The Lofoten Islands - the unfinished business tour.

barak666

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This is a report of our recent three week trip to the Lofoten Islands. Following on from our ride to Nordkapp in 2017 which didn't exactly go according to plan - we decided to ride to Lofoten and visit the places we had missed following our mechanical bad luck.


The Nordkapp report can be found here: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/465978-Nordkapp-via-Adversity


The plan was to take seven days to get to Lofoten via Germany, Denmark, and Sweden... then a more leisurely couple of weeks back down via the FV17 Kystriksveien (The Coastal Route) and the E39.

tracker-day1 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 1. Northampton to Harwich, Harwich to Hook of Holland, Hook of Holland to Gorinchem, Holland.


Easy ride to the ferry, then totally flat crossing in baking temperatures... thank God for air conditioning in the cabin.


37c when we got off the ferry and rode the 90 minutes to the hotel in heavy traffic. It was a shower, food and cold beer ready for an early start in the morning to Lubeck. Gorinchem 373 miles.

20190826_152216_HDR~2 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190827_071706 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Couple of our fellow passengers...

20190827_073115 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190827_073100 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190827_091613(1) by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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20190827_202359 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day2 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 2 - Gorinchem to Lubeck, Germany. We were on the road before 6-00am in an effort to beat some of the high temperatures.


Main road past Arnhem & Nijmegen, then across country to Bremen to miss out some of the roadworks on the A1.


We arrived at the Hotel Guttenberger about 1-30pm absolutely cooked by the 30+c temperatures. We had a rest in the afternoon then a nice meal and cold beers, which would probably be the last beer until the return journey.


Another early start the next morning as we leave Germany, ride through Denmark and head into Sweden. Lubeck 342 miles.

IMG_20190828_151319 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190828_191330 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190828_191323 by Philip Perks, on Flickr





tracker-day3 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 3 - Lubeck, Germany to Varnamo, Sweden. We were on the road again just after 6-00am. Rode about 70 miles to Puttgarden to catch the ferry to Denmark. Paid fare then got waved straight on to ferry which left port before we even got off the bike.


45 minutes later we were in Denmark. Another 100 miles to near Copenhagen and to the Oresund bridge to Malmo, Sweden.


Temperatures were a lot better for riding, although we had the first rain of the trip. We then rode 145 miles from Malmo, to Varnamo Camping where we were nicely ensconced in our little cabin in the woods. Varnamo, Sweden 345 miles.

13a by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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20190830_081331 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day4 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 4 - Varnamo, Sweden to Orsa, Sweden. On the road early again just after 8-30am for the long ride up the centre of Sweden.


This part of Sweden is very pretty with lots of lakes, tidy looking farms and villages, and of course millions of trees. The route 25 to Mora was a brilliant road that was well worth the ride.


Temperatures started to drop the further north we went, and that day it was about 15c with a strong northerly wind but no rain.


That night we staying in the Trunna Hostel at Orsa. An amazing place with loads of character features. Orsa, Sweden 351 miles.

20190830_170016_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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IMG_20190830_163909 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day5 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 5 - Orsa, Sweden to Vilhelmina, Sweden. After a good night's sleep we were on the road just after 9-00 for the long ride into Lapland, northern Sweden.


The E45 was the only road we stayed on for the whole of the day, which is pretty unusual. The scenery become very rugged, with lots of forest and lakes. Stopping for lunch just outside Ostersund, we were told by some of the locals that a car travelling on the same road as us crashed into a large brown bear the night before!


One of the highlights the day was seeing hundreds of classic American cars driving along the same road us - obviously a big meet somewhere near.


That night we stayed in the Vilhelmina Kyrkstad Hostel, which is one the last surviving group of 18th century church town houses. Vilhelmena, Sweden 342 miles.

DSCF7267 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Petrol station restroom....

IMG_20190831_131159 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

DSCF7254 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190831_181208_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190831_181315_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day6 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 6 - Vilhelmina, Sweden to Mørsvikbotn, Norway. It was an early start for the last of our big mileage days which turned out to be a bit of an adventure.


After doing about 85 miles on the E45 through forest and lakes with no drama, we joined the 409 at Slagnas, which had large sections of deep gravel where they are building a new road. The longest of these was about 15 miles long with some buttock clenching moments.


To add to the excitement we also had wild reindeer wandering on the road, but as I was struggling to stay upright there was no photos.


We stayed on the 409 to Arjeplog, where we joined the 95 which we followed crossing into the Arctic circle at Camp Polcirkeln.


We then stayed on the 95 until we crossed the border into Norway where we joined the E6 which we stayed on for approx 100 miles to Mørsvikbotn camping where we had another lovely cabin in stunning surroundings.


Mørsvikbotn, Norway 339 miles.

VIRB0082 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

VIRB0087 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Not sure how but we missed the rain...

IMG_20190901_113155 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day7 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 7 - Mørsvikbotn, Norway to Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands. A 10-00am start for the 50+ miles to Bognes, to catch the ferry to Lofoten. The 50 minute crossing was quite rough but we both managed not to lose our breakfasts.


After arriving at Lodingen, we then rode for 2 1/2 hours through amazing scenery to reach our airbnb home for the next three days. The house is an old cottage which has been tastefully decorated inside, and includes a hot tub outside which we didn't use, much to the relief of the neighbours.


Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands 194 miles.

20190902_110202 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190902_135301_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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Stunning views from the house...

20190902_175700_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190902_175732_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day8 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 8 - Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands. Heavy rain and strong winds set the tone of the day. We wanted to visit the Lofoten Viking museum and this seemed to be the day to do it.


Lofoten Viking Museum in Borg features the largest Viking-era house ever found. The impressive 272-ft structure is reconstructed in full size, just off the original house site.


We then rode to Svolvaer in terrible weather, to visit the Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum which has one of the world's largest collections of artifacts and uniforms from WW2. The bridge crossings, particularly the Gimsøystraumen Bridge in the 60+ mph winds were a bit on the tense side.


We returned to the cottage, to light the log fire, warm up and dry out.


Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands 110 miles

IMG_20190903_120205 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190903_120018_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190903_115958 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

One of the museum exhibits...

20190903_135307 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day9 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 9 - Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands. For our last full day on Lofoten, we rode to the south of islands to visit one of the world's most beautiful locations, Reine. We had been looking forward to visiting here for several years, and have many photos showing the amazing views.


Unfortunately, heavy rain and low cloud made it difficult to see anything. On top of that, we both got wet and cold which together with nearly dropping the bike in a car park, made for a difficult day.


We then visited A, the town with shortest name in the world.


Back to the cottage to dry clothes, again, pack up and get ready for our 3-00am start in the morning to catch the ferry back to the mainland.


Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands 105 miles.

Rainy_Reine by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190904_115948 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190904_111215 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190904_131938 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190904_114050_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190902_201911 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day10 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 10 - Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands to Furøy, Norway. A 3-00am start to load the bike and ride the two hours to the ferry for the trip back to the mainland.


The 3.5 hour crossing was calm but wet. We landed at Bodo then found the FV17 in the pouring rain. The FV17 is the Kystriksveien (The Coastal Route) going from Steinkjer to Bodø - a total of 400 miles. This is a scenic road and most of the road is a National Scenic Route.


We followed this road past numerous waterfalls, mountains and coastal islands. We also rode past the Engabreen, and Svartisen glaciers which looked amazing even in the rain.


We arrived at our little cabin in Furøy, where we stay overnight and caught the early ferry next morning to continue south along the FV17.


Furøy, Norway 240 miles.

vlcsnap-2019-09-30-15h00m38s931 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2019-09-30-15h05m14s895 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2019-09-30-15h07m10s755 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2019-09-30-15h08m34s032 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190905_054748 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190905_062029 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

DSCF7305 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190905_154436_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day11 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 11 - Furøy, Norway to Nyheim Camping, Norway. An 8am start in pouring rain to catch the first ferry of three on our way south along the FV17.


By the time we reached the second ferry at Jetvik, the weather showed signs of improving as the heavy rain turned to showers.


The JEKTVIK – KILBOGHAMN ferry takes about 90 minutes and while on it we crossed back over the Arctic circle. By the time we reached the last ferry at Nesna, the weather had improved to no rain and dry roads.


We then stayed on the FV17 to Mosjøen where we joined the E6 which we followed to our overnight stop at Nyheim. Little bit of dejavu, as we stayed in the same hutte that we stayed in two years ago on the way back from Nordkapp.


After unloading the bike we sat outside having a coffee watching a female moose across the river, unfortunately not too clear as my phone camera zoom was on max.


Nyheim Camping, Norway 265 miles.

DSCF7317 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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20190906_120918_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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Day 12 - Nyheim Camping, Norway to Magnillen Camping, Norway. A cold start with rain showers and a wind chill of below zero meant extra base layers and heated gloves for our ride south.


The E6 between Nyheim and Steinkjer is a superb motorcycle road, almost empty, great surface, endless corners and fantastic views.


The E6 from Steinkjer to Trondheim is not so good, very busy with lots of speed cameras.


At Trondheim we turned off the E6 onto the E39, and turned out to be a gem of a road, following the coast towards Kristiansund, with amazing views and a road to match.


We then caught the Halsa - Kanestraum ferry for the short hop to our overnight stop at Magnillen Camping.


Magnillen Camping, Norway 309 miles

20190907_163316 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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IMG_20190907_164134 by Philip Perks, on Flickr


tracker-day13 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 13 - Magnillen Camping, Norway to Byrkjelo Camping. A bright cold start for a much anticipated day. We left the camp and joined the E39 which we followed to Molde, where we took the Gjemnessundbrua bridge, and the Sølsnes Ferry to Andalsnes . This is a road we were familiar with as we rode it several times before when we came here in 2014 on our Harley.


A quick break in Andalsnes, where Roz took one of her bravery pills to face the infamous Trollstigen.


Riding Trollstigen is a dramatic and exciting experience. The road twists through 11 hairpin bends as it climbs up to Stigrøra (2858 feet above sea level). Some places it's cut into the mountain; and some parts are built on top of stone walls. An impressive bridge in natural stone carries it across the Stigfossen waterfall


After completing Trollstigen with only minor heart palpitations, we continued over the tundra plateau towards geirangerfjord where we followed the road to the Liabygba ferry.


A short crossing to Stranda where we picked up the R60 down past Geirangerfjord and Hornindalsvatn to eventually arrive at that nights stop at Byrkjelo Camping which is another beautiful place. All in all this had been the best day of our holiday so far - the weather was cold but sunny and the riding truly fantastic.


Byrkjelo Camping, Norway 231 miles

20190908_112032_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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DSCF7362 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190908_122012 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190908_122513 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

We met the guy on the Stelvio with his friends a few days later on the Bergen ferry...

20190908_122021_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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IMG_20190908_161941 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day14&15 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 14 & 15- Byrkjelo Camping, Norway to Hellevegen, Norway. A freezing start to the day which soon warmed with the sun. This was to be a short ride to an airbnb we had booked for two days near Bergen. We followed the excellent E39 to Romarheim, where we joined the Fv569, which turned out to be 40 miles of narrow, twisting single track road that was difficult - most of it so narrow there was only room for one vehicle and no passing places. Together with pitch black tunnels where I was scraping the tunnel walls easing past cars coming the other way, this road was cure for constipation! The Hesjedalsfossen waterfall is something a bit special though...


We arrived at our airbnb to a warm welcome from the owner. The flat is certainly a little bit of luxury after the huttes we have been staying in


The following day was going to be a rest day with no riding to regroup for the homeward leg starting Wednesday when we would catch the ferry from Bergen to Denmark.


Hellevegen, Norway. 160 miles

Hesjedalsfossen by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190910_103646 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

20190910_101048_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day16 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 16- Hellevegen, Norway to Bergen, Norway. Heavy rain and strong winds was the order of the day for the short ride to Bergen from the Airbnb. After negotiating the city traffic system we found our way to the ferry terminal. A two hour wait in the pouring rain with no cover for the bikers, meant we were all cold and wet by the time we got on board.


We then had an 18 hour crossing and landed in Denmark at 8-00am.


Bergen, Norway. 40 miles.

20190911_160041 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

IMG_20190911_162704 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day17 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 17- Bergen, Norway to Drelsdorf, Germany. The strong winds made for an interesting voyage to Denmark.


We landed at 8-00am and were on the road twenty minutes later. The plan for that day was to see some of the Danish countryside off the motorways, and visit the Silkeborg Museum to see the Tollund man exhibition.


Tollund Man is a naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age He was found in 1950, preserved as a bog body, on the Jutland peninsula, in Denmark.The man's physical features were so well-preserved that he was mistaken at the time of discovery for a recent murder victim. Twelve years before Tollund Man's discovery, another bog body, Elling Woman, had been found in the same bog.


Scholars believe the man was a human sacrifice rather than executed criminal because of the arranged position of his body, and the fact that his eyes and mouth were closed.


After visiting the museum, we travelled across country to rejoin the E45 motorway to Flensburg, where we left it to ride local roads to our overnight stop at Drelsdorf where the first beer in over two weeks was sampled.


Drelsdorf, Germany 543 miles.

20190912_115648 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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Roz looking for a recipe for pork...

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tracker-day18 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 18- Drelsdorf, Germany to Vries, Netherlands . After a brilliant breakfast we left the hotel about 9-30am.


The plan was to ride across country on smaller A & B roads, in an effort to beat the traffic chaos that envelopes Hamburg and Bremen. We were only partially successful.


We rode about 60 miles to the Glückstadt ferry across the Elbe, where ironically we met up with a German outlaw club who had also been on the Bergen ferry a couple of days before.


After a choppy crossing in which we all got liberally soaked with sea water, we headed in different directions.


We got on the A27 motorway to Bremerhaven, but after a short time, the motorway was closed and all traffic had to find their own route onwards as there were no diversion signs.


We eventually made it back onto the A27 about 20 miles later- at least we saw lots of German countryside. From Bremerhaven we rode to Oldenburg then on to Groningen then finally Vries for our overnight stop. A journey that should have taken about five hours actually took nearly seven....at least the weather was good. The plan that night was the same as last night's - good food and cold beer.


Vries, Netherlands 327 miles.

IMG_20190913_113414 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day19 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 19- Vries, Netherlands to Hook of Holland, Netherlands . Our last day abroad brought a change from our original plan.


Two days into the trip, Stena Line phoned us to tell us our crossing home had been cancelled. They gave us a later crossing, and upgraded our cabin.


This meant we had to find something to do for six hours. So a quick Google gave us the great Windmill Museum De Wachter, where we spent a very enjoyable three hours.


Then a steady ride past the Assen TT circuit, then onto the A28 to Zwolle, and Utrecht. Onto A12 to Rotterdam then the hook of holland.


At the port it went pear shaped as they are altering the traffic system and we were directed by a Stena employee in totally the wrong direction and ended up riding on cycle path with loads of bicycles who probably thought best of saying anything because of the language coming from my helmet. Retracing our route we eventually found someone who knew where to go and after a 90 minutes wait we were loaded and in our cabin for the overnight crossing.


Hook of Holland , Netherlands 252 miles.

20190914_125544_HDR by Philip Perks, on Flickr

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tracker-day20 by Philip Perks, on Flickr

Day 20- Hook of Holland, Netherlands to Northampton, UK . Our last day.


Easy crossing under a full moon. Up at 5-00am and in the car deck at 6-30am for unloading. Up comes a Stena seaman who says "Oh, haven't you been told....we're unloading the freight first today and passengers are unloading an hour later.....! He beat a fast retreat following my response.


A quick blast up the A12, M25 and M1 found us pulling onto the drive at 9-15am. Bike unloaded, dog collected from the kennels and washing machine fired up before the family arrived. Lots of cuddles with both of the grandson's including the new arrival.


Northampton, UK 285 miles.


So 20 days later, Total trip mileage 5153, £600+ in petrol, 20+ ferry crossings, and an untold amount of tunnels.


This has been a great adventure which went almost to plan apart from the weather....I would like to thank Roz for being my partner in crime in another epic trip - I couldn't ask for someone better. Roll on the next one!
 
Any trip to Norway is worth it the weather just adds to the fun. :D

Buying cans of beer from supermarkets is my solution. Great trip. :thumb2
 
Excellent, glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for writing it up and sharing.
 
Glad everything went ok this trip . Enjoyed your trip report and photos thanks for sharing
 
Brilliant, informative and an interesting ride report, really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting.
 
Brilliant, informative and an interesting ride report, really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting.

Wot E says!

Lofoten may well be a more interesting target than Nordkapp........
 
Many thanks for the comments, guys...

Lofoten and Nordkapp are two very different beasts. Lofoten wins hands down in the scenery stakes, as Nordkapp is basically one big car park with a globe attached.....but the ride to Nordkapp is something totally different and you really get to appreciate that this is somewhere out there in the wilderness! :thumb
 
Very nice Ride report :thumb2 you have a flair for it :thumb2
I have been lucky enough to ride the Lofotens in really good weather several times and consider it to be one of the most stunningly beautiful places on the planet .
 
Amazing trip and excellent report, and that Trollstigen is something else! Not sure any amount of bravery pills would get me and my wife up that!
 
Very nice Ride report :thumb2 you have a flair for it :thumb2
I have been lucky enough to ride the Lofotens in really good weather several times and consider it to be one of the most stunningly beautiful places on the planet .

Thanks, Sy....GS'er has supplied some very good teachers! :beerjug:

Agree about Lofoten - even with the wind and rain it is still one of the most stunning places we have ever been and we will certainly be going back there!
 


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