Northern Lights trip

[Mark Masters]

We are heading up to see the Northern Lights in September in our 4 WD California Ocean which has been parked up in Amsterdam for 2 years during Covid. We aim to be at North Cape ,Norway by Sept 23rd or thereabouts, after travelling up thru ,Denmark , southern Sweden and Norway Coast.We are leaving from Amsterdam in late August. After hopefully seeing the Northern Lights we are heading back south via Finland , or Sweden ,then crossing to the Baltic states, across Northern Europe back to Amsterdam by end of November.(These return trip plans may alter a bit if the Ukraine Crisis extends further afield. )Total travelling time is intended to be 3 months.We will be back in NZ by end of November.

My question is will we need to put on our winter tyres for this trip ? I expect some snow up the top part of Norway but not much elsewhere.We have winter and summer tyres. The van is 4 WD. We don't want to take both lots with us.Some of you will have done this trip and we would welcome your advice.

All travel tips and campsite recommendations welcomed.

 

[WelshGas]

We are heading up to see the Northern Lights in September in our 4 WD California Ocean which has been parked up in Amsterdam for 2 years during Covid. We aim to be at North Cape ,Norway by Sept 23rd or thereabouts, after travelling up thru ,Denmark , southern Sweden and Norway Coast.We are leaving from Amsterdam in late August. After hopefully seeing the Northern Lights we are heading back south via Finland , or Sweden ,then crossing to the Baltic states, across Northern Europe back to Amsterdam by end of November.(These return trip plans may alter a bit if the Ukraine Crisis extends further afield. )Total travelling time is intended to be 3 months.We will be back in NZ by end of November.

My question is will we need to put on our winter tyres for this trip ? I expect some snow up the top part of Norway but not much elsewhere.We have winter and summer tyres. The van is 4 WD. We don't want to take both lots with us.Some of you will have done this trip and we would welcome your advice.

All travel tips and campsite recommendations welcomed.

I've been to Nordkapp twice out of 4 trips to Scandinavia but in May. See here Countdown 1 and 4

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/search/346541/?q=Countdown&c[title_only]=1&c[users]=WelshGas&o=date

Last trip, very snowy. Glad of my All Season tyres.

There is a bridge out in the far North on the E6, see Countdown 4, near the end. A substantial diversion via Finland I believe.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

My question is will we need to put on our winter tyres for this trip ? I expect some snow up the top part of Norway but not much elsewhere.We have winter and summer tyres. The van is 4 WD. We don't want to take both lots with us.Some of you will have done this trip and we would welcome your advice.

Winter / All Season tyres are a must even with 4 motion in cold temps.

(For example winter tyres on a 2wd vehicle will outperform summer tyres on a 4wd in cold/snow, more so in a heavy vehicle like the Cali. So 4wd + winter tyres is the way to go. Your tyres are the only 4 things that touch the ground so it dosn't matter how advanced the 4wd system is, its essentaial to have to correct tyres / compound to get the traction)

 

[two-saabs]

Winter / All Season tyres are a must even with 4 motion in cold temps.

(For example winter tyres on a 2wd vehicle will outperform summer tyres on a 4wd in cold/snow, more so in a heavy vehicle like the Cali. So 4wd + winter tyres is the way to go. Your tyres are the only 4 things that touch the ground so it dosn't matter how advanced the 4wd system is, its essentaial to have to correct tyres / compound to get the traction)

Completely agree, winter tyres are a must

(and no need to take summers)

One additional point: think “cold weather tyres” rather than just winter or snow tyres. They’re designed to be the best performance when temperatures are less than 5 degrees. Which is possibly everywhere north of Paris in October / November.

My credentials: In November (a few years ago) I’ve driven from the arctic circle down to Munich. Winter tyres with spikes needed for the top half of Sweden, then we took out the spikes for the bottom half as it wasn’t needed and not allowed when you get out of Sweden.

Lastly as I was once told: Without the proper tyres, 4 wheels driving doesn’t mean 4 wheels stopping!

 

[bvddobb]

There is a bridge out in the far North on the E6, see Countdown 4, near the end. A substantial diversion via Finland I believe.

There is an emergency bridge in place, now.

 

[RodCouncil]

In Sweden you have to have winter tyres on between Dec to March, I think all Nordic countries are the similar irrc.

Swedish Law and Tyre Types:

Winter tyres - Transportstyrelsen

www.transportstyrelsen.se

 

[two-saabs]

We are heading up to see the Northern Lights in September in our 4 WD California Ocean which has been parked up in Amsterdam for 2 years during Covid. We aim to be at North Cape ,Norway by Sept 23rd or thereabouts, after travelling up thru ,Denmark , southern Sweden and Norway Coast.We are leaving from Amsterdam in late August. After hopefully seeing the Northern Lights we are heading back south via Finland , or Sweden ,then crossing to the Baltic states, across Northern Europe back to Amsterdam by end of November.(These return trip plans may alter a bit if the Ukraine Crisis extends further afield. )Total travelling time is intended to be 3 months.We will be back in NZ by end of November.

My question is will we need to put on our winter tyres for this trip ? I expect some snow up the top part of Norway but not much elsewhere.We have winter and summer tyres. The van is 4 WD. We don't want to take both lots with us.Some of you will have done this trip and we would welcome your advice.

All travel tips and campsite recommendations welcomed.

Hey bud, did you do your Nordic trip? Which setup did you have in the end with tyres and anything else special for the weather conditions?

 

[Mark Masters]

Yes we are now in Berlin enjoying some really nice days biking. Our California is a 4 motion 204 diesel with diff locking, heated windscreen plus winter tyres and chains. Could have done the trip with 2 x 4 summer tyres. Only spotted snow flurries once at 1500 mtrs. However we did meet some people who said they had snow a mtr deep another year so pays to be prepared for the worst. Absolutely gorgeous drive with the Autumn colouring. We experienced northern lights on three nights. The trip is worth doing at this time of the year for the Autumn colouring alone. Finland and the Baltic states are also in their full glory of Autumn colouring. We have travelled through many many countries and Norway would have to be the most scenic. Make sure you have a spare butane cylinder as they use propane and the fittings are not compatible. Cheers.