I forgot to mention, some fridges have a delay in switching from 12v back to gas. I believe this is for safety when filling up with fuel, so it's not lighting the pilot light immediately after turning the engine off. This is likely what it is.
90 days Norway & 8 Country Tour. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter OldAgeTravellers
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OP
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OldAgeTravellers
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Hi Nigel,
I think that’s the answer. Normally the fridge would be drawing from the engine battery for that period which I wouldn't see but now I have the bypass relay as soon as D+ switches the relay off it changes to the leisure battery so I of course see the fridge usage on the shunt for the fuelling safety period. Which of course is better to use from the leisure battery.
So perfectly normal, thank you.
To be pedantic, with 2 trailors, I suppose it should be described as a Road Train!I was amused by 'Artic truck', as you are nowhere near the artic yet.
[I know you meant articulated].
OP
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OldAgeTravellers
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Day-10. After having a rest for the weekend we filled up with fuel just in case there was little available further north. It cost £1.49 a litre so about the same as the UK at least when we left. Driving was a bit slower with 80 & 90 km/h speed limits on the roads. The surrounding mountains and fields beside us had much more snow on them now;
Feeling like a coffee we saw a signpost for Silfar Canyon so stopped for a little walk which was nice, not up to the previous rapids but an enjoyable diversion:
We decided to push on towards Nordkap because tomorrow’s weather looked good but the following day would be very cloudy. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day with the outside temperature reaching 16C. On our walk earlier we were stripping off our coats & hats on our return to the van. At a picnic spot we found a sign saying “Please help yourself to our beautiful spring water” and even supplied a hose to fill our tank. What a nice country and what a difference!
We entered a tunnel which quickly became quite a steep hill underground we didn’t see the sign before we entered but it seemed about 5km or more with a very steep climb out. We have Autoroute running on a small laptop on the dashboard and we could see that we had gone under the sea to the Nordkapp island. Then another tunnel which did say 4.4km shortly after.
About 20km from Nordkapp we climbed quite a bit and found ourselves in the clouds which steadily got thicker until we reached Nordkapp with about 10mt visibility! So much so that we didn’t even see the Visitors Centre which was about 20mt from the road. It was strange, there was only one Motorhome there so we parked next to it. Slowly through the thick mist we made out a row of rocks behind us and then the vague shapes of some Motorhomes. I decided that I needed to investigate so togged up and went for a walk. Yes, we had completely missed the car park entrance. There were about 100 Motorhomes parked there and we were in completely the wrong place! Very carefully, now I knew the lay of the land we moved to behind the rocks and settled down for noisy night being rocked to sleep by the wind. Hoping that the clouds would clear by tomorrow.
Feeling like a coffee we saw a signpost for Silfar Canyon so stopped for a little walk which was nice, not up to the previous rapids but an enjoyable diversion:
We decided to push on towards Nordkap because tomorrow’s weather looked good but the following day would be very cloudy. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day with the outside temperature reaching 16C. On our walk earlier we were stripping off our coats & hats on our return to the van. At a picnic spot we found a sign saying “Please help yourself to our beautiful spring water” and even supplied a hose to fill our tank. What a nice country and what a difference!
We entered a tunnel which quickly became quite a steep hill underground we didn’t see the sign before we entered but it seemed about 5km or more with a very steep climb out. We have Autoroute running on a small laptop on the dashboard and we could see that we had gone under the sea to the Nordkapp island. Then another tunnel which did say 4.4km shortly after.
About 20km from Nordkapp we climbed quite a bit and found ourselves in the clouds which steadily got thicker until we reached Nordkapp with about 10mt visibility! So much so that we didn’t even see the Visitors Centre which was about 20mt from the road. It was strange, there was only one Motorhome there so we parked next to it. Slowly through the thick mist we made out a row of rocks behind us and then the vague shapes of some Motorhomes. I decided that I needed to investigate so togged up and went for a walk. Yes, we had completely missed the car park entrance. There were about 100 Motorhomes parked there and we were in completely the wrong place! Very carefully, now I knew the lay of the land we moved to behind the rocks and settled down for noisy night being rocked to sleep by the wind. Hoping that the clouds would clear by tomorrow.
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OldAgeTravellers
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I forgot to post a picture of Nordkapp, this is the view from our windscreen as we arrived:
He photo actually sees more in the mist than was apparent when driving. Probably because of concentrating so hard to be sure not to bump into something.
I have pinched this picture from Our tours blog thanks to them please check it out, loads of great info. It shows that we are now further north than most people on earth, even Alaska & Iceland!
With the rain falling sideways, for safety we will wait it out hopefully for the cloud to lift a bit. But nearly 3,000 miles to sit in a gravel car park surrounded by fog n rain.
He photo actually sees more in the mist than was apparent when driving. Probably because of concentrating so hard to be sure not to bump into something.
I have pinched this picture from Our tours blog thanks to them please check it out, loads of great info. It shows that we are now further north than most people on earth, even Alaska & Iceland!
With the rain falling sideways, for safety we will wait it out hopefully for the cloud to lift a bit. But nearly 3,000 miles to sit in a gravel car park surrounded by fog n rain.
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OldAgeTravellers
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The mist cleared to about 50mt so we decided to brave it. The dash reading showed 4degC but the wind chill took it to about -40 it felt like anyway. We togged up though and it was fine until I had to take my glove off to take some pictures.
Then we went into the gift shop to warm up a bit and Judy found a new friend!
Then we went into the gift shop to warm up a bit and Judy found a new friend!
- Dec 19, 2020
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It was just like that when I visited (not moho). There was a snowdrift on the end of the visitor centre balcony about 8ft high. If that's what it's like in mid-summer.....
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OldAgeTravellers
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Day-12. We set the satnav towards Tromso but took the shorter route with smaller roads which also required two ferries which we hadn’t encountered yet. The first was from Olderdalen to Lyngseidet, we arrived just after the ferry had left so we had about an hour wait and when it came would our pre-registration with Ferry Pass work? They scanned our number plate with a phone-like device and beckoned us on, Yes it worked. Checking the website later we were charged £10.73 half price for our size and weight, so it was certainly worth signing up for the Ferry Pass.
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...er-860162788/supfiles1451604E/P1110015[3].jpg
Day-13. The next morning we were a bit late so missed the ferry and had a two-hour wait and the pass worked OK again. The Svendsby to Beivikeidet ferry was bigger but cheaper at £7.61.
We arrived at a parking place in Tromso we found on Park4Night right next to the Arctic Cathedral, It allowed 4 hours of parking free which was amazing. But it appears that you should display your arrival time with one of those blue clock things, often needed in French villages which luckily we had if we can find it! Yes, down at the bottom of Judy’s stash box beside her seat. So worth getting a cheap one from a £1 shop if you travel.
We had seen this modern Cathedral lit up in the distance when we were on the Hurtigruten Ship in November a few years back. It looked beautiful then and it was close up, but very much smaller than it appeared then and instead of concrete as it looked it was made of corrugated metal as used on most of the house roofs. There were long queues of people to go in from coach after coach at £6 each, so we didn’t bother, but walked halfway over the stunning bridge to the city which is on an island.
The bridge was extremely narrow without curbs, just a steel crash barrier at the side. The coaches & buses were having to drive just about 50mm from the barrier to pass each other so we decided it was just too risky to chance damage to the motorhome and we like scenery rather than cities anyway so gave it a miss.
That night we parked in a layby with stunning views and stayed up to see the “Midnight Sun” If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see that my watch is showing Midnight, but it could just as easily be Midday.
Day-14. We drove to Gryllefjord on the island of Senja. There was stunning scenery on the journey. Just before the village we came to the end of the que for the ferry to Andenes which is at the top of the Lofoten Islands. We had already decided that we would drive to see more scenery because the ferry cost £100 even after our discount and when we saw it loading we would probably have to wait about six hours to get on it with the number of cars and motorhomes waiting. But it was Saturday so probably busier than during the week. After a slow walk around the village reading about its history from a thriving fishing port to what seemed like a weekend cottage village we drove about fifteen minutes back down the road to an aire we had seen where we could stay the night. It stood at the entrance to a Troll Park which was unfortunately closed as it had just been taken over by a local camp site. But this one was standing guard over us for the night.
Day-15. There were great facilities here so we emptied our waste and filled up with water. Steve spotted an English motorhome which are very rare here, owned by Dave & Carole and went to say hello, we started chatting then they invited us in for a cuppa and we had so much in common that we were chatting for five hours. Really nice people who amazingly lived just a few miles away from us. So we were very late getting away. But as it never gets dark we set off to drive around the coast road of Senja island. It was a stunning road, mainly single-track roads with passing places it also had long single-track tunnels with the occasional passing place, one over 3km long. Quite challenging in a large vehicle and changing from brilliant sun to dark tunnels. We had forgotten it was Saturday and there were very many Norwegian families on the road and most stopping places we came across were full so we kept going until we found a picnic place right next to a fjord with stunning views just before Sorreisa.
Day-16. It was Sunday today so we decided that there would be many locals on the roads so a good time to catch up with this blog and have a quiet day with lovely scenery.
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...er-860162788/supfiles1451604E/P1110015[3].jpg
![https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...er-860162788/supfiles1451604E/P1110015[3].jpg](https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/file:///C%3A/Users/Toshiba/AppData/Local/Temp/OpenLiveWriter-860162788/supfiles1451604E/P1110015[3].jpg){kind=link}
Day-13. The next morning we were a bit late so missed the ferry and had a two-hour wait and the pass worked OK again. The Svendsby to Beivikeidet ferry was bigger but cheaper at £7.61.
We arrived at a parking place in Tromso we found on Park4Night right next to the Arctic Cathedral, It allowed 4 hours of parking free which was amazing. But it appears that you should display your arrival time with one of those blue clock things, often needed in French villages which luckily we had if we can find it! Yes, down at the bottom of Judy’s stash box beside her seat. So worth getting a cheap one from a £1 shop if you travel.
We had seen this modern Cathedral lit up in the distance when we were on the Hurtigruten Ship in November a few years back. It looked beautiful then and it was close up, but very much smaller than it appeared then and instead of concrete as it looked it was made of corrugated metal as used on most of the house roofs. There were long queues of people to go in from coach after coach at £6 each, so we didn’t bother, but walked halfway over the stunning bridge to the city which is on an island.
The bridge was extremely narrow without curbs, just a steel crash barrier at the side. The coaches & buses were having to drive just about 50mm from the barrier to pass each other so we decided it was just too risky to chance damage to the motorhome and we like scenery rather than cities anyway so gave it a miss.
That night we parked in a layby with stunning views and stayed up to see the “Midnight Sun” If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see that my watch is showing Midnight, but it could just as easily be Midday.
Day-14. We drove to Gryllefjord on the island of Senja. There was stunning scenery on the journey. Just before the village we came to the end of the que for the ferry to Andenes which is at the top of the Lofoten Islands. We had already decided that we would drive to see more scenery because the ferry cost £100 even after our discount and when we saw it loading we would probably have to wait about six hours to get on it with the number of cars and motorhomes waiting. But it was Saturday so probably busier than during the week. After a slow walk around the village reading about its history from a thriving fishing port to what seemed like a weekend cottage village we drove about fifteen minutes back down the road to an aire we had seen where we could stay the night. It stood at the entrance to a Troll Park which was unfortunately closed as it had just been taken over by a local camp site. But this one was standing guard over us for the night.
Day-15. There were great facilities here so we emptied our waste and filled up with water. Steve spotted an English motorhome which are very rare here, owned by Dave & Carole and went to say hello, we started chatting then they invited us in for a cuppa and we had so much in common that we were chatting for five hours. Really nice people who amazingly lived just a few miles away from us. So we were very late getting away. But as it never gets dark we set off to drive around the coast road of Senja island. It was a stunning road, mainly single-track roads with passing places it also had long single-track tunnels with the occasional passing place, one over 3km long. Quite challenging in a large vehicle and changing from brilliant sun to dark tunnels. We had forgotten it was Saturday and there were very many Norwegian families on the road and most stopping places we came across were full so we kept going until we found a picnic place right next to a fjord with stunning views just before Sorreisa.
Day-16. It was Sunday today so we decided that there would be many locals on the roads so a good time to catch up with this blog and have a quiet day with lovely scenery.
- Nov 6, 2019
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We just missed you! We were in Tromso on 11 and 12 June. We were travelling South to North and have seen very few motorhomes from the UK. We're now back in southern Sweden (decided not to visit Nordkapp) after 5 days of driving and we haven't seen one UK motorhome in the last five days.
We used the ferry from Andenes to Senja and just made it on, otherwise we would have had to wait until the next day. Senja to Andenes looked very busy, but I think they have put on another sailing from last weekend.
Enjoy the rest of your trip. I would definitely recommend taking the route 17 scenic route from Bodo down to near Namsos, even though it requires six ferry crossings. In fact, with good weather, the ferry crossings themselves were some of the highlights of that section for me. Fantastic scenery from a different viewpoint.
We used the ferry from Andenes to Senja and just made it on, otherwise we would have had to wait until the next day. Senja to Andenes looked very busy, but I think they have put on another sailing from last weekend.
Enjoy the rest of your trip. I would definitely recommend taking the route 17 scenic route from Bodo down to near Namsos, even though it requires six ferry crossings. In fact, with good weather, the ferry crossings themselves were some of the highlights of that section for me. Fantastic scenery from a different viewpoint.
We've just started our 9th week in Norway, a few days in Finland and Sweden too.
What a very beautiful place to visit!
What a very beautiful place to visit!
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- Nov 6, 2019
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Here's what you missed in the Arctic Cathedral!
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OldAgeTravellers
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Thanks for the pics. With the number of people piling in, 4 coach loads while we were taking photos outside, we didn’t think it worth it. It was “interesting” to me from outside and the design was beautiful from a distance. But I am more interested in older constructions. Lookin forward to seeing some of the wooden churches. Haven’t spotted any yet.
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OldAgeTravellers
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We have just driven round from Senja, should reach Andenes tomorrow. Lovely drive and about the same cost in fuel as the ferry. But much longer of course. Will make a note of route-17 from Bodo, thanks. We have Vesteralen & Lofoten to do first. Any suggestions?
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OldAgeTravellers
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Yes, we are loving it, currently parked for the night on an island in the middle of a fiord. Reached by a 1km single track bridge and causeway. Just 13km from Refsnes ferry.
- Nov 6, 2019
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On Andoya and on our way to Andenes we took the coast road on the western side rather than the 82 on the East. The road was fine for us and the coastal scenery was superb. Passes by the Norwegian spaceport.
When we were on Vesteralen 10 days ago it was a lot quieter than Lofoten. We could have spent more time on there, but only had a limited number of days. Lofoten was getting busy two weeks ago - watch out for more people travelling this coming weekend as it is the midsummer holiday weekend for some. Vesteralen may be a better bet at the weekend for that reason.
On Lofoten we stayed at a campsite here: https://park4night.com/en/place/421496 Next to a beautiful white sandy beach with blue/green water, if the sun shines. It says space for 150 units (doable, but it would be a bit cramped), but only 25 were on the site when we were there. From the site you can do the hike up Ryten (if that is your thing) https://www.earthtrekkers.com/hike-ryten-kvalvika-beach-lofoten-islands/
There are so many interesting villages and sights on Lofoten. The challenge will be finding parking spots, I think. Have a great time!
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- Dec 19, 2020
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There's this one just outside Bergen
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OldAgeTravellers
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Hi all, I am sorry I stopped posting to this thread, it was taking so much time as well as managing my own Blog which is far more long-lasting than on here.
I tried copying and pasting but it would not transfer the photo's so I had to go right through the post inserting photos in the right place. And they go inline which breaks up the thread. Great for some perhaps but I don't like it. I have looked at the Journal feature on here but again don't really like it. I far prefer my own blog.
So I will put a link to each of the six weekly posts below if anybody is interested. I will then post a link each week.
If you want to subscribe to the blog then, there is a "Follow our Blog" link on the right hand side of the page before you scroll down. You will then get an email as soon as I post a new blog.
I really hope you enjoy our travels.
We are about level with Bergen now so if you know of somewhere we have missed please mention it here.
Week-1 Our Norway Tour, Finally
Norway week 2
Norway Week 3 – Lofoten Isles
Norway Week 4 – Route 17
Norway Week 5
Norway Week 6
Also if you want to comment on anything, by all means, post it here.
Steve & Judy The OldAgeTravellers on tour.
I tried copying and pasting but it would not transfer the photo's so I had to go right through the post inserting photos in the right place. And they go inline which breaks up the thread. Great for some perhaps but I don't like it. I have looked at the Journal feature on here but again don't really like it. I far prefer my own blog.
So I will put a link to each of the six weekly posts below if anybody is interested. I will then post a link each week.
If you want to subscribe to the blog then, there is a "Follow our Blog" link on the right hand side of the page before you scroll down. You will then get an email as soon as I post a new blog.
I really hope you enjoy our travels.
We are about level with Bergen now so if you know of somewhere we have missed please mention it here.
Week-1 Our Norway Tour, Finally
Norway week 2
Norway Week 3 – Lofoten Isles
Norway Week 4 – Route 17
Norway Week 5
Norway Week 6
Also if you want to comment on anything, by all means, post it here.
Steve & Judy The OldAgeTravellers on tour.
I've just been reading your blog, very enjoyable, thank you. I noticed that you went via Utne but didn't mention the folk museum there. It's worth a visit. The cherry trees in the grounds were covered in cherries when we visited. Yummy! Utne camping was v nice. The fiord was nice and warm for swimming.
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OldAgeTravellers
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Thank you, no we didn’t know about the museum. We have found it very difficult to find other than the very popular places. The Tourist Bord site is very difficult to navigate and mainly concentrates on paid activities like water sports and boat trips etc. which don’t interest us.
We are certainly not into swimming with the temperature of the water in the fjords we have tested.
But the scenery here is amazing, completely run out of adequate adjectives.
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Hi cyberyacht , thanks. Is that the Fantoft, which is a replica in Bergen itself. The original burned down in 1992 I think. We may go into Bergen this week and will try to find it if we can find good enough parking. We have visited two really old ones today about 800 years old. Amazing structures.
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Agree the fjord's can be cold but some we found were surprisingly warm. Many of the lakes and rivers are also good for swimming. There was a great site N of Kristiansand where the water flowed over the smooth limestone and heated up wonderfully.
The Anstruptunet museum is interesting, he was a painter who depicted life in rural Norway 100 years ago. The museum is his house and provides a view of rural life at that time.
The Anstruptunet museum is interesting, he was a painter who depicted life in rural Norway 100 years ago. The museum is his house and provides a view of rural life at that time.
Jane And Rog
LIFE MEMBER
Thanks for sharing this, very interesting. Norway is definitely on our list to see.
We're currently heading to Bergen, but going north rather than south. Parking and overnighting in Bergen sounds difficult.
Stavanger is an interesting small city that may be on your way. Entrance to one of the museums gives your free entry into several others on the same day. We went to the Canning Museum, and then to the Graphic Museum and the Maritime Museum. It also gives 50% discount to other attractions such as the Oil Museum over the next 2 days. Just hang onto your receipt for your first paid museum entry.
We haven't got a blog, or a dedicated thread on here, but post regularly on the Photo Of The Day thread, and update on Instagram - but only for our own record, and to keep family and friends informed.
Hi
Thanks for your posts, have read all of it and found very interesting. We are currently on day 29 and still heading north. Currently at UKK National Park, about 25km south of Inari in Finland, and still enjoying the 'midnight sun', just, I believe the sun sets again in two days and a few more days at Nordkapp. As you say, Scandinavia is fantastic for this sort of travel, this is our 7th trip, summer and winter, north and south. Our plans are to go as far north and east as we can in Finnmark, across to the Barrents Sea coast. And then, our tick trip to Nordkapp (our first time!).
Have not decided yet, our trip south but probably across to Alta/Tromso/Semja/Lofoten, then Bodo and back into Sweden. We will monitor how busy it is in Lofoten and decide later. We do have another 7 weeks so hoping it will quieten down a bit when the schools go back in mid August.
Since our crossing from Stockholm to Turku (via Aland Isles which I highly recommend for a few days), we have not seen a single UK vehicle. Our journey north has been up the east side of Finland (generally following the Russian border) and this has been quiet most of the way. Mainly just Finnish motorhomes.
Enjoy the rest of your travels and have a safe journey, and thanks for the info. I will definitely look at your links as we begin going south.
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OldAgeTravellers
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You are obviously far more experienced than us. We have never done a sightseeing tour before and think we may have rushed it a bit. But have still seen unbelievable scenery. We love water so the waterfalls, rivers, fjords are amazing plus a few extra adjectives. The rapids in Sweden we visited were indescribable. The Lafotens we were a bit overwhelmed by the scale but they didn’t fit what we were expecting. Certainly will need to come back again. And certainly do it slower.
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- Mar 7, 2022
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We stayed in dedicated pitches near the leisure centre in Bergen. Then a quick tram ride into the centre. Quite reasonably priced.
- Sep 7, 2017
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The camp site sounds great, can you recall which one it I is?
- Sep 7, 2017
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Us too, hopefully Denmark and Norway next May and June, so if you could go before that and do a blog it would be most helpful
- Sep 7, 2017
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Thanks for your blog it is really informative.
It was Lothe camping to the W of Utne. Google maps says Temporarily Closed but don't know if that's permanent...
Sorry just realised I think you were asking about the river with the smooth rocks. It wasn't a campsite. I will try to work out where it was.
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