Tag: Norway

Kristiansand to Denmark

Our last few days in Scandinavia and Norway continued to deliver. We’ve seen quite a lot of Norway now and the scenery everywhere is fabulous. Mountains, fjords, ferociously steep cliffs and gorgeous views. The roads are generally quiet, the people friendly and the travelling easy.

This sheep was giving us the eye – but generally Norway is a very friendly place

This is how we like to park up for the night. First, get off the road. 2. Drive down a nice track. 3. Find a quiet and peaceful parking place. 4. Feel smug. 5. Enjoy the view while cooking dinner.

  • Get off the road
  • Get right off the road
  • Find a nice parking place
  • Be happy
  • Contemplate the view

Eventually we ran out of Norway. We’d started at the very top and had now reached the very bottom. It was a good trip and we’d like to come back for another go someday. On the northward leg we had used the Øresund Bridge. Described as an engineering marvel, it connects Copenhagen with Malmö in Sweden and gives the northbound traveller excellent access to the central Scandinavian hinterland. It is 8km long and starts in a tunnel. It is, without doubt, very impressive. The toll fee is also impressive. Eye wateringly so.

For the return trip we took the ferry from Kristiansand to Hirtshals in Denmark. There are two vessels that run this route. The HSC Fjord Cat is one of the fastest car carrying ferries in the world and does over 40 knots. We took Colorline Superspeed, another big, fast, comfortable catamaran that is more pedestrian and cheaper.   

  • Industry and fjords

Back in Denmark we ended the trip where we had started, three months earlier, with the wonderful Lars and Inge. The sun was shining. We hopped in one of their many Land Rovers and went for a picnic. Perfect.

After Denmark came the mostly boring trek back to the Unicat workshop in Germany. We paused briefly at the Kiel Canal. Watching the ships go past was fun for a while but they keep going all night and it did get to be a bit noisy for sleeping.

Lysebotn

I have been told that I should write a little more about each blog entry.

Lysebotn is a small village at the end of the Lysefjorden. It is particularly isolated and can only be reached by a small road or by boat. The surrounding cliffs are steep and high making them popular for base jumping. The local economy is based on work at two hydroelectric stations – both of which are built entirely inside the mountains. In the summer, when the road is open, there is some tourism. The road is epic. It crosses the mountains for some 25km and then goes down a 900m cliff to the village. This involves 27 hairpin turns, one of which is inside a tunnel.

Baloo is not very good at steep hairpin bends. Partly this is because of the limited turning circle. We have to do shunts to get round tighter bends. The other problem is that when executing a shunt we have to drive the front wheels right to the edge of the road. In this position the cab is hanging out over the drop and this is a bit scary. So, in the interests of a quieter life, we hopped on the bike.

Brilliant views coming over the mountains. Tight, winding road. Virtually no other traffic. Ideal really. Well, apart from the cloud and rain, that caught up with us just are we started the descent. By the time we reached the fjord at the bottom the rain was coming down by the bucket full. From the waterline the fjord was steep, high, dark, moody and ominous. We did a quick turnaround. Grabbed a couple of photos and then set off back up the hill. At the top of the hairpins is a fantastic wooden café which hangs out over the cliff. Great scenery despite the mist. The rain turned to snow making me a bit concerned for the trip back. The KTM 690 Enduro is a terrific bike but, like most bikes, it is rubbish in the snow.

Coffee and cake in the café to fuel the return journey then back over the mountains. The snow eased as we reached the highest point. Happy days. It had just started to settle on the road a little but then faded away and suddenly there were patches of blue skies in front of us. The rest of the trip back to Baloo and Cent was cold, uneventful and thoroughly enjoyable.

Sognefjord

The Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord. Incredible views, big waterfalls, narrow roads, small but very capable ferries. We stumbled upon the steep road to Gaularfjellet. Baloo needed to do shunts on several hairpins. With the front wheels at the edge of the road, the cab is hanging out into space. I find this more than a little disconcerting at times.

Briksdalen

At the far end of Nordfjord is the Briksdalen Valley. A classic U shaped glacial valley that still has a glacier at the end. This place can be very busy with visitors but luckily we got there a week or two before the main tourist and cruise ship season begins.

  • Tunnel seemed very small from inside Baloo
  • Briksdalsbreen is an arm of the great Jostedalsbreen Glacier
  • An old friend

Nordkapp

This is as far North as it is possible to drive in Europe. It is very popular. We waited six days for the roads to be cleared and drove up with the first convoy. Met some interesting people but after an hour or so we left as the first coaches of tourists from the Hurtigruten cruise ship arrived.

  • http://worldroamers.com/
  • This guy had ridden on studded tyres from Finland