Ferry to Norway

Mark C

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Hi, a friend and I are looking to start a 3 week jaunt in April beginning from Norway through Sweden and over Baltic Sea to Estonia/Latvia and down through Poland, Czech Republic then back through Germany. Any advice on our route would be much appreciated but initailly asking about transfers over to Norway. Where is the best point of departure from here ie - Ferry prices + who runs these routes etc. and which port to land at in Norway. Would like to see Fjords(correct spelling???) but still looking for other "Must see" sites.

Is it to much for 3 weeks?
Are we nuts doing it in April?

All guidance greatly received.

Cheers :thumb , Mark.
 
Be prepared for long boring flat roads if you stay on main roads, so try to get off them. Make sure you have good waterproofs,
 
You can do it, although what it will be like in April, I dread to think.

I did the following route over 17 days in July:

Harwich -> Esbjerg (Denmark) -> SE Sweden Coast -> Stockholm -> Umea -> Lulea -> Rovaniemi (Finland) -> Kirkenes (Norway) -> Hammerfest -> Tromso -> Trondheim/Hell -> Sweden -> Germany -> Geneva

...so you ought to be able to make quite a big dent in your route if you invest sufficient planning; you will however be riding long hours, and will probably bash quite a lot of motorway to hit that time schedule.

By the sounds of it you're cutting across the bottom of the Baltic peninsula, so our routes won't overlap too much; so here's some general advice:

1) Get the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook by Chris Scott, and read it, if you've not done this sort of thing before; check expecially the section on "Carnets" in case they are applicable to your route.

2) Nip down to M&S and buy "Skiiing Baselayer" clothing to wear under your kit; basically they're stretchy nylon long-johns and they pack down small, but you will need it. In mid July I nearly froze in a sleetstorm crossing Saltfjellen southbound near the Arctic Cricle, so what it'll be like in April is anyone's guess. Multiple layers of fleecy stuff under your kit makes for much greater comfort, and better/safer riding.

3) Norwegian road surfaces suck. See the stills/videos at: http://www.crypticide.com/users/alecm/albums/2005-vacation-videos/ The snowploughs destroy the surface so they only bother to put down cheap tarmac in the first place. Do not be surprised by the subsidence-caused 2" step-down in the road, just after a hairpin bend.

4) Norwegian police are charming and will apologise profusely while they fine you 300 quid for the awful sin of doing 62mph on a national highway. The speed limit is 50mph, and they don't have mercy, instead they blame it on the government, so watch that throttle.

5) Soused herring for breakfast, petrol station hotdogs for lunch. I recommend avoidnig the latter in favour of visiting a Co-op and buying your own food.

6) Avoid booze in Scandanavia; it costs the earth, and there are on-the-spot-breathalyser police patrols in Norway. Think "Puritan Nanny State". Save boozing for a day-off in Czech or Germany where they consider alcohol to be part of life, not a social ill.

The scenery is incredible, the water tastes great, barbequed moose tastes like really good steak, and reindeer like venison crossed with beef. Just make sure you're waterproof from head to toenail, have at least two spare sets of gloves, and lots of thin layers to wear so that nothing is exposed.
 
Hi Mark!

I live up here!

When:
April may be cold; if you like to cross high mountains (on tarmac!) it may be snow and ice on the road, and it might be closed.
May is better, but if you only want to ride boring roads, then April is normally fine (and cold). (Most of us natives do not start riding until May, and most of us feel it's cold. And now I talk about us in the south of Norway...
It may be salt on the tarmac in april too.)

Where:
The most fun part is the area south-west, like Sognefjorden.
But, again, make sure the road is not closed in April.
Up north, like Lofoten and further north, you may find snow even on the main roads... Or not; it's hard to tell now.
It sometimes are snowing in May up north, like Tromsø...
I've been to Finnmark, and once when I left the plane in June there was snow outside.... in Vadsø. But don't go to Vadsø in Finnmark; it's a boring place! It's flat and it's .... boring! And Nordkapp (North Cape) is expensive and it's no fun at all in fog or rain.

Ferry:
From Newcastle to Bergen or Kristiansand.
I suggest Kristiansand, and go to Oslo (and meet me!) and let the weather forecast decide if you go main roads up to Trondheim (it's a boring and fast road) or go up/west and cross the mountains for some fun roads and perhaps find snow and a closed road...

If you start in May you make it easier for you!
Many campsites are closed in April and even in May. But you are free to camp in the woods or not too close to houses.

Our National Day is the 17.th of May; we celebrate it daytime outside with kids and music (brass band, school kids are playing) and the main street in Oslo, Karl Johans Gate, is filled buy happy kids and ice cream and music!
We don't go to work at 17.th of May.

I have a thread at this section, Travel; read about where to go and fun roads, and then go back to me and ask if you still have some questions! I'm glad to help!

:) Liv.
 
Hi Mark

We went at the end of May,and some roads in the North were still closed with snow,and camping with Frost on the tent's was a bit on the extream side :eek:

If you would like any info please get in touch + i have a full list of the Hutters,{ Log Cabins } which covers all Norway.

There is also a link to the Photo's we took Here
http://www.bmwgs.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=1214#1214

Dazzer
On that site you should be able to see the photo's from this years trip,which covers all the countries you list.
 
Wow, lots to take in :eek:

Looks like April is a little to early in the year for this route, I'd like to keep my nuts the correct size thank you.

Our dates are pretty flexible so we have decided, on your advice, to put it back to July and organise a different route in April.

The trip is still the same but we'll have a bit more time to organise it better + have some 3 weeks touring experience from april.

Thanks for all the tips. I'm about to start the Chris Scott book after i've finished the Ted Simon one.

Oslo sounds great and would also love to meet up with fellow bikers enroute, so will be posting more questions soon.
 
Mark C said:
Thanks for all the tips. I'm about to start the Chris Scott book after i've finished the Ted Simon one.

You're reading them in the same order that I did, though I felt Jupiter's Travels wallowed and the latter third of the book was rather heavy going.

Re: the baselayer advice, depending on your suit I still recommend it even if you're going in July; it's cheap to buy now (lotsa skiiers this time of year) and it makes a vast difference to riding comfort even in summertime.

I've got a HG Voyager suit, removable inner liners (take them with you in a small compression sack) and if you wear a base layer underneath, it wicks the sweat off your body, keeps you cool in summer, extra layer keeps you warm in winter, your suit stinks less since it doesn't get all sweaty, and it doesn't stick to you for the same reason.

Win all round. :)
 
I'm finding the book heavy going from the start. I was hoping it would improve but will plod on.

I've just purchased the BMW Streetguard jacket with the intention of using for these tours. My local dealers was selling them of at 50% discount so I thought i'd give it a go. The guy at dealers reckons this jacket would be up to the job but i need to test it in a few conditions before I commit to it.

I'll nip into M&S in the sales as I receive a £25 gift voucher from work as a christmas bonus. I think some new thermals would be very nice.

My friend runs on the Voyager suit which he loves. Looks like he's set up ok for the trip. Panniers are the next item on our shopping list.
 


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