Countdown 4 Begins. Scandinavia 2020

[WelshGas]

Oresund Bridge.

One Thursday morning

Shared using GoPro

gopro.com

 

[bvddobb]

You are close to Ivarssons Junkyard now, you may want to take a look…

Ivanssons Bilskrot 2018

43 new items · Album by Bart van den Dobbelsteen

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Wesel]

You are close to Ivarssons Junkyard now, you may want to take a look…

Ivanssons Bilskrot 2018

43 new items · Album by Bart van den Dobbelsteen

photos.app.goo.gl

Do you think he could find parts for his Cali ?

 

[WelshGas]

Passport and Customs Check on Norwegian border. That was new since 2019. Still haven't been asked for my Covid Pass.

 

[LucyYorkshire]

Oresund Bridge.

One Thursday morning

Shared using GoPro

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Wonderful to watch! Thanks for sharing.

 

[WelshGas]

Day 4.
A busy day. Covered 425+ miles.
The campsites I picked when I stopped for lunch, we’re open, but the Motorhome and caravan pitches were a foot deep in snow. They only had a handful of chalets open. So continued on past Trondheim and stuck in a traffic jam for an hour. They are building a new tunnel etc on the E6, I think, and have rerouted through 6 hamlets with 16 small roundabouts that the HGVs, caravans and big whites had difficulty navigating. Now N of Trondheim in a Tourist Info lay-by. Only 975 miles to go.

 

[westfalia]

That was a mighty drive, you've covered some ground in the last few days

 

[WelshGas]

That was a mighty drive, you've covered some ground in the last few days

It wasn’t too bad. Stopped for coffee and lunch. Good music and until the traffic jam very light traffic.
See how I feel tomorrow.

 

[Jim2007]

How much is diesel in Norway now? It was around £1.50 a litre when we were there in 2019. Makes me wonder what it is now.

 

[WelshGas]

How much is diesel in Norway now? It was around £1.50 a litre when we were there in 2019. Makes me wonder what it is now.

Just paid 22.04 NK = about £1.88

Its cheaper down south.

 

[WelshGas]

Day 5
Started off with rain, then sleet followed by a full blown snowstorm interspersed with blue sky. But the worst was a full scale ice blizzard on the plateau where the Arctic Circle Centre is situated at approximately 66Degress 33minutes.
It was horizontal and beginning to cover the road, so although the Centre was open, although no cars in the car park, I elected to give it a miss.
There was a lot of snow in the uplands and more is forecast. First time I’ve experienced this weather at this time of year. Unfortunately it means many of the campsites haven’t opened except for the chalets. So probably another wild camp tomorrow.
It is remarkable how little traffic there is on the E6. I passed 8 HGVs going south and overtake 4 going north. Cars were virtually absent outside urban areas.
The HGVs are very good. When you come upto one, if you hang back and don’t forget the speed limit is 80 or 90kph, which they can do quit happily on the flat, as soon as they see a clear stretch they’ll indicate R for you to overtake. Works well. They don’t seem so helpful for those that zoom up behind and then hog the crown of the road waiting to overtake. They just leave them to it.

 

[Wesel]

Day 5
Started off with rain, then sleet followed by a full blown snowstorm interspersed with blue sky. But the worst was a full scale ice blizzard on the plateau where the Arctic Circle Centre is situated at approximately 66Degress 33minutes.
It was horizontal and beginning to cover the road, so although the Centre was open, although no cars in the car park, I elected to give it a miss.
There was a lot of snow in the uplands and more is forecast. First time I’ve experienced this weather at this time of year. Unfortunately it means many of the campsites haven’t opened except for the chalets. So probably another wild camp tomorrow.
It is remarkable how little traffic there is on the E6. I passed 8 HGVs going south and overtake 4 going north. Cars were virtually absent outside urban areas.
The HGVs are very good. When you come upto one, if you hang back and don’t forget the speed limit is 80 or 90kph, which they can do quit happily on the flat, as soon as they see a clear stretch they’ll indicate R for you to overtake. Works well. They don’t seem so helpful for those that zoom up behind and then hog the crown of the road waiting to overtake. They just leave them to it.

View attachment 92738

Do you still drive with snow tires?

 

[WelshGas]

Do you still drive with snow tires?

I have Michelin Crossclimate All Season tyres.
I didn’t have any problems. Tread depth 5+mm all round.

Specific requirements​

There are requirements for specific tires used while driving in Norway.

For summer tires, it is required that they have a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm, although the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) recommends that the pattern depth should be at least 3 mm. On winter tires, the requirement for tread depth is 3 mm, although NAF recommends that you have a minimum of 4 mm on cars weighing less than 3,500 kilos, according to Storebrand.

From October 16 to May 1, drivers should hit the road only if they have studded tires in Nordland and Troms og Finnmark. In the rest of the country, the corresponding dates are November 1 to the first Monday after the second day of Easter.

 

[WelshGas]

Day 6
458 miles - Knordkapp tomorrow.
Well I started this morning in a snow storm and ended with a cold, dry sunny evening.
In-between there was sunshine, snow showers and full on blizzards in the highlands such that the snow ploughs were out. Anyway an interesting drive and the Michelin tyres coped admirably.
Google maps wasn’t very good at calculating journey time, almost 3+ hrs longer.
Lots of tunnels, as expected.
They seem to be slowly upgrading the tunnels.
Most tunnels have dark/black walls which just absorb the light even from headlights.
Modern tunnels are either lined, have sprayed concrete or the lower 6 feet of the walls painted white. Combined with LED tunnel lights they are excellent to drive through at 80/90kph, the normal speed limit.
However, the older tunnels with Sodium lighting are verging on terrifying at the normal speed limits. The walls just absorb the light so you only have the centre line/rumble strip as a positioner.
The Narvik bridge is now finished , saves a good few miles. Last time I was here in 2017 they had just installed the suspension cables.
One new change Post Covid, well on the E6 ferry. No Cash/Cards. They take a photo of vehicle with number plate and you pay as you would for the Toll Roads. The technology doesn’t cope with foreign number plates, they still take the photo but have to type in the Reg Number.

Alta is known for the sinking of the Tirpitz, the German battleship that was sunk at her moorings in a nearby Fijord.

Tirpitz Museum – War Museum

www.tirpitz-museum.no

 

[WelshGas]

Speaking to the Campsite manager he was saying the weather is unprecedented for this time of year but it is improving, in the north over the next few days. It’s supposed to be OK at Nordkapp.
Last week they had over a 100cms of snow in 1 week and more in the high country.

 

[westfalia]

Speaking to the Campsite manager he was saying the weather is unprecedented for this time of year but it is improving, in the north over the next few days. It’s supposed to be OK at Nordkapp.
Last week they had over a 100cms of snow in 1 week and more in the high country.

Snow chains and a big shovel and your good.

 

[KGCali]

Day 6
458 miles - Knordkapp tomorrow.
Well I started this morning in a snow storm and ended with a cold, dry sunny evening.
In-between there was sunshine, snow showers and full on blizzards in the highlands such that the snow ploughs were out. Anyway an interesting drive and the Michelin tyres coped admirably.
Google maps wasn’t very good at calculating journey time, almost 3+ hrs longer.
Lots of tunnels, as expected.
They seem to be slowly upgrading the tunnels.
Most tunnels have dark/black walls which just absorb the light even from headlights.
Modern tunnels are either lined, have sprayed concrete or the lower 6 feet of the walls painted white. Combined with LED tunnel lights they are excellent to drive through at 80/90kph, the normal speed limit.
However, the older tunnels with Sodium lighting are verging on terrifying at the normal speed limits. The walls just absorb the light so you only have the centre line/rumble strip as a positioner.
The Narvik bridge is now finished , saves a good few miles. Last time I was here in 2017 they had just installed the suspension cables.
One new change Post Covid, well on the E6 ferry. No Cash/Cards. They take a photo of vehicle with number plate and you pay as you would for the Toll Roads. The technology doesn’t cope with foreign number plates, they still take the photo but have to type in the Reg Number.

Alta is known for the sinking of the Tirpitz, the German battleship that was sunk at her moorings in a nearby Fijord.

Tirpitz Museum – War Museum

www.tirpitz-museum.no

View attachment 92796

Worth taking a look at the Alta rock carvings as you're in the area ...

Rock carvings at Alta - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[WelshGas]

Worth taking a look at the Alta rock carvings as you're in the area ...

Rock carvings at Alta - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Saw those last time I was here. They had just started renovating and cleaning them to get rid of the red oxide paint that had been used in the past to make them more visible. No chance this time. I passed the Museum and the rocks are still under a good 50cms of snow.

 

[WelshGas]

Snow chains and a big shovel and your good.

I just followed this gigantic snow plough that drove at 70kph while shifting the snow and when we got down to lower altitude with no snow on the road he just turned round to do the other lane.

 

[westfalia]

I just followed this gigantic snow plough that drove at 70kph while shifting the snow and when we got down to lower altitude with no snow on the road he just turned round to do the other lane.

Always a good idea to stay behind the snow ploughs
Good luck

 

[WelshGas]

Always a good idea to stay behind the snow ploughs
Good luck

It was just the speed they travelled at. The speed limit was 80km/hr.

 

[WelshGas]

Day 7.

Made it , just. Watch the video that follows and you'll see why.

2607 miles from South Wales( excluding ferries ).

A Monday afternoon Knordkapp

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[WelshGas]

https://weathercam.kystnor.no/nordkapp

 

[Vagophile]

Made it , just. Watch the video that follows and you'll see why.

2607 miles from South Wales( excluding ferries ).

Now what are you going to do?
2607 miles is a long way to go to sit out a white out in your Cali.
I have followed your journey with interest and I appreciate that the weather is worse than usual. It's your choice, but I think I might have chosen somewhere that was a bit warmer after a 2600 mile trip!
I look forward to the ongoing reports.

 

[WelshGas]

Now what are you going to do?
2607 miles is a long way to go to sit out a white out in your Cali.
I have followed your journey with interest and I appreciate that the weather is worse than usual. It's your choice, but I think I might have chosen somewhere that was a bit warmer after a 2600 mile trip!
I look forward to the ongoing reports.

You just got a do what you have to do. I’m nice and cosy, got plenty of food & drink, nice view , when the snow stops as it has at the moment. Planning on staying here tomorrow, a lie in, take some photos , have lunch in the restaurant, buy some things for the grandchildren, that you can only get here, and plan my return.
Have some places to visit in Southern Norway.