Tours to Arctic circle (Norway)

Its on the bucket list. I want to ride up to the Arctic circle through Norway and - as I'm not sure I want to ride up on my own - was considering a Motorrad Tour (Artic and midnight sun). Turns out they are fully booked for the 2014 July-August trip.

Anyone had any experience with Motorrad Tours or similar companies that do organised / semi-organised tours in the region / recommendations?

Thanks

Not used them but surely there must be a few on here who would love to do that trip, first time or again ? May make planning it quite easy and halve the cost. Half the fun of a trip is the planning

Suppose it depends on how sociable you want to be.

Bumped into a couple on a GS who were with the group last year. They weren't enjoying it. They felt it was all a mad dash up there and down again. I presume because the trip was keeping to some schedule - prebooked hotels/accomodation and ferries. Just too hectic.

I think they liked my idea of going myself and choosing what and where I wanted to go and visit.
e.g I met them at the big WW2 German gun at Kristiansand the others were elsewhere.

The elsewhere happened to be where I was going next, the most southerly point of Norway - Lindesnes
Had a chat with some of the guys. Some appeared to enjoy riding in a group - about 10 bikes there at the time.
But the leader wasn't for much 'chat' as I appeared to have put his nose out of joint. On a previous trip, by myself again, I'd been to Nordkapp. The other guys were impressed but he was all 'let's get going back to the hotel and have a beer and all that.....

You meet all sorts and those out of sorts.....

What would I do?

Stuff these organised 'trips'.

There's plenty to do and see.
Plenty of places to stay.
Lots of really friendly, helpful people who speak perfect english.
You set the pace and agenda.
If the weather's good stay, if its crap move on.
There's always plenty of daylight and you can cover good distances each day.
So you can start late or early and finish whenever - I sometimes road through to 2am in the Arctic Circle.
Roads are quiet and plentiful - avoid 'E' roads and BTW that's easy.

That's the way I've done two trips.

This year however, I am going with a biker pal. Coincidentally early July.
So this will be a different experience.
Hopefully be as good.
Scotboxer is to be on his best behaviour!!

But it's a grand country and if you like mountain scenery and twisty roads...Norway has this in troll loads.

aRTy_Hexhead said:

Suppose it depends on how sociable you want to be.

...

Stuff these organised 'trips'.

There's plenty to do and see.
Plenty of places to stay.
Lots of really friendly, helpful people who speak perfect english.
You set the pace and agenda.
If the weather's good stay, if its crap move on.
There's always plenty of daylight and you can cover good distances each day.
So you can start late or early and finish whenever - I sometimes road through to 2am in the Arctic Circle.
Roads are quiet and plentiful - avoid 'E' roads and BTW that's easy.

That's the way I've done two trips.

This year however, I am going with a biker pal. Coincidentally early July.
So this will be a different experience.
Hopefully be as good.
Scotboxer is to be on his best behaviour!!

But it's a grand country and if you like mountain scenery and twisty roads...Norway has this in troll loads.

Click to expand...

@ aRTy_Hexhead - thanks, in your previous trips did you mainly use hotels, or did you try camping / huts which I've seen seem to be popular according to some other posts... how easy is it to book hotels on the fly in July /August?

I did it with motorrad last year. Good group of people and good company etc. But as hexhead say it depends how sociable you want to be. One of the best aspects is that some cracking routes are already planned for you which you would not have found without lots of map work and perhaps Google earth, which is what some people enjoy, but for a bucket list trip can be hit and miss. The only schedule is the hotels are booked how you get there and what you do along the way is up to you. Some left early others left late some did their own thing others rode in informal groups.

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aRTy_Hexhead said:

Scotboxer is to be on his best behaviour!!

Click to expand...

.

Greybeard said:

@ aRTy_Hexhead - thanks, in your previous trips did you mainly use hotels, or did you try camping / huts which I've seen seem to be popular according to some other posts... how easy is it to book hotels on the fly in July /August?

Click to expand...

That depends on how fat your wallet is. I'm amazed they get any bookings at the prices they charge. I used a mixture of hostels, tent and huts. Check prices and availability on something like booking.com to get some idea for that time of year. I went on my own and had a great time but I'm an antisocial bugger. Actually, I met a lot of great people on the road and travelled with some for part of the time. A lot depends on how long you have got. It's a long way! Happy to help with routes if you want. I'd go again tomorrow if there were not so many other places still on the list!

One of the advantages of going with bmw is that they arrange a free insolvency counselling session for you on the ferry home.

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No no. No hotels. Tried to do Norway as cheaply as I could.

So camping. but that was about £20 a night. I think with two sharing a tent you could save a bit.
I think though an optimum for using a hut would be a minimum of three. Too expensive for one/two folk 400 - 500 NOK.
Huts on every campsite that I was on. Good alternative for travelling a bit lighter. Maybe one tent for group for 'emergencies'. But campsites are so plentiful.
Norway does have a rough camping policy if you want to avoid campsite fees. A few rules like not within, I think 100m of somebody's house and not to stay in the same place for more than one night?? (citation needed - can't quite remember the real facts. Will check sometime)

Good point I found, is that every single campsite that I stayed in had a 'kitchen' along with the usual toilets/showers block.
This meant that you could put up the tent (often soaking wet!) grab your food and go 'inside' and cook dinner have a cuppa etc. There is usually at least a basic electric hob/kettle/sink. So you don't even have to use your own gas!
Believe me that was a welcome relief on numerous occasions.
Even to beat the Norwegian midges (knutt) on the most westerly point at West Kapp at Selji.

Gripe time!
How many times in Scotland are you fighting with the weather AND the midges at the tent entrance trying yo get something to eat.
Campsite owners, listen up! Why not have this sort of facility? I'm sure you'd attract more campers.

So camping, living on porridge, dried pasta, bread and cheese and I take half a dozen packs of wet food:

http://www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk/about/our_story

Available in most supermarkets these days. Good for a change. Quick and easy.

Fuel at about £1.70. Fortunately the RT does at least 60mpg. Gives good range.
However, every fuel station has a 24hr credit card pump They know how to do it in Norway.

Only ever had problem for fuel. Finland, wouldn't take a visa card at the pumps. But that was at 2am. So couldn't use cash (Euro).


could go on, cause it's such a great place......next starter for ten.....please

Norway

My son and I rode up to arctic circle august 2012, starting at Kristiansand in the South. Only prebooked the first night, had no problems finding hytten to stay in each day or places to camp, over the 2 week period.

And as others have said, freedom because we had no plan!

Simon

Overlanders.

Have a look at www.overlanders.ie I have used them to ship my bike to Malaga and they are a fantastic group to deal with. They are doing Norway this August http://www.overlanders.ie/guided-tours-calendar/

Thanks all for the advice - I'm going to have a look at the options. I may decide to defer to next year... but I think the freedom of deciding where to go and when to stop may trump an organiosed tour, particularly as I want to take quite a few landscape photographs on the way. Cheers.

Long time since I last went, but we used a Youth Hostels as well as camping and hut, Hostels always a good place to meet up with folk at end of day for a chat. reasonably good value too and if the weather is crap great place to dry your gear.

From what I remember it took a about 4 days from Bergan to artic circle, you can only drive at 50 and you also want to stop off. I have never pre booked any accommodation before setting off, one thing I learnt from a few trips to america there is always somewhere to stay and if all else fails you kip under a tarp.

Having said all of that, I went to India over a decade ago on pre booked tour and it was nice to just jump on a bike every morning not having to think about routes etc. But if I was to go back I would do it on my own. For me half the fun is in the planning and chatting with mates in pub about where and what to see, routes to do etc.

You will have a great time what ever you chose! Get it off your bucket list so you can go do something else

Simon

Hi Greybeard are you thinking of going all that way to the top Nordkapp while you are there?
What sort of time do you have available for your trip?
What size machine would you be using?

Hi boatman,

I'm lucky that I can be flexible about time - I think at least 14 days... I'll be using my R1200GS.

Its on my list too.
Im trying out Motorrad Tours in the Ardennes in May for the first time.
Based on that experience I will either go with them or do my own Norway/North Cape tour.

Also the Motorad tour has 4 or so who are on the waiting list. If any more sign up they would consider a second tour on a different date.


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Greybeard said:

Its on the bucket list. I want to ride up to the Arctic circle through Norway and - as I'm not sure I want to ride up on my own - was considering a Motorrad Tour (Artic and midnight sun). Turns out they are fully booked for the 2014 July-August trip.

Anyone had any experience with Motorrad Tours or similar companies that do organised / semi-organised tours in the region / recommendations?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Just had contact from BMW to say a couple of bods had dropped out so they were not now full!


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The whole reason for me buying a GS is to do norway as soon as possible.

I've been fascinated by fjords since I was a kid.

Good luck hope it goes well