Update
Well, I am currently on the ferry from Helsinki to Rostock, Germany, having done about 5500km round Scandanavia. I had to push it because of my deadline for the rock festival so I didn't get the best of anywhere. But, I have learned a few lessons and some 'notes to self'.
First off, the ferry from Helsinki to Rostock with the Tallink Silja line does not depart from the signed Tallink Silja terminal in lower central Helsinki. It departs from the cargo port 15km east. I arrived on time at the wrong port and had to get shown where on the GPS map it actually was and then fight my way through Hell-sinki traffic (more red lights than London) and I only just made it in 40 mins driving like a nutter (well, courier). GPS location for the Fastlink ferry is :
N 60 degrees 12.58, E 25 degrees 11.53
There seemed to be no signs for the port and for travelling vehicles until about 1km away from the port... not much use when you turn up in town and follow the only signs for the ferry company which lead somewhere else... maybe I missed something.
Anyway... Scandanavia : I went Germany, Denmark, southern Sweden, Norway, norhtern Sweden, Finland, Germany.
I want to be positive but overall Sweden has little to offer the adventure rider. By that I mean there are gravel tracks but they seldom lead anywhere and planning a trip via these whilst covering ground effectively is hard. Admittedly I could have used a better map to show more detail but talking to the locals, I realise I wasn't missing much.
Finland is marginally better, if you can get to the minor roads (three numbers eg route 259) but these also seldom lead through places, just out to settlements and houses. I did not get to eastern Finland towards Russia and I am told this area is really beautiful.
Norway, as already discussed in these pages, is stunning and should not be missed. Due to my time pressures I raced through but still loved it. Wild camping in all three countries was easy and great fun and with the XT600 I could potter through the forests and find a spot away from everything.
As stated previously in the thread I went Puttgarden to Denmark then rode to southern Sweden. If you want to access Norway (in the absence of the ferry to Bergen) I'd agree that the Esbjerg ferry followed by a second ferry from northern Denmark to Norway is the answer. Driving via Sweden was a bit dull.
I reached the arctic circle in Sweden, took the obligatory photo and then went up a bit and crossed into Finland at Pella and headed south again.
Next trip: To the Nord Kapp, driving in Norway as much as possible, taking time to enjoy more places. Local bikers dislike the E6 but in my mind, it's in Norway not Sweden which is a scenic benefit.
Police: Everyone knows the speed limits are low and the fines are high but (without condoning speeding) I did not see more than 2 police cars outside of towns, and the I only saw about 10 police cars in the whole of Scandanavia. Cameras only take pictures to the front. So, in all, I still watched my speed, esp in the 50,60,70 areas but you can relax a bit and make some progress.
Just watch out for the blooming reindeer! I came within a reindeer's whisker of a full on smash at 100kph when one the size of a cow jumped suicidally at the last second right into my path. Within the hour I was almost taken head on by a moose - but she was driving a white Toyota and chatting to and looking at her rear passengers whilst making a left turn in front of me. I left a tyre mark and clipped her bumper. After the shouting through my Arai, the legs went to jelly and I couldn't ride for 5 mins. It was that close. This is the reason to obey the speed limits in town. Drivers expect you to be going slowly because everyone does, and they will pull out.
Didn't get to the Baltic states, partly because I was described that they are flat and boring... but to be honest, I was put off by the reputation of the police who, like in Almaty where I live, stop motorists in order to find fault and make money from bribes. Not my idea of a relaxing bike tour... please enlighten me if I am missing something in the Baltics...
Fuel prices in Finland are 1.43 Euro per litre for 95 U/L. Diesel is 1.13. Interesting discrepancy between the two fuel types compared to the UK. In Sweden they use a different currency so it was never clear but it was 12.93 Kr in Sweden and about the same in Norway but the exchange rate is worse for the GBP.
Food prices in Norway were surprising with approx 1.50 GBP being the lowest price for anything on the shelf. I shopped in Lidl etc and made sandwiches a lot, and camping in the forests made it overall a cheap trip. I used couchsurfing.com for places to stay (4 nights out of 13 so far, 2 in a hotel and the rest in the woods). Tip: try and find an out-of-town 24hr station and get in the woods nearby. Then you have basically got water, bathroom and food -what you would get in a campsite - and it doesn't cost a penny. I never found out what a pitch costs for the night but basic cabins with no facilities were at least 50 Euros per night (4 berth so cheap if you are in a group). Hotel prices started at about equivalent of 90 Euro a night, again for basic basic level stuff. I always thought I hated camping until the prices forced me into the wild...(!) but discovered that I love it, especially the packing up and getting on the road without faffing about. Two things made camping bearable: mosquitto net headgear. Vital for Scandanavia. And a decent air matress like Airic from AlpKit.com. Folded over, it was more comfortable than a futon. Pillow was my Airhawk seat (which incidentally I will never ride without again).
I hope this is useful and not repeating too much of what has been said before.
More to follow if I think of anything else useful.
Cheers
