Day 18

Sorry for the delay with writing about the last day of the trip but I have to say following the wife around in an over crowded department store is not necessarily something to write home about with joy. There was rain all night long at the camp but when we woke early in the morning so that she could be at the store doors just as they opened, the weather cleared so we decided to walk the 1½ km and left the rooftop tent up for the day so that it could dry out. After was seemed an eternity of walking around in circles looking at the same no name brand stuff over and over again I finally convinced her that it was time to go. 

The final 230km trip home was uneventful, the sun was shining traffic was moderate and we were back home just after 6 in the evening. We did some unpacking and I opened the rooftop tent an kept it up for a few days to thoroughly air and dry out. 

Doing the figured after this trip of a life time, we drove a staggering 7176 km over 18 days, fuel consumed was 740.51L. Fuel consumption in Swedish was 1.03L/mil and in English it was 27.4mpg. Motor oil used for the entire trip was 3/4 of a litre. These figures surpassed all expectations that I had considering that the landy was fully loaded the entire trip with what we estimated to be around 400kg. Also when you look back at the roads that we drove, the mountain passed, the fjords, the countless serpentine roads these figures are impressive coming from a 36 year old truck. 

The plan now is to go through a few things and do a final report of our thoughts and suggestions for future trips for ourselves and others.

Day 17

Sitting here in the rooftop tent listening to the rain I'm going through the pictures we took today at Arctic Trucks in Drammen, Norway. Got a tour of their facilities and had many of my questions answered with their vehicles. But the biggest treat of the day was when Alex handed over the keys to the very vehicle that the former Top Gear hosts used 1) to drive to the north pole, 2) to drive up an active volcano in Iceland. Yes the two men's I'm referring to are Jeremy Clarkson and James May. Then James May took the same Hilux to Iceland to drive up the active volcano called Eyjahfjallajökull. Really was a treat to drive that Hilux, it is an impressive vehicle. Still has the mounting brackets for the video cameras inside and the famous trailer hitch toilet seat.

We left Drammen late so to get to the next campsite we decided to push as fast as the old landy would allow us till we gotten ULLARED Camping. I've done my best for 18 years of avoiding this shopping centre. Camping is tight and not even here 5 minutes we had a drunk over with us talking up a storm. After tomorrow it'll be another 18 years before I come anywhere close to this place.

 

Day 16

Can you believe it, 16 days on the road and counting.

Today the drive from Frøde to Drammen was altered from the original plan to make sure that we were in Drammen in good time for my appointment tomorrow. Lots of local rain but nothing that dampened the trip today. Even when we got to the campsite tonight the weather app showed  18 degrees and sunny but looking out of the windscreen it was another story as the wiper blade moved back and forth.

Tomorrow before we set off I have to check and top up the rear diff, it's been leaking since driving the roads in Finland and around Nordkapp. I have to say though, the leak is through the actions of those who mislead with what they selling. I specifically asked for RTV silicone but was given normal silicone which is not suitable for transmission oils. Oh well, I'll keep an eye on the rear diff and fix it properly when back in Nybro.

Day 15

Today we headed into Geiranger centre and did a bit of site seeing and checked the shops out. It wasn't till afternoon when we left and began the long drive closer to the coastline again. But before doing so we did one of the remaining sections of the old highway to Geiranger which was an excellent drive. We spent most of the afternoon stopping and taking pictures then when we realised the time we headed for the nearest asphalt.

The route that I planned took many secondary roads which of course took time. On one particular road there was a road stop, a heard of cows. Was funny as the cows had no intention of moving off any time soon.

The weather for the day was basically driving between rain clouds but as we got nearer to the coast it became simply full on rain. We are now at a campsite in Førde and as I lay in the rooftop tent it is raining cats and dogs.

Because of an appointment that we have for Finday we are going to take a straight b-line to Drammen, even though it will be over 8 be hours driving tomorrow.

Day 14

I was looking forward to today, a trail that there was no risk of a road barrier. We drove a toll road called Aursjøvegen which did not disappoint. The climb was so steep in sections where I was in 2nd gear. At the top we were at 950 moh but at that height and with today's weather we didn't get to see much. The fog rolled in quickly and stayed.
Some of the switch back turns were too much for my wife, she had her hand firmly gripping the door handle thinking that a quick exist was possible if something went wrong. 😯
A road that is on the to-do again list, but with clearer weather.

From there we took to the coastline again taking many smaller roads, the trip is so much more relaxing not having to deal with traffic all the time. On a smaller road leading eventually to Geiranger we meet a police car, said to Ulla there must have been an accident?? A few minutes later we came across a new Range Rover sitting on it's side down a deep ditch. The torn up grass on the side of the road and into the ditch told the whole story, excessive speed for road conditions. On the same road I pulled over for a motorcycle to let pass and I got a thumbs up. 😊

Now we are in Geiranger at the same camp that we have used previously.

Day 13

This morning it was a mad dash with the traffic into Trondheim which went rather well for us till Mr. Garmin sent us up a road that your not suppose to use for vehicle traffic. Parking is an other issue all on its own in a historical city centre where every second vehicle was electrical or had stop/go technology. Then you have me with an oil burner trying to find a place to park.

After touring the famous church in Trondheim we headed west towards the Atlantic Highway. As much as I would have liked to see the waves breaching the water breaks, the calm sunny weather was excellent, which offered us a few picture opportunities.

While along the Atlantic coast we read in our phones the weather forecast and it wasn't what were expecting, 30-50 mm rain over night.  Therefore we decided to go for broke and get as far inland as possible.

By 9:30 pm we found a small camp site off the beaten path which has only 2 guests for the night. While here I wasn't really looking forward to having to deal with a wet tent so I took a cabin instead.

Tomorrow should be a wet one, let's see how far we travel after the mountain pass that I have planned for the morning.

Day 12

This morning with the sound of rain on the tent, looking out wasn't any better with the Atlantic fog covering the Norwegian coastline. We had to move on if we were to get into Trondheim on Monday when the forecast showed sunny day. We took highway 17 along the coastline which is known as the tourist route, I can confirm from what we could see that it was worth the trip.

After the first ferry this morning I was middle in the queue and felt that the speed on the narrow coastal roads were to quick for the landy so we stopped into a museum in Grønsvik. It was basically a gunner battery that saw its fair share of action.  What was funny for us was that we stopped for an hour and when we eventually arrived at the next ferry terminal all the cars in the long queue were sitting there. Also while on the second ferry of the day we crossed over the artic circle again. We spent 9 days over the artic circle and plan to return.

Taking the advice of the girl at museum we diverted from the coastline and headed over to the main highway to proceed to Trondheim. Had the weather been better had we stayed at the coastline, we were disappointed with our luck with the weather and said that we must return.

Tonight are we south of Medjå, approximately 160 km north of Trondheim. Tomorrow some sightseeing in Norway's third largest city then onwards to the Atlantic Highway.

Day 11

This morning we woke early to the alarm, yes I know that alarm clock and vacations don't blend but we wanted to make some early progress so that we can stop at a beach for a few hours in the afternoon.

We did our best to divert from the E6 as to see more of the country side and the fishing communities. The coastline in Norway is breathtaking with something new after each bend. I did find on the computer an old disused road after it was replaced by a tunnel. So we took it down to the main highway, which my passenger wasn't pleased about for one second! 😆 Fallen rocks on the asphalt, parts of the road washed away and no rails along the sides of the road were not popular but did make for an exciting 1100 metres decent.

We are now on the tourist route following the coastline till we reach Trondheim. Without risking driving late again we have stopped into a rest stop in Glomfjord. We are over 900 moh and in the forest behind us you can hear the free ranging goats with their bells.

Day 10

As I wrote yesterday today was a day relaxing, doing some laundry and some servicing on the landy. While Ulla was getting the laundry ready I spent some time under the landy looking for the new rattles. The rear most exhaust mount was loose and the exhaust downpipe skid plate was loose. After tightening the bolts I greased all the u-joints and a general look-see over everything else.

Also before coming to the camp where the Norsk Land Rover Klubb are having their summer meet, I asked on their forum if I could buy a left hand side wiper arm as we had one break in Finland. Two guys showed up with 2 wiper arms for me. Thanks to their hospitality I feel more secure with the wiper arms lasting the remainder of this trip.

Today is was 27 degrees, hanging out 2 loads of laundry didn't take very long to dry. This camp is next to a rescue/military training facility that has helicopters, which begin flying just after 7 in the morning and go all day long.

We've been looking at the road book andy do some cut/copy/paste with the southern route. We want to spent some time along the coast and if the weather keeps as it was today then of course we will have to stop by a beach.

Day 9

Today we hiked to the three country boundaries between Finland, Norway and Sweden which was a 24 km trip. The trail to the boundaries marker are very well marked and travelled so the hike was straightforward to speak but you had the climbs to the plateau. The hike in with a half hour rest and back to the landy took us 6 hours and 10 minutes.

After the hike the plan was to cross a mountain pass on an old mountain route but when got to the entrance to the pass there was another gate with a huge lock. Another trail that we couldn't travel. 😯

Back tracking another 45km we were back to the main highway where we drove down to Bardu where the Norsk Land Rover Klubb are having there summer meet. We are camping next to our old friend Lars.
The plan is to relax a bit and get some laundry done and servicing on the landy before heading further south.

Day 8

Last night when we camped in Olderfjord the Swiss couple who parked next to us happened to be driving a Land Rover. We haven't seen so many adventure equipped vehicles so far on our trip, so it was cool to see them plus talk.

Today was going to be a day of as lot of driving. The first trial that I planned to drive started in Skågvarre, but when were at the start for the trail it was marked for back packers and cyclists. This had me stumped with the information I had so we decided in taking the decision to not upset any other trail users and not drive it.

So a quick recalculation with the Garmin and we were heading In the direction of the Alta Old Postal road which we decided to drive from the lowest point to Alta. The road appeared to be more rough than usual as it was heavily rutted. Many hours later we came out in Alta where we refuelling for the 11th time in 8 days.

From Alta we decided to simply take the quickest and only way to the 3 boundaries meeting point for this time Sweden, Finland and Norway. By the time of 11 at night we decided that it was enough driving for today and found a nice grassy meadow by the highway in Oksfjordhamn.

Day 7

We did it, Knivskjelloden hike of 18 km to the most northerly point outside of Russia. Knivskjellodden is actually 1.5 km further north of the tourist Nordkapp location.

After we completed the hike we had to go back to a conversation that we had at breakfast with a French couple who cycled to Nordkapp the day before. They told us to park our vehicle 500 m before Nordkapp entrance and simply walk around the area to come in from the side. Doing so after our hike, it gave us the change to get a picture at the globe before heading south again. Before doing so we had to eat at a local restaurant to eat cod tongues. Ulla's first! 

We are now a 100 km south of Nordkapp in Olderfjord with a camping spot on the water front.

Day 6

Well today it was a short distance to travel compared to the previous day's, just 410km to Nordkapp. The roads were so much better but with that the traffic increased. I hate being pushed to drive faster for those behind us so I was the nice guy and pulled over to let them pass, must have been 10-12 times at least. 

When we stopped for lunch at a rest spot in a fjord, a tour bus came in shortly after us with tourists from France. Some how we became the main attraction instead of the fjord. The people were checking out the Land Rover, watching me cook our lunch and were asking about the Canadian stickers on the landy. LOL we were so glad to see the back of that bus.

The tunnel to the island that Nordkapp is on, you decent for 3km, it levels off for a km then it's a long 3km climb out to day light again. The views here are amazing, not seen any real trees to talk of, plenty of reindeers and sheep.....the wind, well none stop is the best way to describe it. We just hope that the rooftop tent can survive the wind tonight. The forecast for tonight tomorrow is overcast with no chance of droplets from above with wind gusts as high as 9 m/s.

Day 5

Our first night in Norway was in Svanvik on our way down to the three country boundaries for Now, Finland and Russia. This particular road is only a 100 km so we figured that it would take no time to get to the hike that we were looking forward to but once again the roads tried to break us. 2 1/2 hours to travel 100 km!

BUT with that said, the experience at the Norwegian boundary side was well worth it. We were the first to arrive at the car park where out of no wheres came a Norwegian soldier and gave us a briefing for the hike. Prepared we enjoyed the 5 km hike to the 3 boundaries where we were meet by 2 more soldiers who gave us further information and instructions so that we didn't enter Russia. These guys were great and very informative which added to the experience of the hike.

One of the things that make the 3 countries boundaries between Norway, Finland and Russia special is the fact it's the only one that has 3 different time zones.

We now are in Tana Bru, Norway which is a short way out of north eastern Norway making our way to Nordkapp.

Day 4

Don't under estimate the roads in Finland nor the time it takes to travel them. We had only 475 km through Finland but the roads were unbelievable. The direct line through Finland was part gravel and pavement which was perfectly OK with us but halfway in the gravel route the road was closed as they were rebuilding a bridge. OK we did see a road sign for road construction but the way it was positioned in the intersection we figured it was for the other road. LOL jupp we had to backtrack about 20km for the detour.

Then back on pavement well we felt that the gravel roads were smoother. I laughed at the speed limits, 100 on a surface that a vehicle could never do without losing control immediately afterwards. Dah!

Both border controls for Finland are unmanned so they we easy sailing.

Once in Norway we were so burnt out from the roads that once we hit Kirkenese we turned south looking for the first place to pitch the rooftop tent.

Day 3

An other long day behind the wheel, as we decided that we would go through Sweden as fast as the landy would take us. Yesterday over 740 km, today another 710, brining us to a total over 2 1/2 days of 1755 km.

To our surprise the roads up north are actually really good which allowed us to make some good time. But it's the fuel stops that need to be figured into the equation as I have only a 43L fuel tank. I've been trying to do the fuel stops so that they were at stations that corresponds to my diesel card, the discount is applied. This is all and well till my Garmin GPS decided to act up today. In Luleå we were forced to back track to find one of the last Preem stations in northern Sweden.

After Luleå the roads did begin to get worst but that did play into my hand with the cars. On one long stretch of rough gravel road I was able to pass. That was a change.

Eventually we made it to our destination of Pajala Camping in Pajala.

Tomorrow's plan is the final fill up in Sv, fill the cooler with fresh meat and head into Finland.

Day 2

A bit wet this morning, OK actually torrential downpour is a better description, the rain came down so hard and fast in Borlänge that there was rivers in the streets. Everything was soaked so it was best to motor on and hope for better. As luck would have it the sun came out and then we were able to make some progress with over 700 km driven.

At one point I was about to overtake a slow poke but a turbo hose to the motor had other ideas and blew off. LOL  5 minute repair and Ulla got to stretch her legs.

finally we found a great camping spot on  a lake just outside of Honing. It's blowing a bit off the lake but it's helping so much with the mosquitoes that we will not complain.

Honing you can see on a map that we decided to jump over vildmarksvägen this year so that we can get to Finland a bit faster.

Day 1

Like clock work we were on the road just before 18:00 starting our trip to Nordkapp.  The plan was to drive around 6 hours then look for a place to camp, but as I get behind the wheel I just keep going.

One thing that I noticed that I did not do to the hybrid after the air springs were installed we as adjust the headlights. The headlights were pointing no more than 5 metres in front of us so a quick stop to grab a screw driver, then 3 1/2 turns later I could see down the road.

At  01:30 we found a rest area between Ludvika and Borlänge. We took a small side road from the rest area and found a great place to setup camp.

Nearly Ready

Well we are nearly ready, the hybrid is packed with all of the camping gear, food is packed and the extra 20L diesel is in the back. The only thing left to pack before leaving tomorrow afternoon is the clothing, cooler and the camera.
With nearing or if not more than 300kg loaded in the hybrid, I'm really impressed with the rear air bags. The rear ride height is still higher than normal with only 18lbs of air pressure. These air bags are approved for 35lbs but I can't see me needing so much pressure with this load and vehicle. To top all that off, no leaks!

Tomorrow the plan is to leave late afternoon and drive till around midnight then look for a place to park and get some sleep. The next day we hope to stop somewhere within the Vildmarksvägen.