but the Swedish Land Rover club is holding the autumn Fjallsafari on Sept 23 - 26 or there abouts - this starts at Siljan and then travels up into Bear country. Bren is hoping to get back out there but not sure as yet, I unfortunately will have to stay home and work, which is a great shame as that is my favourite bit of Sweden.
Barbara

Hi Barbara - thanks for the tips! I have learned from Africa to always keep some firewood on board (mainly due to deforestation, not torrential rain) but will keep an eye open for those sawdust logs. Speaking of fires, we're planning to take a fire-wok with us to keep our fire off the ground. Is this still considered illegal before the 15 Sept, or does that law only apply to ground fires?
Our route was to make our way up through the fjords along the west coast of Norway taking our time and then, when time runs out, turn round and return via the E6 in Sweden for speed. Any thoughts on this route?
Very grateful for your input,
Jonnie

i am in sweden at the moment on the way down from driving my landy up norway right to the top at nordkapp. its well worth visating a great drive and the sights are amassing all the way up norway. north sweden is a little boring in the summer so yore best bet is staying in norway all the way.

Hi Guys

Just got a message from my Niece who is getting married in Norway - she mentions that her fiance will probably offer advice with routes if you wish but also writes the following:

Anywhere in Northern Norway is amazing (and dark, and cold) Tromso in particular is where people go to see the Northern lights. It's inside the arctc circle.

It's a city that lives in 24 hour 'blue' darkness' during the winter. Any city is 10 mns from mountians or country side in Norway. The Tromso fjord and surrounding area is spectacular, and there is a polar zoo with wolves and bears to come face to face with!

Well worth the visit.


Anna


Cheers

R