Blast To Nord Kapp Budget ??

[POG]

What do you reckon then ??

England to Nord Kapp, probably via Dover-Calais route to keep costs down.

This June, camping (wild and free where poss), pretty much self catering, taking the coastal Norwegian route up there and the Swedish or Finnish route back.

Whadda ya reckon it would cost ?

 

[brassmonkey001]

Norway is horrendously expensive I'm told.

 

[garfield]

Norway is horrendously expensive I'm told.

but there must be a way to beat the system though..... .......

 

[Wapping]

Think of a similar trip in the UK and add 50%.

Think of a similar trip in the UK and double it.

Somewhere between the two, or less.

Google: Norway cost of living. Then delete Norway and insert Denmark, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Finland (and anywhere else you will go thro').

 

[sparkplug]

I'd say Dover-Calais might be a false economy given the extra fuel/food/accomodation.

It's been a few years since I went - but I'd say the following:

1) Fuel was around the same cost as in the UK

2) Camping is free if you use "all mans right" but be VERY careful with fire and look into the rules regarding this.

3) You might also benefit from the Scandinavian Camping Card which is valid in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway. 130SEK is around a tenner and the card will pay for itself many times over.

4) Food is expensive. Even self catering. To keep costs down bring what you can. If you have time and don't mind a spot of fishing - you don't need a license if you're fishing in the sea and temporary permits for lake fishing are very affordable. If you're by the coast there's also plenty of foraging to be had from limpets and the like.

5) For those who might be put off from a sensible answer substitute point 4) with "Always carry an emergency hedgehog in your pocket"

6) Alcohol. Apart from the fact that you'll fall over at the price of it there's a zero tolerance attitude to driving. Had a sip of that 3.4% beer? You're over the limit. Know your facts, find out what the consequences are and take your own risks. The chance of getting caught is low, the penalty is very high. If price is a consideration then seriously consider lowering your alcohol intake or take some pure alcohol (Ethanol) as we did - about a tenner for a litre from all good Italian supermarkets. Dilute with tonic and add a twist of lemon.

7) Speeding. Again the Scandinavians have a zero tolerance approach to it. Speed limits are lower than over here and the penalties are very high. Cameras are (were) all forward facing so will take a nice pic of the front of your bike - again, know the law and the consequences of breaking it and take your own risks. I actually found that once you get into the pace of respecting the limits (took a couple of days) it gives you more time to enjoy the scenery.

8) In Northern Varmland (Sweden)? Pop in to Camping 45 - run by a bonkers German chap (speaks perfect English) and very well appointed campsite he gives a 10% discount to bikers, just because he's a biker. Nice place too...

9) Have a look here

10) Have a great time!

 

[MattW]

I've been to Norway twice (although never as far north as Nordkapp, but nearly there in Narvik).

Cost of living is horrific - we were in the car each time as we had a load of diving kit with us (Newcastle to Bergen - this route doesn't exist any more ) and we took a lot of food etc with us (along with a good few wine boxes). This helped to mitigate costs.

The costs of eating out (even just a cafe) will make your eyes water, although to be honest there are hardly any restaurants / bars outside the main cities - the locals don't have an eating / drinking out culture because of the costs. Alcohol (if it matters to you) of any type is just laughably expensive - easily £7+ for a half litre of beer in a bar, £4+ for a tin of cheap lager in a supermarket. Even basic foods like bread and vegetables in supermarkets are at least 2 or 3 times what you'd spend at home.

But there are lots of plus points - the scenery is absolutely gobsmacking - every time you go round a corner, your jaw drops with the view - fjords, mountains, glaciers (often in the same vista) - it's stunning. Camping is very well catered for - good campsites at reasonable prices, many have little wooden shed things with bunks if you don't want to pack a tent (although these are a bit pricey and get booked up). While the right to wild camp is enshrined in law (with certain proviso's - read up), in practice every piece of flat ground near a road seems to be either someone's garden or a campsite

Driving is interesting - speed limits are low and rigidly enforced - all the locals stick religiously to the limits, so you stand out like a sore thumb if you're speeding. There are speed cameras everywhere (even on rural roads in the middle of nowhere) and any where near a town you can guarantee to see cops with speed guns. Fines are high and 'on-the-spot or we'll have your vehicle thanks' - above a certain percentage over, it's do not pass go - instant police cell and then a second mortgage to get out. There are many tunnels (some of them amazingly long - took us 20 minutes to drive through one) and many of them are wet due to water seepage through the rock and not very well lit. They are only ever single lane each side and are narrow (two trucks passing don't have a great deal of room to spare) - you need to keep your wits about you. Many of the tunnels and bridges have tolls and I believe they fleece you to do the last bit to Nordkapp. Because of the nature of the roads and the speed limits, journey times are longer than you might think - it took us three 8 / 10 hour driving days to do the 1000 miles from Bergen to Narvik.

All this said - it's an amazing place and well worth a visit - I'd love to go back on the bike (you see loads of bikers - the Germans and Italians seem to love Norway), but trying to do it on the cheap is going to be tricky...

hth
Matt

Edit - schiannini beat me to it

 

[Deleted account 230523001]

Looking at that lot.......I would rather take my chances in Beiruit for a couple of weeks.
Good job we are all different.

 

[POG]

Many thanks to the replies so far, especially schiannini and Matt Thanks muchly

Oh and the usual pearl necklace of wisdom from att

And to clarify a little bit...

I've done a lot of truck driving in Europe, and a fair bit in Scandinavia, so kind of know the ropes, a bit. I have been stung with the roadside food costs in Norway before and know the importation limits on alcohol and the driving limits - 0% I also know that if you're caught, your vehicle is seized, you get exported and then you're banned from the country for some years. It happened to a truck driver mate of mine. There are also speed trapping helicopters in Sweden

OK, off topic a little bit

Firstly and obviously, a cabin on a ferry from Hull (or wherever in UK) to Goteburg, Denmark, Ijmuden or Rotterdam would be preferable - arriving fresh etc fast forward to the good bits. This would obviously have to be balanced against time, fuel/accomodation/food costs. A bit of investigation here will be needed.

Secondly, doing the coastal route on the way up "loaded" - carrying as much food as possible, wild camping, topping the tank off before going in, taking a bottle in the pannier, etc etc. Then on the return route, coming back through Finland or Sweden where food costs are considerably less.

The window for this is 16 days which should be do-able. Fast forward through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and start slowing down in Denmark. I've been to all the above loads before, they're nearer so more re-visitable, could spend months in each place etc etc

Sooo...The ferry will be balanced against time/cost/ etc. Am aware of food costs etc in Norway, so self supplied for that leg. I'm after a ball park budget figure for fuel, camping, road tolls, etc (alcohol etc excluded for these purposes). I'm not financially flush at the moment but am committed to doing this so I'm after the "no-frills-you'll-need-at-least-this-amount-of-cash-to-do-it figure.

Many thanks for your replies so far

 

[Flipfly]

(wild and free whore pass)

That's what I read

I would have thought Free, but can I come too

 

[MattW]

Ah right - you know the score then

I would certainly try to do the main coast road north (the only road in reality once you're about half way up Norway) - the N1 I think(?). You can make pretty good time to Trondheim. From there the road get nadgery and pretty slow, but the scenery gets fantastic along with it.

If you can spend the time, it's well worth visiting the Lofoten Islands - north west(ish) corner of Norway - absolutely beautiful and I caught several 2 to 3 lb Cod off the beach of a campsite we stayed at . We deliberately hammered it to the Lofotens (well as far as the speed limits / roads / views will let you) and then chilled out for a couple of days there before the final push to Narvik - well worth it.

We also did the drive on the cheap (easier in the car) and packed a lot of compact dried foods (cous cous, rice, spaghetti, lentils etc). I took some good quality curry powder, some herbs and seasonings and we used to buy an onion and a can of tomatoes each day en-route. Fresh fish were a bonus (and pretty easy to catch). We ate pretty well on a minimal budget.

Edit:
It's a few years since we went, so the figures are hazy, but I remember thinking that the camping was a bit cheaper than at home (of course free if you wild camp). I don't remember the tolls being too scary and they'll be cheaper on a bike anyway - they also come and go as they only charge a toll until the relevant 'feature' (tunnel, bridge etc ) is paid for. Fuel was about the same cost as at home (and I believe it's not changed).

cheers
M

 

[POG]

Ah right - you know the score then

I would certainly try to do the main coast road north (the only road in reality once you're about half way up Norway) - the N1 I think(?). You can make pretty good time to Trondheim. From there the road get nadgery and pretty slow, but the scenery gets fantastic along with it.

If you can spend the time, it's well worth visiting the Lofoten Islands - north west(ish) corner of Norway - absolutely beautiful and I caught several 2 to 3 lb Cod off the beach of a campsite we stayed at . We deliberately hammered it to the Lofotens (well as far as the speed limits / roads / views will let you) and then chilled out for a couple of days there before the final push to Narvik - well worth it.

We also did the drive on the cheap (easier in the car) and packed a lot of compact dried foods (cous cous, rice, spaghetti etc). I took some good quality curry powder, some herbs and seasonings and we used to buy an onion and a can of tomatoes en-route. Fresh fish were a bonus (and pretty easy to catch). We ate pretty well on a minimal budget.

cheers
M

Fantastic, Matt Keep em coming

I am on with the dehydrator project and will be taking a rod

Any more info muchly appreciated

Survivalist biking

 

[sparkplug]

If you can spend the time, it's well worth visiting the Lofoten Islands - north west(ish) corner of Norway

+1

Vesteralen and Lofoten islands were a real highlight.

Fishing where the Barents and Norwegian sea meets is unlike anything I've ever seen before or since and agree that we caught enough fish in 10 mins to feed 3 people for 3-4 days. (we were staying in the hytta/stuga - all these cabins had a fridge freezer so we froze the fish and kept it in thermal bags until the next hytta where we ate one, cooked another and froze the cooked fish etc...)

Sounds to me like your timescale and knowledge is pretty good. I'd just set off and when you're half way through your cash turn around and come back. Nordkapp itself isn't as spectacular as a lot of the rest of the area and it's only important to tick it off a list. So what if you don't reach it?

 

[MattW]

Oh yes - because of the (very in places) mountainous terrain, the weather does odd things. We quite often drove into tunnels in sunshine and drove out into black skies and pouring rain - used to see lots of bikers having to faff with waterproofs in the layby's which they (thankfully) have next to the tunnel mouths

 

[POG]

Nordkapp itself isn't as spectacular as a lot of the rest of the area and it's only important to tick it off a list. So what if you don't reach it?

Yes but it's a target. And so what if I don't get there... I'll have had an amazing time getting that far (hopefully). Many thanks

 

[MattW]

Yes but it's a target. And so what if I don't get there... I'll have had an amazing time getting that far (hopefully). Many thanks

I'm jealous thinking of you going - you'll have an ace time

 

[motobiker]

Nordkapp IS a target as in getting there is an achievement. just 'because' - you stand there and you are 'almost' as far north as its possible to go anywhere in Europe. I believe that 'Barrow' - the northernmost point in Alaska isn't all that further north.

So do it - just so you can say ' I done it'

 

[MattW]

Oh yes - depending on what time of year you're going - take a head net for when you're camping!

Some of the biting insects have teeth like dogs - makes Scottish midges pale into insignificance....

 

[Pathologic]

I'd like to do both.

Looking at that lot.......I would rather take my chances in Beiruit for a couple of weeks.
Good job we are all different.

I'm off to visit my daughter in the Chouf mountains next month. We will visit beirut and Damasus whilst we're there. Should be fantastic!

Going round the Baltic is on my list as well. Just need the time and the money

Regards,

Path.

 

[Wapping]

I'm off to visit my daughter in the Chouf mountains next month. We will visit beirut and Damasus whilst we're there. Should be fantastic!

Going round the Baltic is on my list as well. Just need the time and the money

Regards,

Path.

I have been to Beirut. Nice place (if defintely a bit knocked about).

It used to be (in happier times) called the Paris of the middle east, with very good reason.

If you want to read a reasonably funny report (though now out of date)
on the place, buy a copy of Holidays in Hell by P J O'Rourke

 

[unhinged]

Went to Norway for 2 weeks a couple of years ago. Camped everywhere and bought food from supermarkets/local shops and it came to pretty much the same as it would have in the UK (well, London at least) and the campsites we used were all superb. I'd have paid twice as much for the scenery... amazing. We did Harwich to Hoek and spent a day and a half getting to Kristiansand using another ferry which at the time cost 100 quid one way (we came back via Sweden). Even the beer wasn't too bad as we bought from supermarkets. We never once ate out (or in depending on how you look at it). The petrol was about the same, the oil however (I needed to top up) came to 15 quid for a 1 litre bottle which stung a bit). The other thing that stands out in my memory was finding camping gas was awkward and we ended up using petrol out of the tank for 3 days until we found some. One of the best holidays we've had.