Northern Lights 2017 in Lapland

[zeratul]

Regarding tyres, see also here
https://www.reddit.com/r/sweden/comments/3kxa45/how_good_are_roads_in_northern_sweden_in/
Apparently, winter tyres from UK or Germany have a different kind of rubber mixture and you really need winter tyres from the Nordic.
Non-studded winter tyres from the north can be okay, but that's not the kind we buy in UK/Belgium/Germany etc.
Having driven cars in the area, and seen the roads there, it's not like the alps at all...
Another quote from the link above:
The stopping distance for the tested studded tires where 26 meters. The nordic type studless was 47 meters and the continental type studless was 60 meters.

 

[MattBW]

So chances are I would need to carry a set of spare wheels and buy tyres over there?

I am very interested but it sounds like I may need to save up Are we expected to carry a spare with winter tyre too?

 

[zeratul]

There's the best option: renting the wheels with tyres in sweden.
Google 'hyra dubbdäck' (No I don't know swedish but I do know google translate )
http://www.ndf.se/var-dackverkstad/hyra-vinterhjul-friktion-eller-dubb/

Now you can rent winter wheels, friction or dubbed into your car when traveling to the mountains or the Alps.
We rent winter tires weekly at our workshop in Mölndal.
Send a request by clicking Rent of winter! The price for your car!
Book well in advance so that your trip will be safe and you get a good grip.
Nice trip !

 

[MattBW]

That is a very good plan, it means you can get the safest tyres. Thanks for finding that!

 

[Niborn]

That is a very good plan, it means you can get the safest tyres. Thanks for finding that!

No doubt studs are better on thick ice , but not on snow or slush ....ALL the hire cars I had were studded and my mate who lives in Tromsø says ALL his friends have Studds ... will also look at that link ...

 

[Niborn]

There's the best option: renting the wheels with tyres in sweden.
Google 'hyra dubbdäck' (No I don't know swedish but I do know google translate )
http://www.ndf.se/var-dackverkstad/hyra-vinterhjul-friktion-eller-dubb/

Hhaaa that's Dutch ... ( I'm part Dutch ) ...

 

[Niborn]

There's the best option: renting the wheels with tyres in sweden.
Google 'hyra dubbdäck' (No I don't know swedish but I do know google translate )
http://www.ndf.se/var-dackverkstad/hyra-vinterhjul-friktion-eller-dubb/

In fact it's a mix of Swedish and Dutch

 

[zeratul]

Yes and I also speak dutch. I guess Sweden is a popular destination for the Dutch..
But I was translating for our English speaking friends

 

[kave]

Kave, I understand there are certain dates, roads and conditions where studded tyres are NOT allowed so they may not be appropriate for the entire journey and not easy to predict when or where they should be fitted.

However, I've heard chains may be a good option for us tourists as they can be fitted or removed whenever conditions dictate. What would you suggest?

I am always using the so called central europe winter tires without studs on my cars. Its true the nordic studless tires are a bit better on pure ice, but they are much worse on tarmac wet or dry. For this kind of trip I would use winter tires and maybe keep a set of chains ( even though I never used any). You cant see chains as a substitute for winter tires, they are to be used only temporary at up to 40km/h.
Regarding spares, no one here gets a spare as a winter tire and you are not required to.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hi Niborn, that is a great idea .
I have also ordered new Cali Ocean but wont get delivery until late Feb/early March all being well so 2017 will be a tad early for us but 2018? If you plan for this in 2018 please consider us as possible companions and keep us informed.

 

[Niborn]

Hi Niborn, that is a great idea .
I have also ordered new Cali Ocean but wont get delivery until late Feb/early March all being well so 2017 will be a tad early for us but 2018? If you plan for this in 2018 please consider us as possible companions and keep us informed.

Hi Jabberwocy, thanks and absolutely, please join in. will keep you updated .

I'd like to go several more times anyway .... my wife said after 3 visits there it was enough, but one year later she very much wants to go back , one never gets tired of seeing the lights , they are always different and always surprising . At that latitude they are often directly overhead totally filling the sky , when people see a big display like that for the first time ( and more ) they often screem with excitement....it's just so amazing / off planet . Can't resist to go back . Will be great to have the warm Cali to use as a base for viewing , cars are very limited if you are sitting around waiting .

It seems anyway since I changed plans and didn't buy the one in the showroom ( yes i previously found a new unregistered 2017 model 204dsg4motion not sold ) but now I've gone for a factory order Cali , to get the spec I wanted and a nice discount ....so I'm not going to get it this side of summer anyway :-(


My wife in this picture bottom right , the big difference of seeing displays this far North is that you see them subject to clouds almost every other night and overhead , where more South they are almost always only on the Horizon and in Uk rarely and then in the distant horizon .

 

[kave]

Maybe that is better in thr long run.
Any hints on where to go to get some great photos? I have no clue at all.
I know Nasa has a site where they inform when it might be strongest etc.

 

[Niborn]

Maybe that is better in thr long run.
Any hints on where to go to get some great photos? I have no clue at all.
I know Nasa has a site where they inform when it might be strongest etc.

Yeh I'll have the dream spec I wanted , bar the Alcantara seats because it won't let me spec them with all the other stuff , wants me to remove the 80ltr tank to get them ? Weight I think ?

Yes the site to learn what the lights are doing is called spaceweather.com , in this site there is all the data . To see great lights only a few things are required , little clouds or no clouds , I like it dark but some like to see the lights and moon together like this . Dark is better for me because even a weak display will show up. A good country location is best , not in the city . And good Aurora activity, well I've seen great lights too when there was 0 activity stated on that site ....Also on the space weather site if you go to the Aurora Gallery people post where they take their photos. The whole far north west coast of Norway is great . I've got my favourite viewing places in the west coast and in Finland ...but I'll keep that off line till we get there , don't want more tourists like me around , if it gets too busy it spoils the silence and the beauty of it ,; that's what happens when a coach or two coaches of " chase the lights " tours turns up , 60 people who paid maybe 100 to 150 a night each come out with flashlights , and talking loud , lighting fires sometimes , coaches engines on to keep people warm ...sometimes headlights too .....what a nightmare , especially when your paying so much and especially if you don't see them and still pay LOL

Here's the link for you to find it easy ... note a lot of the individual people posting don't give their exact spot for fear of tourists overrunning their favourite location .. for example TROMS is a huge area in Northern Norge / Norway

http://spaceweathergallery.com/aurora_gallery.html

 

[briwy]

Google Lancaster University Aurora alerts.
Sign up and you will get alerts when the NL can be seen from the UK.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Google Lancaster University Aurora alerts.
Sign up and you will get alerts when the NL can be seen from the UK.

Thanks for tip. Now signed up.

 

[ArcticMatt]

Good luck with the trip and I hope you get he right condition. I live up in Norway just over the Arctic Circle in Beiarn near Bodo. We get to see the Nordlys quite a lot but its not there all the time. Sods law the cloud rolls over when its really strong. I use my California sometime to drive up onto the Fjell and sit away from the local street lights and hope for the best.

Untitled by Matt Wilde, on Flickr

Smurf vs Nordlys by Matt Wilde, on Flickr

Running from the Aurora by Matt Wilde, on Flickr

Californian Nordlys by Matt Wilde, on Flickr

Just to add about tyres. Studded tyres are pretty much essential! You dont need 4x4, tyres make all the difference. We fit studded wheels in October and we have to have them on all the way through to may. The roads are only scraped and are never fully clear of ice. Its amazing how fast you can go on sheet ice with studs on.

Also the wild life is a bugger too! Check these clips out where I've almost come a cropped (in my volvo, not my van thankfully)

If you come up my way just pop in Coffee is always on the go

 

[Niborn]

Hi, thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures , you are a lucky living up there ! We are just waiting for the delivery date of our new Cali and the planning for the trip will start Totally agree with you about tyres for winter, your videos really show how it is most of the winter time for those who don't have the previous driving experience . Will try and pop in too......

 

[zeratul]

That last video.. ouch... so close!
Was this on the road 95 to Arvidsaur? Did that once in summer, never understood why speed limit was so low on such a very very very long road, but I guess I understand now.

 

[ArcticMatt]

That last video.. ouch... so close!
Was this on the road 95 to Arvidsaur? Did that once in summer, never understood why speed limit was so low on such a very very very long road, but I guess I understand now.

No but we live about an hour from where the 95 comes into Norway. We were on that road back in May. There were lots of reindeer roaming around there. Thats why we have the big spot lights on the front. I fitted big Lazer LED lights to my volvo after I almost hit the deer and then the close shave with the moose happened!

 

[ArcticMatt]

Hi, thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures , you are a lucky living up there ! We are just waiting for the delivery date of our new Cali and the planning for the trip will start Totally agree with you about tyres for winter, your videos really show how it is most of the winter time for those who don't have the previous driving experience . Will try and pop in too......

We're a bit out of the way but we have a big camp site next door
I just noticed you are in Faversham. I love it there, my granddad lives in Whitstable just up the road. I love Faversham creek and the smell of the brewery

 

[Ewan]

I've just caught up with this post ... this sounds a really exciting idea, @Niborn. I love your pictures, and also yours, @ArcticMatt - makes me really jealous not to live in the far north !

I've spent a lot of time chasing the northern lights but I'm afraid a trip lasting 3-4 weeks in winter will have to wait until retirement for me. I'll be just about there by the next solar maximum ...

I flew to Tromso for a short trip four years ago and managed to see fantastic displays 3 nights out of 4, both in the Lyngen Alps and on organised tours from Tromso. Seeing a corona burst overhead and the lights fill the sky from horizon to horizon is a sight that I'll never forget. Magic Mountain Lodge is a great base, and the scenery in the Lyngen Alps is jaw-dropping (it's also one of 'the' places in Europe for the best ski mountaineering).

I've since managed to see the aurora many times from home in Scotland - including fast, flickering lights from my front doorstep (in spite of bright street lights) on Hogmanay 2015. They're not so impressive in Scotland but the thrill of 'the chase' is definitely still there. They're less frequent now that the peak has passed but I still saw them half a dozen times or so last year.

PS The grip on studded tyres is unbelievable - many roads are just sheer ice in mid-winter and anything less than studded tyres would be madness.

 

[Niborn]

I've just caught up with this post ... this sounds a really exciting idea, @Niborn. I love your pictures, and also yours, @ArcticMatt - makes me really jealous not to live in the far north !

I've spent a lot of time chasing the northern lights but I'm afraid a trip lasting 3-4 weeks in winter will have to wait until retirement for me. I'll be just about there by the next solar maximum ...

I flew to Tromso for a short trip four years ago and managed to see fantastic displays 3 nights out of 4, both in the Lyngen Alps and on organised tours from Tromso. Seeing a corona burst overhead and the lights fill the sky from horizon to horizon is a sight that I'll never forget. Magic Mountain Lodge is a great base, and the scenery in the Lyngen Alps is jaw-dropping (it's also one of 'the' places in Europe for the best ski mountaineering).

I've since managed to see the aurora many times from home in Scotland - including fast, flickering lights from my front doorstep (in spite of bright street lights) on Hogmanay 2015. They're not so impressive in Scotland but the thrill of 'the chase' is definitely still there. They're less frequent now that the peak has passed but I still saw them half a dozen times or so last year.

PS The grip on studded tyres is unbelievable - many roads are just sheer ice in mid-winter and anything less than studded tyres would be madness.

Hi Ewan, thanks for your kind comments , you made a good choice at the Magic Mountain, friendly place and great for a stop over if we make a group up. I am going to make a trip to Scotland soon if I can , I feel optimistic about sighting something , although at that latitude around Durness or on Skye it wont be as you mentioned over head like in North Norway , but there is something special about seeing it in ones home country. Im sure if there are a group of 'us' making the trip later on you could fly up and someone will have space ? for a week or so. Myself I don't plan to sleep all the time in the Van, places like Magic Mountain will be on the stopping off list and the Cali used for a warm base during the waiting period . Best wishes

 

[Niborn]

We're a bit out of the way but we have a big camp site next door
I just noticed you are in Faversham. I love it there, my granddad lives in Whitstable just up the road. I love Faversham creek and the smell of the brewery

Arh yes , Faversham has the wonderful smell of Shepherd Neame , and some great fish and chips in Whistable or Herne Bay ( big vote for the fish and chip shop SHAKEY SHAKEY if you are there - all cooked fresh - but you have to wait ) That special smell - its the same pleasure if you every went in a town near Amsterdam called Harlem , the Droost (? spelling ) chocolate factory used to be there , drove me crazy. Will look up the camp site you mention , is it all year round ? ... best wishes

 

[bvddobb]

Just to add about tyres. Studded tyres are pretty much essential! You dont need 4x4, tyres make all the difference. We fit studded wheels in October and we have to have them on all the way through to may. The roads are only scraped and are never fully clear of ice. Its amazing how fast you can go on sheet ice with studs on.

We have plans in this direction (Norway in winter) and we have read somewhere that it should be possible to rent studded tyres in Norway for the duration of your stay. You leave your own tyres at the tyre shop, and have them placed back on when you return. E.g. take the ferry to Bergen, drive to a tyre shop, swap your tyres, and drive up North. Upon return to Bergen you go to the tyre shop, have them put your own tyres back on again, and you go on the ferry back. Looks ideal. But we have not been able to find any tyre rental companies that do that in Norway on line... We found some in Sweden, but not Norway.

Could you shed some light on this matter? Rental of studded tyres for the duration of one's stay? Or point to a tyre rental company who does this?

 

[ArcticMatt]

We have plans in this direction (Norway in winter) and we have read somewhere that it should be possible to rent studded tyres in Norway for the duration of your stay. You leave your own tyres at the tyre shop, and have them placed back on when you return. E.g. take the ferry to Bergen, drive to a tyre shop, swap your tyres, and drive up North. Upon return to Bergen you go to the tyre shop, have them put your own tyres back on again, and you go on the ferry back. Looks ideal. But we have not been able to find any tyre rental companies that do that in Norway on line... We found some in Sweden, but not Norway.

Could you shed some light on this matter? Rental of studded tyres for the duration of one's stay? Or point to a tyre rental company who does this?

It sounds like a brilliant idea but I've not seen it where I stay further north. I live on the local garage but we are out of the way of the tourist trail so its more than likely to be on the main E6 north or in the port areas perhaps like Kristiasand perhaps. If you can't find anyone that does it, maybe try and find a local Tyre garage that wuold buy them back perhaps? Worth an ask maybe. There was a lad in a T3 doka from cornwall who I followed on facebook last year who drove to Norway for some winter surfing (extreme!). He managed to find come kind fellow dubbers that loaned him some winter wheels when he began to struggle on his own.