Norway - Bobo to Lofoten Island ferry options

kingsol007

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I am working on my Artic Circle route for June 2020. I have the route planned up as far Orkanger then heading north from there following route 17 to Bodo, then a ferry to Lofoten Islands, maybe stopping Mosjoen for night on route.
Few questions for the more travelled in Norway.
Is there much in Orkanger or should we stay in Trondheim.
Is Mosjoen a worthy stopover.
Route 17 looks like an interesting road.
Is the ferry to Lofoten worth the detour. which ferry should I get? I think yes.
Is there plenty of accommodation Lofoten Islands? hostels would suit me fine, not too keen on camping at wrong end of 40.
Expecting to make my way towards E06 and north towards Tromso and Nordkapp thereafter.
All on the mighty 1200GS.
Cheers
Kings
 
Lofoten Islands are stunning - it would be a tragedy to miss out on that.
 
Lofoten is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth so well worth the visit. Route 17 is a great motorcycle road but it takes a lot longer than the E6 because of the need to catch ferries, bear this in mind when planning the route. I think you have the choice of three different ferry routes to Lofoten depending on time of year - Bodo, Skutvik and Bognes. Last year we went over from Bognes and came back to Bodo.

There are lots of places offering cabins for rent.....but you may need to book before going as June/July is busy. We got a great deal on a airbnb for the three days we were there. Take a look at my ride report for our trip - maybe some useful info in there to help you:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/516988-The-Lofoten-Islands-the-unfinished-business-tour

Happy to help if you have any questions....

Phil
 
+1 for Lofotens if you are lucky with the weather .
Camping is easier than in Uk ,, lots of campsites , most of which have cabins .
As a for instance , my first solo trip , I camped , tent as far as the circle ,then cabin to the top until I was south of the circle again .
Trip 2 with my wife ( who is not at all keen on camping ) we carried full camp gear and only had to use it for 1 night . Nothing booked at all from Scotland , just did the ferries as and when we got to them .
I know freewheeling ain't everyone's cup of tea , but Norway lends itself to it .
Hers a pic :D
 

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thanks for the heads up and link Phil - looks like it was a great trip
 
well loaded gsa there, liking the frying pan holding the top box open - new touratech option??
not sure about camping as I like to travel light but never say never
great photo
 
I wouldn’t bother with Mosjoen unless it’s just as a convenient stop over. It’s got nothing to really commend it. Mo i Rana is marginally better but don’t expect too much.

We stopped there last year and enjoyed a walk down to the beach in daylight at midnight but that was the only highlight.
 
Lofoten Islands are certainly stunning and not to be missed if your planning on heading that far North. :thumb2
 

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Nothing exciting in Mosjøen or Orkdal
Rv17 is nice, but you need three days from Trondheim to Bodø.
Take the ferry from Bodø to Aa, spend a few days in Lofoten and Vesterålen if the weather is nice. Then ferry over to Senja.
Book a place to sleep in Lofoten, it is really busy
The North Cape is really far, so unless you have loads of time, I'd skip it. You will be sharing the E6 with all the trucks, campers and police.
 
+1 for Lofoten islands. We travelled from the North onto Lofoten. Camped at Aa about 300metres from the ferry terminal. The campsite was rammed and I mean festival like full. However most other places we stayed in Norway had loads of space and mostly had cabins available. We just rocked up and made a decision to tent or cabin based on price/availability/weather/how cold we were/what the tenting spots looked like/on a whim. Every campsite had cabins and some sort of indoor area to sit in and a hostel style kitchen. Not all kitchens were fully equipped - some had nothing but a basic electric hob but others had everything from teaspoons upwards.

The only place we booked ahead was as we got near Nordkapp after speaking to some bikers heading south who told us everywhere was booked and the weather forecast was wrong and it was cold wet and snowy up there. Glad we did as when we got there a few hours after booking there were no more cabins despite pleas from various bikers and cyclists. (Some of those cyclists though are as hard as nails, arriving piss wet through and putting up tarps and bivis in the wind and sleet then undressing in the open to walk to the showers in their pants. We watched from the warmth of our centrally heated cabin).

Oh, we were there during late June and early July. And, I am sure you know a lot of stuff is eye-wateringly expensive. Camping is mostly on a par with the uk.
 
ThorH
Where would you recommend to stay on route from Orkanger to Bodo, def doing Lofoten Islands now after watching a few youtube clips.
 
Have you ever used Booking.com ?
Have a look on their site. Type in Lofoten (I just did a random date quick check, it has thrown up 98 properties) On the left of the page is a map, click on this and you can search via a map. Red pins are booked properties, white pins are 'free'. Hover over them and it gives a few details incl price. (alt you can put detailed search parameters on the search fields)
You obviously don't have to use booking, you can find properties and book direct (The system does seem to work, I've used it perhaps 40 times now and never had a bad stay)
Apologies if you already know/use booking and I'm teaching granny to such eggs
 
Have you ever used Booking.com ?
Have a look on their site. Type in Lofoten (I just did a random date quick check, it has thrown up 98 properties) On the left of the page is a map, click on this and you can search via a map. Red pins are booked properties, white pins are 'free'. Hover over them and it gives a few details incl price. (alt you can put detailed search parameters on the search fields)
You obviously don't have to use booking, you can find properties and book direct (The system does seem to work, I've used it perhaps 40 times now and never had a bad stay)
Apologies if you already know/use booking and I'm teaching granny to such eggs

oh yes have done booking a few times and have a few places sorted how
 
ThorH
Where would you recommend to stay on route from Orkanger to Bodo, def doing Lofoten Islands now after watching a few youtube clips.

I'm no expert on that area (I live in Oslo), I have only done FV17 once. I just found a hut at a small camp by the water somewhere the first night. May have been this place: https://goo.gl/maps/JtMTBxNdWyDMMDip9. The second night I wild camped across the road close to this place: https://goo.gl/maps/u1yjRNckNtAzHWCS9. But there are hotels in town centre there too.

Lofoten and Vesterålen is a gorgeous area, but totally overrun by tourist in the summer. People are even trying to wild camp on the football fields, out of desperation. And don't expect to wild camp there. I would try to book an AirBnB or something for a few days well in advance (as in now), and take day trips from there. From a central location, e.g. Svolvær (most tourists etc) or Stokmarknes, you can go to either end and back in a day.
 


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