North Cape & Lofoten : June-July 2015

[2CV67]

Last year, we had a fabulous trip as far as Trondheim, via Preikestolen, the Fjords & Atlantic Road, returning via Oslo, with unbelievable weather (solid blue sky & 28°C!).
So we were keen to try the northern half of Norway this year, without daring to hope for the same weather, of course...
And sure enough - we got 5-10°C, occasional rain & frequent very low cloud.
The clouds often obscured what we know to be wonderful views, so we are already thinking of having another shot at the Vesteralen & Route 17 sometime, but not this year!

Great trip, all the same, with (in the bright intervals) spectacular scenery, midnight sun...

Route:
Alsace - Kolding - Copenhagen - Malmo - Stockholm - Umea - Rovaniemi - North Cape - Tromso - Gryllefjord - Vesteralen - Lofoten - Narvik - Route 17 (Bodo-Steinkjer) - Roros - Gothenburg - Helsingborg - Helsingor - Kolding - Schleswig - Alsace.

25 nights on board - 9798km.

Saw lots of reindeer, one elk, very few mosquitos.

Some pictures (from 1116...) :

Careful!

Yep, but we saw a LOT more than that.

Arctic Circle - sounds adventurous already.

Midnight Sun at North Cape.

Pause on Lyngenfjord.

Isle of Senja.

Henningsvaer, Lofoten - Guess what that smells like...

More Midnight Sun - at Utakleiv

New twist on Roof garden? - Nesland.

Buksnes.

Another quiet stopover - Smorten.

Nice camp spot - Korsnes.

Maelstrom at Saltstraumen.

Heading for the glacier at Svartisen (but it was too slippery...)

Roros - museum town.

 

[Californiaman]

Very jealous. Very much on my 'to do' list.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[WelshGas]

Great photos. Much quieter at Nordkapp when I was there at the end of May.

 

[Hotel California]

Nice , we went from Kristiansand alomg the coast to Trondheim and back south inlands , did it in june just now and loved it.
http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/three-weeks-south-and-mid-norway.10354/
Next time we also hoping to go up north and then downwarts until where we turned this year.
Amazing nature , nice people , guess the weather you have to be lucky on!

 

[Ricotansky]

Amazing, I'd love to do that!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Meoncoast]

Great Post. great trip, great photos thanks for posting

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Lovely photos. Went to Norway about 4 years ago and can still smell those fish...

 

[ArcticMatt]

Wow love the photos . I live just near Saltstraumen now. When its in full flow its immense. I really want to see Senja and further north. The Kystriksveien from bodo south is one of my favourite trips. We went up and back last year in my old Syncro. I've just bought my first Norwegian van and cant wait to see Nordcap. Cheers

http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=357485&page=4

 

[GrannyJen]

Fabulous,

Thank you for those

Brilliant

 

[briwy]

Great pictures. On our list together with Iceland.
Is it midgy like Scotland.

 

[2CV67]

Is it midgy like Scotland.

Sweden, Finland & Norway are notorious for midges/mosquitos so we bought special roll-on protection locally, assuming it would be more effective than what we can find here.
But then in 26 days we saw no midges at all & only a couple of mosquitos.
Never used the protection.

Last year we saw no midges & no mosquitos the whole time.
We assumed it was due to the extraordinary hot/dry weather then.

Luck of the draw?

 

[ArcticMatt]

Great pictures. On our list together with Iceland.
Is it midgy like Scotland.

Not so much midgy but more the mosquitos that savage you. I went for a walk up the fjellet round the back where I live and wore shorts. After 5 hours with repellent on, I got back and I was monstered! They clung to the back of my shirt end bit right through! They call Mosquitos, mig and midges, knot. They have both I think Scotland has more midges. We got a UV bug killer and in one calm warm night we filled it up. Summer only lasted a week this year so we should be ok now

 

[ArcticMatt]

Great pictures. On our list together with Iceland.
Is it midgy like Scotland.

Not so much midgy but more the mosquitos that savage you. I went for a walk up the fjellet round the back where I live and wore shorts. After 5 hours with repellent on, I got back and I was monstered! They clung to the back of my shirt end bit right through! They call Mosquitos, mig and midges, knot. They have both I think Scotland has more midges. We got a UV bug killer and in one calm warm night we filled it up. Summer only lasted a week this year so we should be ok now

 

[briwy]

OK thanks for the midge info. As said, sounds like luck of the draw.
I'm usually a midge/mozzy magnet but strangely didn't have any problems in the Amazon jungle whereas my other half who is normally OK got bitten. Different breed I suppose.

 

[2CV67]

I dug out a few more pictures of that trip:

Norsholm Sweden

Stockholm

Gamelstaden

Finland

Honningsvag

Drying rack

Alta

Lyngenfjord

Tromso

Senja

Gryllefjord

Café - Versteralen

Sortland (blue town...)

Drying rack

 

[2CV67]

And finally:

Kabelvag

Henningsvaer

Utakleiv

Hauklandsand

Café/Glass-blower Vikten

Flakstad

Sund

Reine

Recent work of art...

Lofoten, somewhere

Raftsundet

Rombakfjord

Narvik

Tranoy

 

[Hotel California]

Almost every shot you take there can go staight on a postcard...

 

[Sp0_0k]

Been there end of July-September 2015, 3weeks. Up to a Trondheim. Average +12'c temperature ) Had +2 at night in a tent. Didn't see a single mosquito!
In 2014 we were there in July with 30-35'c temperatures and lots of those beasts.

 

[ArcticMatt]

Hey we were in the glass blowing studio a few months after you. My partner is a glass designer and she knows the son of the man who set up that studio. She also designed the new glass sculpture in Sortlands new "Culture Factory". The blue buildings were all one mans vision. A great idea. Brilliant photos by the way.

 

[motacyclist]

I dug out a few more pictures of that trip:

Thanks for those, superb