A full tank of petrol, sunglasses and its midnight

After our last visit to Norway in 2003 we had both had a feeling we had missed something by not going over the Arctic Circle or getting to the NordKapp (North Cape, most northerly point that the European rode network goes) and not seeing the midnight sun. So on the 14^th of June we set off, being a holiday we started slowly with a trip to Newcastle to stay with Pat and Colin before getting the boat the next day. Just to get in the holiday mood we all went out to the El Torrero (http://eltorero.co.uk/) with Eddie and Clare. After wards we went for a walk through “The Slug”.

Wednesday 15t^h June (The Ferry)

We used Fjordline again (http://www.fjordline.co.uk) which goes Newcastle->Bergen->Stavanger. While waiting to leave we chatted to an American, this was no normal American, he was adventurous and educated . He had just finished Military School/Uni and was being posted to a base near Oxford, before he started he had 3 months to kill so he had come to the UK and bought a Hornet 900, toured the UK and was now off to the South of France.... via Norway, Sweden , the Baltic States and Italy. We had a long chat about French and European politics.

There was also a Harley Club from Ireland (Northern) who were travelling over to a rally at Geringer.

The crossing was pretty smooth, but Jean still felt a bit queasy. The run into Bergen was eventful, we had rescue practice and house fires.

Thursday 16^th June (Bergen to Forde)

As the boat was due in at 12:00 we had settled on a 120 mile ride to our 1^st overnight stop, at Jostalholmen on the E39, one of many Hytters we would use. Slightly more expensive than camping (250-400 Nok) but cheaper than hotels. Although we had packed a tent, it was only for emergencies. All the Hytters we stayed in had lights, a fridge , a one or two ring cooker and a heater. Beds were normally bunks except in this one we had a pull down settee double bed.

During the ride from Bergen we caught up with the Harley riders (they had got off the ferry a good 30 mins before us) doing the usual Harley club riding in a gang thing with a leader and a “rounder upper” riding with hazard lights and stopping cars from overtaking. In a country where slow speeds are normal they were annoying the locals by holding them up.

That evening we ate Lap Skuse, or Lob Scouse as it is known in Liverpool, strange to think that the term Scouser originated from Norway. When we turned in I utilised my “anti daylight” kit and applied ear plugs due to the proximity of the river in full glacial flood water flow. I was awake around 02:00 and went outside, it was a strange twilight glow, quite eerie really.

Friday 17^th June - Heading North

As we were had so far to travel we knew we needed to get onto the E6 as quick as possible so decided to get past Trondheim as quick as possible and look at the western Fjords on the way back. Looking at the routes available to us (we planned each days trip the night before) the direct route using the E39/E6 would involve 5 ferry crossings which although relaxing and scenic would add many hours onto the trip, so we chose to drop slightly south and pick up the E6 by Otta.

This was 1^st of many days rain, after a wet start we headed up into to the mountains near Geringer where I noticed that all the road signs suggested the road to it was closed , this would upset any Harley riders heading this way as they would then have to detour back to Hellesyt to get the ferry. The road down to Otta was fast (by Norwegian standards) and followed a river, from a trickle to a torrent then a slow meandering pace.

After a stop for petrol and food at Otta we headed up the E6 and the rain hit again and didn't stop until we got to our site at Hegra. The E6 was fairly busy but had some nice stretches over the tops near Follodal where Jean could eye up the tundra, before dropping down to Trondheim at what must have been rush hour. There are tolls in operation here, but bikes are free, unfortunately the don't give bikes an individual lane and there was a queue at the booth so I just went through the “auto-pass” (pre-paid) lane and let them photograph the bike :-)

The site was next to a salmon river, and our Hytter was on the edge of the river, very tranquil, especially after taking over 9 hours to do 380 miles.

Surely it would get easier after this ?

Saturday 18^th June (Hegra to Krokstand)

We settled into a riding pattern from here, Jean would take the morning stint and I would take over after lunch followed by a swap again later after we had argued over who was most tired.

After Hegra the E6 was pretty mundane for 50 miles or so with industry, houses and a good wedge of traffic. We went over a mountain pass that had some road works at either end so I guess if we went back in a couple of years a tunnel would be bored through it. The rain came again around Mo I Rana which made it look ugly (in fact every time we went near a city it seemed to rain) so we carried on despite being tired. I had a camp site in mind that I had spotted on the NAF guide ( http://www.naf.no ) and while we stopped to buy some food (shops shut earlier on a Saturday) there was a sign saying it was less than 30 miles away so we cheered up a bit.

When we got to Krokstand it was just a case of “choose a cabin, keys are in the door, then come and pay us”. The site was as usual by a river, but this time we had a waterfall. Despite being just off the E6 it was really peaceful.

We could tell we were close to the Arctic Circle, the light hardly faded at all.

Sunday 19^th June (Krokstand to Skibotn via the Arctic Circle)

1^st “tick in the box” it was only about 15 miles to the Arctic Circle, up into the mountains and suitably bleak and covered in snow, we stopped for all the usually touristy shots but did not bother with the tourist centre. It is worth knowing though that this is know as the “road of blood” , it was built during WWII using POW labour and over 2000 people died constructing it.

The road onward was now more dramatic, we were following rivers and had high mountain peaks around us, before Narvik we had to climb again and then after coming down the road stopped. Here we were on the main road north and we needed to get a ferry to continue! As it happens it was an eventful stop, we had just missed the ferry and while waiting another one came in from Lodingen on the Island of Hinnoya and a some bikers disgorged from it. One came over and asked if I had any “foam for a flat tyre”, which I did so I let them use it and they insisted on giving me some money to replace it plus instructions how to ask for it and a club badge :-). They had been on the Lofotens for a rally and had had a fantastic time with the Sun beating down, we began to wonder if we were headed the wrong way.

When we finally got our ferry we got on with a Swede who gave us some good tips for carry the bike on the ferry, like where the rubber wheel blocks where and that if rough it was an idea to remove the higher side pannier. We had a coffee and then chatted to him about routes to go and places to see, he had also just been to the Lofotens as part of a round Norway trip and was heading back to Sweden via Finland.

The roads to Narvik were good swoopy ones, but then it started to rain , again. After Narvik the roads improved and the sun came out. I was happily overtaking cars at excess speeds and was about to over take a 4WD thing when I spotted the blue lights on top, I decided to be cautious and follow it. It kept to all the speed limits religiously and when it finally turned off the word “POLITI” was clear down the side. Close one, fines for speeding in Norway are very high.

We decided to stop at a place called Skibotn as we had done over 300 miles (inc. losing 1.5 hours with the ferry). As it turned out we could not have chosen a better spot. The cabin was on the beach of a tidal fjord (the tide came in during the evening) that was very north facing. It was a perfect spot for a perfect night (is that the right word?) to watch the midnight sun.

During the evening I could not help notice the amount of bikes still travelling well into the night, they must know where all the 24 hour petrol stations are.

While watching the midnight sun we chatted to a German, he had driven from Hanover to Stockholm then upto the Nordkapp and here in 4 days !

Monday 20^th June (Skibotn to Nordkapp)

A hot and sunny start to the day, for a change, by the time I had been to the petrol station and sorted the tyre pressures I was soaked in sweat. Considering how far north we were 20 in the shade seemed a bit warm. It helped to explain why this was the driest place in Norway, Alta has less rainfall than the Sahara.

The road to Alta was a slow one, lots of fjord hugging road that at one point was a dirt track as it was part way through being rebuilt. The most frustrating bit was probably where we had to go about 15 miles to travel 1 mile as we went around a fjord. After a petrol and butty stop at Alta we got under way again. The E6 here rises up to a plateau, where Jean spotted a moose, and becomes a fast road where even coaches are doing 70+. Although not high by some standards (around 600m) it was like riding at the top of the world. On all sides there was flatness with small peaks, quite a change from the more dramatic scenes we had been seeing.

After we turned off the E6 on to the E69 we came across some reindeer in the road, and for a short time rode alongside them at between 30 and 40MPH.

Nordkapp is on the island of Mageroya, to get onto it you need to use the 7km tunnel that goes 200m under the sea bed, and pay about £10 for bike + pillion.

We didn't get a Hytter this night as for the 1^st time they were all full, but me managed to get the “dorm” room that sleeps 8 for the price of two. We dumped our gear and went to the Nordkapp centre to get the next tick in the box.

It was around 21:00 and the sun was obscured by cloud so we would not be seeing it tonight, we had a good look around , took some photos and went back for something to eat. Around midnight Jean was all for walking up a hill, the lack of dark leads to daft ideas like this :-).

Tuesday 21^st June (Nordkapp to Kiruna)

Over breakfast in a large communal room we chatted to some Swedish cyclists, they had spent 5 weeks cycling from near Oslo. I thought we were mad, but these guys were crazy. I wish I had asked where the French had cycled from.

Upto now we had been in “get up and go” mode to get here as quick as possible, now we wanted to get to the Lofotens and have a few days rest. If we went back the same way it would take us over 2 days, so we decided to go a longer and hopefully faster way. We shot back to Alta as that was a fast run (apart from having to pay another £10 to get off the island and sit in a traffic jam at the toll booth), then turned down the 93 towards Finland, the road rose up through a gorge that was clear of traffic with some great bends that made me want to do it again before rising to another long plateau. As we crossed into Finland the speed limit went up by 10km/h ( a whole 80km/h) and the road quality dropped. We were stopping for fuel more frequently than normal now as I was keeping a very fast pace up so we had to stop in Finland for petrol and use the Euros Jean had insisted on bringing with us. We considered stopping, bit as it was only around 16:00 and looked “dire” we decided to keep going and hit Kiruna.

Shortly after that we turned onto the 45 and entered Sweden and another 10km/h was allowed, as the road quality dropped again. By now I was in “get there” mode and was just holding the throttle open. The road was very uneven with dips, holes and bumps everywhere, at times both wheels were airborne at the same time. If the bike was going to break, it was now, the shocks were really suffering.

As we neared Kiruna the usual city mode kicked in , it rained heavily. Tired and wet we hunted for somewhere to stay and travelled 10 miles past the city before turning back to travel the same amount the other way in a fruitless search for a camp site. We had been relying on the NAF guide for so long now we felt lost as it did not cover Sweden. Things were made worse by the fact Kiruna looks awful, it is over shadowed by a huge open caste mine which dominates the skyline.

We were low on fuel so we headed back into Kiruna for petrol and Jean spotted a a motel so we decided to have some extra comfort. Things improved when we found out it was only £44 for 2 including breakfast, so we treated ourselves to a meal (Jean had smoked reindeer and I had grill steak) with beer.

As the rain had gone off we had a walk into town, not that there was much to see. Kiruna has been specifically designed to diminish the wind that howls across the open space and appears to be in a circular format. Also non of the houses towards the centre have fences so no privacy, but at least the areas between houses are allowed to have a wild feel with the various plants growing.

Wednesday 22^nd June (Kiruna to Svolvaer)

The day started out looking good, a touch sunny but the clouds soon built up. The E10 out of Kiruna is a touch bleak to start with, but eventually turns towards the mountains and passes through some national parks. We did notice that the next available accommodation was 60 miles beyond where we turned back, so good job we stopped where we did.

As the road entered Norway it started to drop down and towards Narvik, and the rain started again, only light so we went quite a way before stopping to put water proofs on. To get to the Lofotens we had to first cross the island of Hinnoya then get a ferry. Despite the rain I was well into the ride, the roads were clear and I was having no problems with grip so just settled into the swing of things, and let Jean look at the view (what could be seen) and bridges, in some ways I was sorry to reach the ferry. After that it was only a short ride into Svolvaer and the Hytter for the next few days.

It was a nice little site with a bay and even a pub (shut due to owners wife having a baby). The receptionist was extremely helpful and chatty, and introduced me to a new phrase aimed at the Germans , “The second invasion”, she had a point, they were everywhere.

We dripped into the cabin and set about drying off.

Thursday 23^rd June (going nowhere)

This was intended to be a rest day with some exploring, but the clouds stayed low and it rained intermittently, so we went shopping, had a look around Svolvaer and hung around the site.

Svolvaer is the capital of the Lofotens and has the usual Bryggen viewable from the seaward side, but like most Norwegian towns looks a mess from the rear. The town is built over several small islands all connected by bridges.

That evening we went to see how the Norwegians celebrate Midsummer's day. Basically the light massive bonfires, have a band and some majorettes (unfortunately arrived too late for the entertainment). The was a stall selling coffee and doing a BBQ but we already ate a fantastic meal Jean had made with some salmon steaks. By now she was an expert in the art of meals prepared on a single ring cooker.

Friday 24^th June (Trip to A)

When we got up it was still raining, pretty sure it had rained all night. We decided to give the Lofotens a real shot and in a confident manner decided to head for A (pronounced Es) which is right at the tip of the islands at the end of the E10. We waterproofed up and set off. The bike didn't feel good, mainly firing on 3, the water had got in. I hoped it would dry out and we carried on. Our other hope for the rain to go off didn't come to pass, it got heavier and the wind picked up, at one point we were nearly blown in front of a coach. We got to A, decided it would look nice without the wind clouds and rain and went straight back. I finally stopped to get some WD40 as the bike had not improved. We dripped in to the site and I parked the bike under cover, cleaned up the leads and did the WD40 thing.

Despite the weather we could see the island had potential to the south, some beaches that were clean, clear water that would have been great to swim in. We also bypassed the Viking Museum which would have been interesting if we had not been soaked, I can't remember the last time my waterproofs had been waterproof.

We decided we would get off the island on the 11:00 ferry the next day, there must be somewhere dry in Norway.

Saturday 25^th June (Svolvaer to Fauske)

We got up early as it was recommended to turn up an hour early for the ferry in case it was busy. Due to the pack and go attitude on the leg up to the NordKapp we were adept at packing. So when I realised we had a chance of making the 10:00 ferry we decided to go for it, we got to the terminal around 09:50 and were guaranteed a spot.

After some nifty rope work to strap the bike down for the 2 hour crossing we settled down and waved the islands good-bye, somewhere we had looked forward to but had been totally disappointed with.

On the ferry I rang Pitstop to work out what was wrong with the bike (well in Euan McGregor can ring BMW engineers I can ring mine). The diagnosis was a “wet” plug and after we got off the ferry we identified which was at fault and then went in search of some new ones. It was another 30 miles and by the time we got there the revs were sticking at 4k and I was having problems slowing down,possibly caused by un-burnt fuel getting back into the carbs. The fresh plug made a massive difference but the bike still didn't run right, by the end of the day all 4 plugs had been changed but we still had a low down miss and decided we would “limp” the bike back if needed.

We went to Fausk, dropped our gear and then went to Saltstraumen to see the Maelstrom, where the Fjord is higher than the sea and this causes very rough water during the tidal flows that churns up plankton and brings fish to the surface in the hunt for the food. This in turn brings the seagulls and the fishermen.

Later we had a walk around the campsite, where there was a classic Norwegian garden/scrap heap, and then it started to rain again. I am sure when we turn up at site, soaked they start to watch the electric bill soar.

Sunday 26^th June (Fauske to Steinkjer)

Surprise surprise, more rain. A wet start to the day, and the bike had been happy keeping out of the rain. There was still a bit of a miss as we went back up towards the Arctic Circle, as we rose up the rain stopped and the bike dried out and ran normally again. The dryness didn't last long and before Mosjoen the rain was back. It was also cold, so much so that when we stopped for lunch we had to walk around to keep warm (Jean even jogged a bit).

For me the best bit was a 30 mile stretch after Mo I Rana that just felt “right”, the sun was out the road was clear and I was able to relax completely. It felt as if the bike was doing the riding and not me.

Due to the electrical troubles I rode all day (well the XJ is my baby) and had to keep the revs above 3000, so I just kept overtaking everything. The main problem with keeping a high speed is that Norwegian drivers just assume you are doing the right speed and pull out without checking.

I must have been tired towards the end of the day as I passed the site we were looking for and we ended up in the one near the centre of Steinker, this at least gave us the opportunity to walk around a town for a change. Had we arrived a few hours earlier we could even have gone to a football match.

Steinkjer is about 35 miles north or Trondhein and the 1^st bit of “major” civilisation we had seen for a while, so it was interesting to se so many restaurants and bars. Also the local youth were driving up and down the main road in a Mercedes with the usual “bangy” beat music.

Monday 27^th June (Steinkjer to Andalsnes)

A short 1^st stint, I needed to be a tourist and visit Hell.

After Trondheim we headed off down the E39 and the wind picked up. There was more road building/improvements going on with a large section of new road being built with about 3 tunnels so we had to go on some slower roads. We turned inland to get off the main road and hoped the wind would drop, it didn't, and then it rained. After a lunch stop it was another ferry ride and then despite the rain we headed off over another mountain pass. Despite the rain it was an enjoyable day. The roads and got more interesting and the ride was broken into smaller stages that made it pass quicker, so I was surprised to find we had done 288 miles.

It was a good place to stop for a couple of reasons, firstly because it was here we had decided to head into Sweden instead of going north in 2003 so it felt like a circle had been completed. Also the hytter at Mjelve was fantastic, it was a great size with a view over the TrollRoad (when the clouds lifted) and some waterfalls behind.

We went shopping and treated ourselves to some beer to go with our meatball curry, then sat on the (dry) veranda (bike was also using it for shelter) talking to a Dutch man who was just travelling wherever the day took him.

As the bike was running much better we decided to head over the TrollRoad to Geringer tomorrow.

Tuesday 28^th June (Andalsnes to Loem)

Off up the TrollRoad, we came down in it 2003, which was fun only marginally spoiled by the rain. The road is famous for its 11 hairpin bends, not the hardest we have done but you are distracted by the waterfalls and shear rock faces everywhere. There was next to no traffic so I could take the bends at my own pace. After a quick stop at the top we carried on and were both surprised by how much snow there was in comparison to 2 years earlier, spoilt by the rain.

A quick ferry ride (we rolled on and squeezed in at the back as it was about to leave) and then on into Geringer via the Eagle road (more hairpins). As we were in tourist mood today we decided to take the boat to Hellesylt which goes slowly down the fjord giving a commentary about the waterfalls and farms that cling to the cliff side. A worthy “cruise” and would be better without the rain.

The short ride to Loem was as wet as the rest of the day and the hytter was basic on a non-descript site.

Of interest though was was farm that had a field dedicated to American Huckleberries as an experiment.

Wednesday 29^th June (Loem to Gudvengan)

At last, after 7 consecutive days of rain, we awoke to a dry day. The sun was out and only a few clouds hung around the mountain tops. We headed off over another pass and down towards Songdal stopping off at an arm of the Jostalbreen glacier. The road from Skei to Songdal was a lush green valley with good clear roads, Jean really enjoyed this stretch, it felt like a completely different country. What a difference a bit of sun can make.

After a short ferry ride we took the old road to Auland that went up to 1700 metres and a wonderful snowy landscape with a waterfall. The pure white was contrasting with the pure blue sky. After a paddle Jean went for a walk, so I took off for ride. The rode was twisty with high banks of snow on each side, at one point there had been an avalanche that had blocked half the road. When I got back there was still no sight, so I went looking for her (she had been gone an hour with no mobile , map or compass). As I got to the place I had last seen her she appeared over the crest running , 45 minutes walk and 15 minutes running.

We headed back down the way we had come and headed for the replacement for the road to Auland, a 24km tunnel ! This is the longest road tunnel in the world and we just felt we had to add it to our “tick list”. It takes 20 minutes to travel through and to relieve the possible boredom they have built some lighting galleries. A blue glow appears in the distance and then you are in a soft lit section. Naughtily we stopped for a picture.

This was the place for long tunnels, the next 2 were 11 and 7kms.

Finally Jean got her cabin with a grass roof, and we had a double bed ! Bargain for 250kr. The site was in a north->south valley with high sides, so the sun disappeared around 1800 and put us into cool shadow.

The site was near the base of a waterfall that is disputed as to whether it is the 4^th or 10^th largest in the world, all depends on how you measure it. We went for a walk/scrabble to it and I nearly fell in. On the way down we found a Viking village being built, by Vikings. This is an ongoing project and is a long way off completion, but a Viking boat was also being built that will be ready for September. The people working on it having given up their normal jobs and now just do local jobs to keep the project going. Further info can be found at http://www.viking-valley.no .

Thursday 30^th June (Gudvengan to Bergen)

So, our last day arrived , with a second bright and clear dear. Jean took us into Bergen and after a circulative route through the city we got to the port and met up with other bikers who had the same problem finding the port. And to cap it all we missed Ikea. The bikers where the usual mix, a Fin and his girl/wife were on a 5 week tour of Europe starting in the UK, a Scot and wife and some Welsh moaners. Boy could they moan. Apparently it was still going on over breakfast the next day.

The ship returns to Newcastle by cruising to Stavanger via Haugsand, a loverly leisurely trip past islands and bridges. A nice way to spend the afternoon/evening sunbathing and drinking beer.

Friday 1^st July (Newcastle to Home)

After a farce of getting off the ship and through customs, we hit the road and took the route over the top via Barnard Castle and the Yorkshire Dales before dropping down the M6 and home.

Not a bad little jaunt 4137 miles on a13 year old bike with over 70,000 miles on it before we started.

After such sterling service the bike was treated to a mini service the next day, the running problems were caused by old plug caps. Unfortunately the sump plate cracked ! Oh well.